A UK battery producer is diving into the ocean know-how sector with a multi-million-pound partnership that might rework how underwater autos function in a number of the world’s most difficult environments.
Volklec has joined forces with offshore know-how specialist Walker Subsea to develop the D-SEA underwater battery pack, a system designed to free remotely operated autos from their reliance on floor assist ships. The collaboration marks a big enlargement for the British producer into a world underwater building and protection market value $5.9 billion.
The breakthrough addresses a elementary constraint in subsea operations. At the moment’s remotely operated autos depend upon tethered energy connections to assist vessels, limiting their vary and operational flexibility. The D-SEA system will present onboard vitality storage utilizing Volklec’s 21700-5000mAh vitality cells, enabling larger autonomy for autos engaged on offshore renewable vitality initiatives and defending crucial ocean infrastructure.
“We’re now serving to Walker Subsea create a novel and highly effective underwater vitality storage gadget with a spread of purposes for the marine and defence sectors,” mentioned Junaid Mujaver, chief working officer at Volklec. The partnership represents one among a number of initiatives at the moment within the firm’s pipeline because it expands throughout a number of high-value sectors.
For Walker Subsea, deciding on a British companion mirrored strategic priorities past technical specs. The Newcastle-based agency prioritized UK manufacturing to strengthen provide chain resilience, scale back environmental impression, and construct sovereign capabilities in underwater protection programs.
“It was crucial for us to make use of a UK-based producer for sustainability, provide chain de-risking and to allow sovereign functionality,” mentioned Vahid Walker, technical director at Walker Subsea. He characterised D-SEA as a gap transfer in a broader imaginative and prescient towards absolutely wi-fi underwater transport capabilities.
The challenge has progressed quickly because of each corporations’ experience and nimble improvement strategy. Underwater trials are scheduled for the primary quarter of 2026, bringing the first-to-market answer nearer to industrial actuality.
Walker Subsea blends automotive know-how with deep-sea engineering to create superior vitality storage and energy supply programs. The corporate’s product vary, together with A-Flux and the forthcoming D-SEA, permits submersibles to journey farther and sooner with enhanced reliability.
The collaboration highlights how specialised battery know-how is proving important past conventional electrical car purposes. Volklec manufactures superior lithium-ion cells for automotive, aerospace, marine and off-highway sectors, all demanding vitality storage options able to performing in excessive situations.
