The niobium-powered batteries to be developed will suit heavy-duty powertrains for mining. Their origins lie in an ultra-fast charging concept Nyobolt has developed based on research into new battery anode materials.

The ultra-fast charging capability is ideally suited to motorsport applications - WAE is currently a provider supporting battery provision for Extreme E, Formula E Gen 3 and ETCR.

"We are delighted to be part of this engineering and systems integration partnership that we believe will address a wide range of opportunities across a number of diverse applications and we look forward to working with the team at Nyobolt" said Paul McNamara, Technical Director, Williams Advanced Engineering.

In March, Fortescue Metals Group revealed that it was partnering with Williams Advanced Engineering to develop a zero emissions battery electric haul truck.

That project includes the design and construction of a bespoke battery electric powertrain with the ability to regenerate power as the truck travels downhill.

The battery will be built at WAE's facility in the UK, before being shipped to Perth for integration into a 240t prototype haul truck for performance testing at FMG's mining operations in Western Australia's Pilbara.