Panasonic has partnered with an American battery manufacturer to develop and manufacture new batteries. May have a similar energy density to all-solid-state batteries and are cheaper to manufacture than batteries made in China.
In this partnership, Shira Technologies, a company founded by former Tesla employees, will use the company's silicon powder technology to extend the range of electric vehicles, with the aim of dramatically reducing charging times, creating batteries with a "range of up to 805 kilometers in 10 minutes", and reducing dependence on Chinese batteries**.
At the heart of the collaboration is a silicon anode material, which consists of nanostructured silicon particles and is an alternative to graphite materials. Existing batteries use graphite as the base material, but this silica powder can (theoretically) store about 10 times as much power, but expansion occurs during charging, which can lead to surface cracks and reduced efficiency.
To solve this problem, Sila Technologies combined silicon and graphite to create a crack-resistant structure, but CEO Gene Verdechervsky said, "It took 12 years and 80,000 cracks to get to this point." "Panasonic will use this technology, which took 12 years to develop, to improve energy efficiency to a level similar to that of solid-state batteries and integrate it into existing lithium-ion battery production processes.
In addition, it can also reduce costs, and this silicon cell has great potential, because silicon is the second most common element in the earth's crust (the first is oxygen), and silicon is abundant and inexpensive. This makes it possible for Panasonic to "acquire cheap graphite and compete with Chinese battery manufacturers that make low-cost batteries".
In addition to Shira Nanotechnologies, this silicon cell is also being developed by another company called Group 14 Technology. However, while it is not yet known how much energy this battery actually produces, if it can be produced at a level that can meet the needs of the electric vehicle market and at a lower cost, then the solid-state battery of the future will not make much sense. Because, solid-state batteries may have a longer range, but the cost is not reasonable, and even if they are launched into the market, they are not cost-effective and competitive.