16.4.2019 Alameda/Stuttgart. The Daimler AG within the framework of its research and development activities of a minority stake in the US battery material specialists Sila Nanotechnologies Inc. (Sila Nano) purchased.
Founded in 2011, Sila Nano is considered to be a leading developer of new battery materials, the present Lithium-ion-exceed technologies. With its latest developments, the company sets a new Standard in terms of battery performance. It uses the power of silicon to ensure secure, scalable, batteries with high energy density. This also offers new possibilities for the electrification of consumer devices to electric vehicles and beyond. With the participation of Daimler gets a seat on the Board of Directors of Sila Nano. The investment is part of the latest round of financing, led by Daimler.
“We are on the way to CO2-free mobility. While our brand-new EQC model comes in this year on the market, we are preparing the way for the next Generation of powerful electric vehicles. The Lithium-ion technology is currently the most efficient available battery technology and offers much potential for the future. The progress made by Sila Nano in terms of battery performance, are promising. We look forward to a fruitful cooperation and to pool our Know-how for further development and rapid commercialization, “ said Sajjad Khan, Executive Vice President for Connected, Autonomous, Shared, Electric Mobility at Daimler AG.
The battery vehicles is a key component of electric. It is not a product “off the shelf” but an integral part of the vehicle architecture. The intelligence of the battery is in a highly complex overall system, which defines the characteristics of the vehicle in terms of performance, range and charging time. Thus, it is an integral part of our research and development. We cover from basic research through to series development of all the steps. As an integral and important part of our electrification strategy, competencies for the technological evaluation of materials and cells, as well as research and development, extended activities consistently. These include the continuous optimisation of the current Generation of Li-ion systems, the development of the world market for bought-in cells, and also researching the next Generation of so-called Post-Lithium-ion-system.
Innovative chemistry for the next Generation of electric vehicles
During the progress of traditional Li-Ion battery chemistry stagnate gradually, driven by the interdisciplinary Team of scientists and engineers, Sila Nano, the development of the next-Generation battery chemistry and using high-performance material silicon, developed a secure, robust and large-scale production-ready product.
“This ground-breaking chemistry today represents to improvement of up to 20 percent and has further potential in comparison to conventional Li-ion. We are very happy about the cooperation with Daimler. We want to bring better and more energy-rich batteries in your fleet, and our shared Vision for the future of electric vehicles for the people a reality, “ said Gene Berdichevsky, co-founder and CEO of Sila Nano.
The company is headquartered in Alameda, California, replaces traditional graphite electrodes completely due to its patented silicon-dominant composite material. These offer high energy density, and cycle stability and thus allow the development of more powerful, long-range duty, and long lasting power sources for electric vehicles. The material can easily be used in existing Li-Ion manufacturing facilities integrate and enable efficient use in large-series scale.
Mercedes-Benz Cars Electric Offensive
In the case of the electrification of the automobile, Mercedes-Benz pushes mightily on the pace. By 2022, the entire Mercedes-Benz Cars Portfolio should be electrified. This means that in each Segment, various electrified Alternatives offered – from the 48-Volt on-Board network (EQ Boost), Plug-In hybrids (EQ Power) and more than ten pure electric vehicles (EQ), which are operated with batteries or fuel cells. Daimler assumes that electric models will make up to 2025, 15 to 25 percent of total sales of Mercedes-Benz Cars, depending on the conditions such as the development of the infrastructure, the individual customer preferences and the development of the respective market-specific legal situation.
Mercedes-Benz Cars is investing around EUR 10 billion in the expansion of the product portfolio of the brand, EQ. In addition, Daimler is investing more than a billion euros in a global battery production network within the global production network of Mercedes-Benz Cars. The company buys the cells on the world market and contracted to manufacture, the supplier according to special requirements. Thus, the company secures the best available technology. With the purchase of battery cells for more than 20 billion euros, the company creates the prerequisite for a consistent transformation to the electric future. The global battery production network in the future will consist of nine factories on three continents.
Next Generation Li-ion battery material: Daimler and Sila Nanotechnologies close cooperation.
