A UK battery producer is diving into the ocean know-how sector with a multi-million-pound partnership that would remodel how underwater autos function in among 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 help ships. The collaboration marks a major enlargement for the British producer into a worldwide underwater development and protection market value $5.9 billion.
The breakthrough addresses a basic constraint in subsea operations. At this time’s remotely operated autos rely on tethered energy connections to help vessels, limiting their vary and operational flexibility. The D-SEA system will present onboard vitality storage utilizing Volklec’s 21700-5000mAh vitality cells, enabling higher autonomy for autos engaged on offshore renewable vitality initiatives and defending vital ocean infrastructure.
“We’re now serving to Walker Subsea create a novel and highly effective underwater vitality storage gadget with a spread of functions for the marine and defence sectors,” mentioned Junaid Mujaver, chief working officer at Volklec. The partnership represents one among a number of initiatives presently within the firm’s pipeline because it expands throughout a number of high-value sectors.
For Walker Subsea, choosing a British accomplice mirrored strategic priorities past technical specs. The Newcastle-based agency prioritized UK manufacturing to strengthen provide chain resilience, scale back environmental influence, and construct sovereign capabilities in underwater protection techniques.
“It was vital 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 due to each corporations’ experience and nimble improvement strategy. Underwater trials are scheduled for the primary quarter of 2026, bringing the first-to-market resolution nearer to industrial actuality.
Walker Subsea blends automotive know-how with deep-sea engineering to create superior vitality storage and energy supply techniques. The corporate’s product vary, together with A-Flux and the forthcoming D-SEA, permits submersibles to journey farther and quicker with enhanced reliability.
The collaboration highlights how specialised battery know-how is proving important past conventional electrical car functions. 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.
