Sila began connecting its first full-scale plant to the grid in the first half of the year. This process is now complete. Founded in 2021, the company says it is currently focused solely on testing and refining process recipes so that series production of Sila’s silicon anode material can begin ‘shortly.’ The product is intended for use in batteries for electric mobility, consumer electronics, drones, AR/VR and satellites, among other things.
Sila is a specialist in silicon anode material and plans to commercialise its proprietary product under the name ‘Titan Silicon’. As reported, the anode is said to be capable of offering 20 per cent higher energy density than today’s graphite cells. The innovative material is also expected to improve battery charging times. The battery material specialist’s first publicly announced automotive customer is Mercedes-Benz: the carmaker plans to use the Californian company’s silicon anode chemistry in the future electric G-Class. Panasonic is also among the future customers.
According to Sila, it has set up production lines and quality systems for the automotive industry at its Moses Lake plant, but that’s not all: “Rigorous safety and environmental systems were leveraged during the factory’s design and construction, and process safety controls have been integrated within each tool. Automotive quality systems are in place to ensure consistent, high-quality Titan Silicon is produced and delivered to customers across industries,” Sila wrote.
The company was able to raise public funds for the construction of the factory: for example, the US Department of Energy’s Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC) granted Sila $100 million in funding to finance the build in Moses Lake. Sila itself boldly describes the facility as a turning point for US energy independence. The facility is more than a million times larger than Sila’s first research and development line and was designed for large-scale production from day one.
According to the company, the plant currently has an annual capacity of 2 to 5 GWh. However, it is expected to be expanded to up to 250 GWh within five years (‘to become the largest anode production facility in the world’). Sila emphasises that this will make graphite, primarily sourced from China, obsolete as an anode material and replace it with an alternative manufactured in the United States.
“This is not just about building a factory. It is about closing the gap between innovation and manufacturing in America,” commented Gene Berdichevsky, CEO and co-founder of Sila. “If we do not execute, innovation will flow to places that can. We have to build here in the United States to create a self-sustaining innovation economy, ensuring that our advancements in next-generation battery technology, like silicon-carbon anodes, are not only conceived but also produced domestically at a global scale.”
businesswire.com
This article was first published by Cora Werwitzke for electrive’s German edition.
