Sila Nano announces partnership and materials technology for next generation of lithium-ion batteries
ALAMEDA, CA, March 19, 2018– Sila Nanotechnologies (“Sila Nano”), developing and manufacturing materials that set a new standard for batteries, today announced a partnership with the BMW Group.
The BMW Group has long been committed to raising the world’s expectations of electrified transport through innovation. This is reflected in a growing lineup of advanced electrified models as well as in the company’s respected in-house research and development. BMW is meeting tomorrow’s consumer demand for long range electric vehicles by adopting new enabling technologies today.
In order for lithium-ion rechargeable batteries to hit future automotive targets, further advances and developments are necessary. The conventional chemistry (graphite anodes, lithium metal oxide cathodes) which has been thoroughly optimized, is reaching a technological limit. Achieving dramatic performance improvements while ensuring high levels of safety requires moving to a new generation of materials chemistry, one that increases storage efficiency while still working cost-effectively with conventional cell manufacturing processes.
Sila Nano’s team is focused on developing and commercializing the next generation of battery materials. Their first products are a family of silicon-dominant anode materials that replace conventional graphite electrodes. These materials work today and enable high cycle life, ultra-low swelling, and high energy density in next generation battery cells. Sila Nano’s materials drop into the existing battery manufacturing process, and can be manufactured economically at scale.
To accelerate development, the BMW Group has been working throughout its long-term partnership with Sila Nano to develop Sila Nano’s silicon anode material for the automotive market. In this effort, the companies are working together to apply Sila Nano’s breakthrough technology to achieve the performance and industrialization required for high-performance electric cars.
“At Sila we deliver the next generation of battery materials, which enable improved energy storage, require no change to battery manufacturing, and scale economically with mass production,” Gene Berdichevsky, CEO of Sila Nano said. “These innovations will introduce a new performance standard for electric vehicles in the early 2020s.”
Sila Nano is growing rapidly and expanding its teams at the San Francisco Bay Area HQ, at additional manufacturing locations, and in Europe and Asia, to support a wide range of customers and partners in the automotive and consumer markets.
About Sila Nanotechnologies
Sila Nano develops materials that set a new standard for batteries. Through new battery materials chemistry Sila Nano enables lighter, safer, higher energy density batteries for mass adoption of electric vehicles; smarter, longer-lasting wearables & portable electronics; as well as broader use of intermittent renewable power sources. Founded in 2011 by leading Silicon Valley battery engineers and a Georgia Tech Professor of Materials Science, Sila Nano is headquartered in Alameda, California. The company’s lead investors are Bessemer Venture Partners, Matrix Partners and Sutter Hill Ventures. For more information visit www.silanano.com.