Global Market Expanding for Battery Makers

@Group14tech

The global market for batteries continues to grow, as demand for battery power accelerates across several industries, from electric vehicles (EVs) to electronic devices, and for energy storage in the power generation sector. New battery materials are being developed as manufacturers look for ways to increase energy density and provide longer-lasting modes of power.

SK materials, part of the South Korea-based global SK Group, recently announced a joint venture with U.S.-based battery materials company Group14 Technologies, in which the companies will build a major factory for lithium-silicon battery technology in South Korea. SK materials led a $17-million Series B funding round for Group14 in December of last year, and the company is investing $52 million in the battery manufacturing hub.

It’s one of many battery manufacturing ventures unveiled in recent weeks; Group14 earlier this year announced the launch of a commercial-scale 27,000-square-foot U.S. manufacturing factory, located at its headquarters complex in Woodinville, Washington, to meet demand for higher-performing lithium-silicon anode materials. The facility is the first of several Group14-planned commercial manufacturing sites to advance energy storage technologies. Group14 in announcing the Washington facility (Figure 1) said its commercial manufacturing factory “is capable of producing 120 tons per year of Group14’s breakthrough lithium-silicon technology, SCC55 (Figure 2), which can deliver up to 50% more energy density per volume than lithium-ion batteries available on the market for automotive and consumer electronics applications.”


2. Group14’s flagship silicon-carbon anode material, SCC55, can unlock 50% more energy density compared to conventional lithium-ion, according to the company. Courtesy: Talia Green / Group14 Technologies

Group14’s lithium-silicon technology is the type of technical advancement that has caught the eye of government officials. A bipartisan group of representatives in the U.S. House in late July introduced the “Battery Material Processing and Component Manufacturing Act,” a measure designed to strengthen the U.S. battery manufacturing industry. The measure would provide financial grants for the construction or retooling of facilities for processing battery materials, or manufacturing of battery components. The U.S. Dept. of Energy already has announced a $42.3 million funding opportunity to support manufacturing of technologies, including batteries, “to drive economy-wide reductions in carbon emissions.”


Investors have been pouring money into the lithium mining and battery production sectors, in part due to the growth in BESS installations but also due to projections that EVs are on a rapid growth trajectory. The Solactive Global Lithium index, which tracks the performance of the largest and most-liquid listed companies active in exploration and/or mining of lithium, or production of lithium-based batteries, jumped more than 34% from year-end 2020 through the end of July 2021. EV sales in China and Europe have surged this year; almost one of every five new passenger vehicles sold in Europe in June was a plug-in EV.

Expect that growth to continue, as the European Union in July said it may ban cars powered by diesel or gasoline by 2035. Volkswagen, the largest global carmaker, recently said its EV sales jumped 165% in the first six months of 2021. BYD Auto, the automotive subsidiary of China’s BYD Co., said its sales rose 154%. In the U.S., the Biden administration recently announced a goal of having EVs account for at least half of all vehicles sold by 2030.

Battery manufacturers are spurring rapid technology advancements, looking at new materials in an effort to improve energy density and efficiency, as well as safety. Rick Luebbe, CEO and co-founder of Group14 Technologies, told POWER that his company specifically is about “commercializing a silicon-carbon composite, a lithium-silicon composite with higher energy density, so that we can improve the dollars per kilowatt hour, driving [battery technology] toward cost parity with internal combustion engines. A traditional lithium-ion battery has used a graphite anode, but the anode takes up roughly 60% of the energy volume. Our play is to replace that old-style electrode with a silicon-carbon composite with a much higher capacity… [to] shrink the size of the anode, and put in a lot more cathode, and increase the energy density.”

“We’re focused on the electrification of everything,” said Luebbe. “What we bring to battery technology is much better energy density. In virtually every application, we can extend the runtime of that application.”

Luebbe said Group14’s construction of a major U.S. manufacturing facility, and its partnership with SK on a South Korean factory, is about overcoming potential supply chain disruptions—something many industries have battled during the global COVID-19 pandemic. “SK group is one of the largest conglomerates in Korea,” Luebbe said. “In the battery materials space, they recognize that our technology is important, based on performance and the ability to scale quickly. And it’s about cooperation along the supply chain. We and SK saw the need to put a plant outside the U.S. Because one of the target markets for us is EVs, and because they [SK] demand dual-sourcing, they have to have secure supply chains.”

As one of the world’s largest global manufacturers, we recognize that we must pre-emptively address potential supply chain challenges to stay ahead of the demand,” said Kiseon Park, vice president of SK materials. “We are excited to enter into a joint venture with the Group14 team to bring a high-performing battery material solution to market for a wide range of applications within our product portfolio and beyond.”

“We wanted to provide that second, completely independent manufacturing structure,” said Luebbe. “In this case, by forming the joint venture, we established that second-source capability. It enhances our ability to get adopted for automotive applications.” Luebbe said advancements in battery technology for utility-scale energy storage deployments depend on factors not present in EV markets, which could slow the pace of new technologies. “I think [grid-scale] is going to be a little bit behind EVs in terms of adoption” of new technologies, he said. “It’s hard to estimate in the grid space… you’re really dependent on the utilities for adoption. We think the absolute key metric [for use] is dollars per kilowatt hours, per cycle. Otherwise, it’s cheaper to re-generate power later rather than save it.”

