Agreement details
According to the press release published on Wednesday, Panasonic Energy and Sila officially inked an agreement for the purchase of the next-gen nanocomposite silicon anode material to boost li-ion batteries for electric vehicles.
Panasonic Energy aims to manufacture the silicon anode material in the existing Moses Lake facility in Washington, an apparent strategy to qualify for the Inflation Reduction Act’s federal tax credits for electric vehicle batteries.
The Japanese battery giant expects Sila’s Titan Silicon to significantly boost the performance of its li-ion batteries, which it supplies to major industry players like Tesla, Mazda, and Stellantis.
“We believe that by combining Sila’s innovative battery materials with our advanced cell production capabilities, we can help accelerate the adoption of EVs by addressing concerns such as range anxiety and charging times.”
Shoichiro Watanabe, Panasonic Energy Vice President
What’s special about the Titan Silicon?
Sila initially introduced the innovative Titan Silicon during WHOOP 4.0 in 2021.
Titan Silicon is a high-performance silicon material that outmatches traditional silicon. It boasts higher capacity and the ability to subdue expansion while charging.
Teslarati reported that this silicon anode material generates substantially less carbon emissions kWh than graphite, making it an ideal alternative for battery companies. It also has ten times the capacity of graphite, as indicated in the press release.
Due to silicon’s charging-induced expansion that causes battery degradation, Panasonic Energy aims to enhance energy density by replacing a higher proportion of graphite with silicon. The company expects this strategy to improve battery performance and range and lower charging times to 10 minutes.
“Panasonic is a technology-leading battery manufacturer in the world, and we are actively working to push the boundaries of performance. We are optimizing Titan Silicon to help achieve this vital goal. We look forward to working together,”
Gene Bell, Co-Founder and CEO of Sila
Panasonic Energy’s silicon efforts
Panasonic has been devising innovative technologies to grasp the silicon materials application for years. It claims to have mass-produced the first-ever silicon-based batteries in the electric vehicle industry.
Now, it firmly believes that integrating next-gen silicon materials in its development will aid its efforts to raise its battery energy density by 25% from 800Wh/L today to 1,000Wh/L by 2031.
The Japanese battery giant expresses a major focus on the North American market with plans to solidify its local supply chains there.
All that said, its newly formed partnership with Sila is indeed a strategic move, enabling it to build a stronger supply chain, reduce its carbon footprint, and lower transportation and logistics expenditures. However, Reuters noted that the companies have yet to announce the financial terms of the agreement.
