Group14 opens a factory to produce battery materials needed for fast-charging electric vehicles

Electric vehicle drivers and smartphone power users have been salivating over the prospect of silicon anode batteries, which promise dramatically enhanced energy density and reduced charging times.

Several companies have been working on silicon anodes over the past decade or so, and the technology is starting to creep into consumer electronics. For example, wearable device manufacturer Whoop uses the material From Sillawhile Group 14The company’s batteries can be found in a range of smartphones.

But the real prize is the electric vehicle market, which is outpacing consumer electronics by a large margin, according to Benchmark Minerals. However, to break into this field, startups need to produce silicon anode material in much larger quantities than they have done so far.

To achieve this scale, Group 14 said on Thursday that it has begun production at its BAM-3 plant in South Korea. The facility is capable of producing up to 2,000 metric tons of silicon battery material per year, enough to store 10 gigawatt-hours of energy, or about 100,000 long-range electric vehicles.

“It’s a big deal for us, and I think it’s a big deal for the industry as well,” Rick Luby, co-founder and CEO of Group14, told TechCrunch.

The BAM-3 facility was established as a joint venture between Group14 and SK, a Korean battery manufacturer. SK owns 75% of the project, however She sold her share To Group14 last summer.

“SK faced its own challenges — financial and reprioritizing its battery and battery materials strategies at the same time,” Luby said. “It opened up a great opportunity for us to get him from SK.”

The startup is working with a number of companies, including Porsche’s battery division, Cellforce Group, StoreDot, Molicel, and Sionic. Porsche has Also invested In Group14 through its investment arm.

Most modern batteries use carbon as the anode material. It works well enough, but scientists have long known that silicon, which can store up to 10 times as many lithium ions, would be better for energy storage if only they could solve some pesky durability problems: pure silicon anodes are prone to swelling and collapsing in a short time, making them unsuitable for repeated charging cycles over several years.

Answer Group 14 It is a solid carbon scaffold that holds small silicon particles in place, preventing the anode from swelling or collapsing. This scaffold is released through nanopores that allow lithium ions and electrons to pass through. It also helps to charge the anode quickly without it getting stuck.

Some Group14 customers, such as Sionic, use silicon anodes to boost power density by up to 50%. Others, like Molicel, are focusing on taking advantage of silicon’s fast-charging capabilities, including a design that can take a battery from empty to full in just 90 seconds.

This type of application of silicon anodes could turn the electric vehicle market upside down. Chinese electric car maker BYD is already aiming to build this kind of capability: Last week it revealed a new battery pack It can “flash” a charge from 10% to 70% in five minutes. (Lupi is convinced that BYD is using silicon carbon in its new battery. “It has to be that way,” he said.)

If charging networks can accommodate such an electric vehicle, range anxiety will be a thing of the past. Today, automakers strive to provide a range of 300 miles to 400 miles mostly to alleviate consumer concerns, but reaching those numbers requires large batteries that add size, heft and cost. Fast charging that can provide meaningful range in seconds could allow automakers to shrink the size of batteries, saving cost and weight.

“I have a Rivian with a 130-kilowatt-hour battery, which is very expensive,” Luby said. But with fast charging, concepts like inductive charging at stoplights — which may seem quaint today — are starting to become more feasible. “You’ll never think about shipping again.”