Credit: Sila Nanotechnologies Posted on 04/13/2023 6:48:25 AM PDT by Red Badger
Credit: Sila Nanotechnologies
VIDEO AT LINK................
Anew silicon anode material for batteries promises to boost the range of electric vehicles (EVs) by 20% or more — and a major automaker has already signed a deal to start using it.
Range anxiety: A widespread transition to EVs would slash the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, but the switch from gas- and diesel-powered cars and trucks is slow — in 2022, only 13% of new cars sold worldwide were electric.
While higher upfront costs often factor into this decision, the primary issues keeping people from buying EVs have to do with their batteries — many drivers are concerned that EVs won’t have sufficient range to get them where they need to go.
Silicon can hold more energy than graphite in the same amount of space.
What’s new? Battery firm Sila Nanotechnologies has now unveiled Titan Silicon, a new material for EV batteries, which it says can boost a vehicle’s range by 20%, while reducing a 60-minute charge time down to as few as 20 minutes.
“With the wide adoption of EVs, consumers are looking for best-in-class solutions that deliver best-in-class performance, and our solutions provide just that: longer range and faster charge,” said Gene Berdichevsky, Sila’s co-founder and CEO.
How it works: Titan Silicon is designed for use in anodes, the part of a battery that releases electrons during discharge. In lithium-ion batteries, the anode is typically made of graphite, but Sila’s powdery anode material is silicon-based.
Silicon can hold more energy than graphite in the same amount of space, which has made it an alluring substitute for EV batteries — Tesla has been looking into it since at least 2015 — but silicon also expands and contracts during use in a way that can quickly degrade the battery.
“We’ve gone through over 70,000 iterations of this material.”...GENE BERDICHEVSKY
To overcome that limitation, Sila designed its silicon anode particles to be encapsulated in a scaffold-like structure that limits their expansion.
“We’ve spent over a decade in the labs,” said Berdichevsky. “We’ve gone through over 70,000 iterations of this material — researching different recipes, different configurations, different formulations, how to build it into different types of cells — and ultimately landed on some recipes that worked really, really well.”
Looking ahead: According to Sila, Titan Silicon is 100% compatible with any existing battery cell design — cylindrical, pouch, etc. — and automakers could even choose to replace just some of the graphite in their anodes with the material, if that better suits their needs.
Sila plans to begin mass producing Titan Silicon in 2024, and within the next five years, it expects to manufacture enough for one million EV batteries. The first automaker to adopt the tech will be Mercedes-Benz — it will use Titan Silicon in the batteries for its EQG G Wagon, which is expected to debut in late 2024 or early 2025.
Sila doesn’t plan to stop innovating, either — Berdichevsky believes the company will be able to squeeze even more benefits from its silicon anode material.
“What we see is we’ll be able to deliver more like a 40% increase in range over time — well over 100 miles additional — and bring the charge times we think below 10 minutes, which is about how long you spend at a gas station,” he said.
The big picture: It’s possible silicon anodes could prove to go well beyond that. A team in South Korea recently published a study of its own silicon anode material that it says could lead to a 10-fold increase in an EV’s range.
It’s too soon to say whether their material will be able to make the leap from the lab to the streets, but if Titan Silicon can deliver on its promise, range anxiety might soon be struck from the list of reasons to put off buying an EV.
I’m not one to brag. But you’ll never see my electric vehicle stranded by the side of the road. I plan ahead.
Doesn’t burn just EXPLODES ?
Any day now, should, maybe, just a few months, could, should
coming real soon!
It’s not just upfront costs. EVs turn into bricks when their batteries die. There is no long term, low cost maintenance. It use to be dropping a $4,000 motor into a vehicle was the last resort after many maintenance repairs that could be performed on a vehicle. A $4 k motor would give you another 150,000 miles unless the vehicle turned into a rust bucket, something that rarely happens today. Try dropping a new battery into an EV for $4 k.
Additionally, if you get into an accident in an EV there is a much higher probability that the insurance company will consider the vehicle totaled. There are increased insurance premiums if you want replacement coverage.
Lastly, there’s the cost of electricity. It’s a simple matter of physics. Petroleum still has the best value and potentially lowest cost for the production of energy if government would just get out of the way and allow America to be energy dominant.
The real cost of EVs includes your tax dollars that subsidize everything green. It includes sending trillions to China and being reliant on China for our most basic needs.
Anyone who supports this green chit is an eff’n American traitor.
If they really wanted to be truly ‘green’, they would best apply themselves into getting more efficient IC engines. A IC engine that would get 85% efficiency, theoretical perfect, would be way more cost effective than EVs...................
“Titan Silicon”
This company will go nowhere until it gets with the program: “Trans Silicon” will better make for a huge success.
But I really don’t give a chit about being green. Green is a fantasy based on anthropomorphic climate change lies.
...while reducing a 60-minute charge time down to as few as 20 minutes.
Reality: My wife and I usually are at the fast charger 10-15 minutes to bring it up to 80% charged. Are they saying it'll charge the remaining 20% ultra-fast?
Yes, it seems so................
EVs eat tires like crazy due to the excess weight of the batteries, so you may be right.....................
Physics is racist. Or something. Only narrative-approved science can be discussed here.
Flammable?
That is one cause of the batteries shorting out, metal dendrites on the anodes forming when charging until they short.....................
I’ll walk before I drive an EV. It’s that simple.
Indeed it’s a all or nothing deal and all ain’t gunna happen.
Don’t care at 66 years old. Never will buy one or have anything but an ICE vehicle.
Also,I went to South Korea last year and you can't breathe there either.Why? It's not the ROK's fault...the cr@p air is coming from Red China (right next door).
Yes, and why? China is already communist. That is the real goal behind the global warming scare that the government is perpetrating. Occasional Cortex said as much in one of her Freudian slips. Fear is a tool of tyrants. George Orwell tried to explain that but very few people listen.
Making EVs 20% less crappy.
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