As we continue to rely on batteries to power our world, there is an increasing need to improve their performance and sustainability. UBCO is leading the charge toward designing, developing and prototyping powerful, sustainable and efficient battery technologies to help run the world of tomorrow.
Dr. Jian Liu leads the Battery Innovation Centre at UBC Okanagan, which just received more than $2.6 million in funding from CFI’s Innovation Fund.
Batteries are an integral part of society’s energy storage, and the stage is set for them to become an even more significant source of power in the future. While battery and electric vehicle industries are prioritizing investment in battery production, UBCO researcher Dr. Jian Liu is focused on designing, building and testing better batteries, ones with increased lifespan, improved safety and a low purchase cost, to be built in future Canadian production facilities.
Dr. Liu, Associate Professor in UBCO’s School of Engineering, is an internationally renowned emerging leader in energy storage technologies who has focused his career on creating solutions for clean energy through innovative advancements in next-generation battery development.
With more than $2.6 million in new funding from CFI’s Innovation Fund, which builds on a 2024 investment from BC’s Innovative Clean Energy Fund, he has established UBCO’s Battery Innovation Centre—an interdisciplinary team of experts and a cutting-edge facility, currently under construction, that will further enhance his research capabilities and put the Okanagan at the forefront of the booming battery sector. When complete, the new facility, located in UBCO’s Innovation Precinct, will be a state-of-the art environment for designing, developing and prototyping powerful, sustainable and efficient battery technologies.
The Battery Innovation Centre will contain a number of unique features critical to accelerating battery technology from innovation to the marketplace. A state-of-the-art manufacturing line, for example, will enable development and optimization of new materials and battery manufacturing processes at a scale directly transferable to industrial settings. It’s one of the centre’s core capabilities. Nothing like it exists anywhere else in Canada.
“UBCO’s Battery Innovation Centre will play a key role in advancing this important battery research and establishing our university and our region as a powerhouse in clean energy innovation,” says Dr. Liu. “It will provide us the necessary space and the most advanced equipment to create and test battery prototypes on a larger scale and be a critical hub for ideating, testing and building next-generation battery technology.”
The facility will also feature wet lab space and a specialized ultra-low-humidity “dry room” to create the ideal conditions for Dr. Liu and his team of collaborators, including researchers from UBC’s Vancouver campus and the University of Alberta, to continue their cutting-edge battery manufacturing and testing.
With these resources, the Battery Innovation Centre is well positioned to transfer battery innovation from laboratories to Canadian industries, train next-generation scientists and engineers and contribute to establishing a sustainable Canadian battery supply chain.