5 Takeaways from Tesla’s Battery Day
“Silicon can store roughly 10 times the number of lithium atoms as graphite, which gives silicon-containing batteries 20 to 40 percent higher energy density.”
— NanoGraf CEO, Francis Wang, in Wired’s “Where Was the Battery at Tesla’s Battery Day?”
At this year’s Tesla Battery Day, Elon Musk made several key points that align closely with NanoGraf’s technology, extensive IP portfolio, and company positioning.
First, he pointed to the anode as one of the five most critical drivers to reaching cost, performance, and scale of electric vehicles.
Second, he acknowledged silicon as the best anode material, even pointing to the shortcoming that NanoGraf’s silicon graphene anode technology fixes – protecting silicon from the wear and tear of swelling and contracting with every charge and discharge.
Below are the relevant takeaways that every battery manufacturer, researcher, and supplier needs to know post-Tesla Battery Day, as we continue driving battery innovation and the acceleration of EV adoption.
Takeaway 1: It’s All About Cost ($/kWh)
Elon Musk announced five ways in which Tesla will crush the $100/kWh milestone. While the battery industry’s target has long been $100/kWh – where EVs reach cost parity with conventional gas powered vehicles – Tesla is making bold and strategic moves to far surpass it, reaching $48-53/kWh over a 10 year time frame.
Tesla’s roadmap to the $48-53/kWh milestone focuses on 5 drivers:
Cell design – a proprietary high energy density and low cost cell form factor
Cell factory – scalable and rapid battery production based in the US
Anode materials – high energy density silicon anode production
Cathode materials – low cost high nickel cathode production
Cell vehicle integration – highly integrated designs to maximize performance
Takeaway 2: Silicon Anodes Are a Strategic Driver of Performance and Cost
Tesla has recognized that silicon anodes are a key enabler of lower cost and improved performance. Silicon anodes are an intrinsically low-cost additive, primarily through increases in energy (kWh).
Specifically, Tesla says the addition of silicon anodes will increase driving range by as much as 20% and lower cost by 5%.
Takeaway 3: Tesla’s Metallic Silicon Approach Is Compelling – But Commercial Readiness Is Unknown
One of the most unexpected announcements at Battery Day was Tesla’s goal to leverage metallic silicon anode technology and to manufacture it internally. Although metallic silicon has numerous attractive characteristics, the massive expansion and SEI issues have prevented it from widespread adoption.
As Musk says, silicon oxide-based solutions should be the advanced anode of choice for mainstream battery producers today, and they should be expected to dominate the market over the next five to seven years.
Takeaway 4: NanoGraf Is a Solution for Today’s Markets
In contrast to Tesla’s vision for silicon technology, NanoGraf’s G6 technology builds on existing silicon oxide industry trajectories and is ready – TODAY – to deliver a high performance, low cost “drop-in” solution for battery manufacturers.
NanoGraf’s technology does not require battery manufacturers to change the processes they already have in place. This means it’s feasible and cost-effective for manufacturers to adopt and deploy our battery material into their existing systems, rather than uprooting and starting over.
We take a unique approach to other methods for adding silicon to a lithium-ion cell, with an innovative silicon anode technology that stands out in two key ways:
We wrap silicon with graphene. As the silicon anode expands, like a balloon, the graphene acts as a flexible blanket around it, protecting it from wear and tear as it charges and discharges (this issue was one Musk pointed out during his presentation).
We manufacture our anode material in large quantities, cost effectively, and quickly – as opposed to other highly engineered silicon technologies, such as core-shell particles or nanowires, which are limited in their ability to scale at a competitive cost.
The result is higher-performing, longer-lasting, more cost-effective batteries that enable electric vehicles to travel further and accelerate faster than ever before. And again, our silicon graphene anodes are drop-in ready – today.
Takeaway 5: The Battery Supply Chain will Diversify Beyond Asia
Tesla’s strategic decisions to verticalize the supply chain required to build batteries – going so far as to buy thousands of acres in Nevada to access lithium – signals a sea change moment for the battery industry.
For nearly 30 years, the battery industry and its supply chain has been centralized in Asia. Musk points to a future where this effort gets distributed around the world, diversifying the battery supply chain outside of Asia.
We already see the battery supply chain developing in the EU, and Tesla only strengthens the trend in North America.
Tesla’s Battery Day Points to NanoGraf’s Innovation
Without question, Tesla is THE driver of innovation in electrification, both in vehicles and clean energy.
On Battery Day, they affirmed NanoGraf’s belief that low-cost, drop-in silicon anode technology is the best choice to achieve both optimal performance and cost for batteries that will power electrification for the next decade.
NanoGraf’s silicon graphene anode technology is ready now and perfectly positioned to fuel the next-generation of electric vehicle batteries and drive wide-scale adoption.