The Wallbox EV charger for electric vehicles is displayed during the “Mondial de l’Auto” exhibition in Paris, France on October 15, 2024.
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Silicon anodes appear to be leading the race to commercialize the next generation of battery technology for electric vehicles.
In recent months, buzz has grown around silicon-based anodes, which promise to increase the power and faster charging capabilities of electric vehicles, much like the hype surrounding solid-state batteries seems to have failed.
it is as Increase electric vehicle sales The continued drive for global battery demand has prompted automotive giants to join forces with major battery manufacturers to move towards full electrification.
Although some OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) have Sign transaction Working with solid-state battery developers, car manufacturers, e.g. Benz, Porsche and General Motors Everyone is betting big on silicon anodes to revolutionize the science behind electric vehicles.
the latest one Report Consultancy IDTechEx said the promise of advanced silicon anode materials for improving key areas of battery performance is “huge”, noting that carmakers and major players in the battery industry have not ignored the potential.
However, it warns that for widespread adoption, challenges such as cycle life, shelf life and, perhaps most importantly, cost will need to be addressed.
Venkat Srinivasan, director of the Energy Storage Science Collaborating Center at the U.S. government’s Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago, said silicon anodes appear to have advantages over solid-state batteries.
“If there’s a horse race, silicon does seem to be ahead at least right now, but we haven’t commercialized any of it yet,” Srinivasan told CNBC via video conference.
Srinivasan said that five years ago, silicon anode batteries had a calendar life of about one year, but recent data appears to show a significant improvement in the durability of these materials, with some tests now predicting a life of three to four years.
Unlike a battery’s cycle life, which measures the number of times a battery can be charged and discharged, calendar life measures degradation over time. Typically, a battery’s calendar life is the period of time during which the battery can operate at more than 80% of its original capacity, regardless of its usage.
Srinivasan said solid-state batteries have long been touted as “holy grailThe development of sustainable driving still has a long way to go before it can catch up with recent advances in silicon anodes.
“That transition still has to happen in the solid state with metal batteries, which is why I think you’re going to hear from people, hey, it looks like that promise hasn’t been fulfilled yet,” Srinivasan said.
“That doesn’t mean we won’t get there. It could happen within a few years. It just means that silicon today feels like it’s at a different part of the technology readiness level.”
Silicon anodes and solid-state batteries
Analysts say that in theory, the energy density of silicon anodes is 10 times that of graphite, which is currently commonly used in battery anodes. However, these same materials often degrade rapidly when large amounts of silicon are used.
“Silicon anodes and solid-state batteries are two emerging technology trends in the electric vehicle battery market that aim to push the boundaries of high-performance batteries,” Benchmark Mineral Intelligence senior research analyst Rory McNulty told CNBC via email.
A researcher inspects an electromagnet iron remover at the Daejoo Electronic Materials Co. R&D center in Siheung, South Korea, Thursday, June 22, 2023.
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Often, McNulty said, better battery performance comes at the expense of longevity or safety. For example, silicon anodes are known to expand significantly during charging, shortening the life of the battery.
In contrast, McNulty said solid-state batteries are said to significantly improve the stability of electrolytes to high-performance electrode materials to meet the challenges of using high-energy-density materials such as silicon and lithium.
As the name suggests, solid-state batteries contain a solid electrolyte made of materials such as ceramics. This makes them different from traditional lithium-ion batteries, which contain liquid electrolytes.
Especially in the West, progress in the field of silicon anodes is seen as a strategic opportunity to catch up with China.
Georgi Georgiev
Fastmarkets Battery Raw Materials Analyst
Japanese toyota and Nissan Motor Co. have said they aim to put solid-state batteries into mass production in the next few years, while China’s SAIC Motor It is said It said in early September that its MG brand would equip cars with solid-state batteries within the next 12 months.
Nonetheless, analysts Be skeptical Regarding when solid-state batteries will actually hit the market.
Strategic opportunity?
“Silicon-based anodes are expected to become the next generation technology in the anode field, providing solutions for faster charging,” Georgi Georgiev, a battery raw materials analyst at consulting firm Fastmarkets, told CNBC via email.
Georgiev said several industry players have been studying the potential of silicon anodes, ranging from established anode suppliers in China and South Korea to new players such as Taiwan Huineng and US manufacturer Group14. Xila Nanotech.
“Especially in the West, progress in the silicon anode field is seen as a strategic opportunity to catch up with China, which dominates the graphite anode supply chain and Chinese anode producers account for 98% of the global battery anode market,” Geo said. Erchiev said.
“However, there are significant technical challenges with 100% silicon anodes, such as silicon expansion that affects battery life, and there are currently multiple routes to produce silicon anodes,” he added.
FEV x Huineng Technology Co., Ltd. 100% silicon composite anode next-generation battery at the Paris Motor Show on Tuesday, October 15, 2024 in Paris, France.
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Taiwanese battery manufacturer Huineng debuts world’s first all-silicon anode battery paris auto show last month, explain Its new fast-charging battery system not only surpasses traditional lithium-ion batteries in performance and charging efficiency, but also addresses “critical industry challenges.”
Citing test data, Huineng said its 100% silicon anode battery can be charged from 5% to 60% in just 5 minutes, and to 80% in 8.5 minutes. It described the advancement as an “unparalleled achievement in the highly competitive electric vehicle market”, which will help reduce charging times and extend the range of electric vehicles.
Fastmarkets’ Georgiev said a big issue for silicon anode commercialization is production costs and whether the major silicon anode producers “can produce the material at scale with consistent quality and competitive prices – (a) Original equipment primarily required manufacturer.
“At this stage, silicon anodes are used more as an additive to graphite-based anodes. In the next few years, we expect the proportion of silicon in the anode to increase, but when combined with graphite, 100% silicon anodes will require longer It will take time to achieve mass market entry,” he added.
