Panasonic Energy – a supplier of battery technology to Tesla - has signed an agreement to purchase next-generation nano-composite silicon anode material for EV lithium-ion batteries from Sila Nanotechnologies Inc. These new batteries could enable 500-mile non-stop trips and 10-minute recharges.
Titan Silicon, the high-performance silicon material supplied by Sila, outperforms conventional silicon by offering higher capacity as well as suppressing expansion during charging, which has been a longstanding challenge of the material. The use of silicon is key to improving battery performance as it has, in theory, 10 times the capacity of graphite, a material commonly used in the current production of lithium-ion battery anodes. However, silicon’s charging-induced expansion, leading degradation of battery performance, has spurred years of industry research to address the issue.
Leveraging its battery technology and the partnership with Sila, Panasonic is aiming to replace a higher proportion of graphite in the anode material with silicon, enhancing energy density. This is expected to help deliver improved EV performance, increased vehicle range and reduced charging times.