Luebbe said with growth in EVs expected to be “pretty consistent between the European market, the U.S., and Asia … the immediate exciting focus is EVs. What’s exciting from my perspective, the whole lithium-ion market today is about a $45 billion industry. But if every car made last year was an EV, it’s $1 trillion. And I don’t think it’s a question of whether all vehicles will be electric, it’s a matter of when.”

Luebbe said a “key imperative” for manufacturers is “creating value in the space, getting to cost parity,” and also that “these new technologies need to drop in to existing battery infrastructure. There’s really not enough time to go back and retrofit.” He also said any battery technology “has to be commercially scalable,” and government support helps the cause. “It’s important for markets to have their own domestic supply chains,” he said, noting the disruptions caused by the pandemic. “The best way to do that is for the government to establish incentives for battery supply chain initiatives.”

Darrell Proctor is a senior associate editor for POWER (@POWERmagazine).
https://www.powermag.com/global-market-expanding-for-battery-makers/

Meget interessant lesing. De nevner ikke REC med et ord, men de bekreftet det vi har regnet med. Nemlig at de sikrer seg forskjellige leverandører (dual sourcing), slik at de ikke er totalt avhengig av kun en leverandør. De nevnte heller ikke noe om den store fabrikken de skal bygge, men artikkelen var myntet på samarbeidet med SK og G14, og det leser jeg som en stor fordel REC med tanke på hvem som blir leverandør til den store fabrikken.

Gleder meg til fortsettelsen her:)

Takk for deling.

Sant at de ikke nevner direkte REC med navn og det skjønner vi hvorfor, men om de ikke hadde kommet så langt i en god kontrakt så hadde deikke nevnt så pass heller. Så tror alt er på plass for eskalering og børs melding snart men det ventes på fordelene i Biden pakken.
REC er i en drømme posisjon!

Merk spesielt her..
Group14’s lithium-silicon technology is the type of technical advancement that has caught the eye of government officials. A bipartisan group of representatives in the U.S. House in late July introduced the “Battery Material Processing and Component Manufacturing Act,” a measure designed to strengthen the U.S. battery manufacturing industry. The measure would provide financial grants for the construction or retooling of facilities for processing battery materials, or manufacturing of battery components. The U.S. Dept. of Energy already has announced a $42.3 million funding opportunity to support manufacturing of technologies, including batteries, “to drive economy-wide reductions in carbon emissions.”

Jepp:) Så også det. Tenker da på guvernørens gjentatte besøk hos G14 (har også vært innom hos REC), så dette kan love godt når pengene skal deles ut. Tror ikke REC får ta del i dem direkte, men vil anta at G14 får sin del av kaken, for så å sette i gang bygging av den store fabrikken. Da kan det børsmeldes avtale, og ting kan ta av:)

Lov å håpe det kommer en melding om samarbeid med LG Chem også. De samarbeide med GM om ultium batteri og de benytter seg også av silicon anode.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/tesla-is-not-enough-engine-no-1-bets-on-gm-white-paper-details-electric-vehicle-landscape-124811083.html

http://www.businesskorea.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=51744

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/07/lawmakers-reach-deal-on-short-term-debt-ceiling-increase-schumer-says.html

OneD Battery Sciences Launches SINANODE Pilot Manufacturing Plants & Breaks Through Silicon EV Battery Cost Barrier

PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- OneD Battery Sciences, leaders in electric vehicle (EV) battery technology, today announced it has begun construction of its first pilot plants in Moses Lake, WA. The plants will enable each EV maker to customize and optimize silicon-graphite anodes for use in their upcoming advanced lithium-ion EV batteries using OneD's patented SINANODE technology process.


...

Moses Lake!!!!!

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/oned-battery-sciences-launches-sinanode-130000990.html

Stærkt!!! Mange tak for at dele :)

Nice!🙂

Hooly det er gode nyheter for EV industrien
Fremgang :) og selvfølgelig i Moses Lake, WA

Nå kan det ikke være lenge til Rec kommer å uttaler seg.

Riktignok bare testfasiliteter, med årlig kapasitet for batterier til drøyt 3.000 kjøretøy hver. Men at det skjer ting i ML er veldig bull!

Jøss, Sianode pilot plant ligger2,5 kilometer fra Rec!!!!

1,6 km

1,6 engelsk mil :) :), men uansett er det veldig nært Rec.

Så bra!!!

CEO I OneD Battery Sciences , Vincent Pluvinage intervjuet av limiting factor:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySCFZIWMYQA

REC måste väl kommunicera efter detta.
Helt sjukt om de inte berättar något om OneD

https://group14.technology/en/news/farasis-energy-reports-25-energy-boost-for-ev-batteries-with-scc55-a-silicon-carbon-anode-manufactured-by-group14-technologies

HAYWARD, Calif., WOODINVILLE, Wash., October 7, 2021 -- Farasis Energy, one of the world‘s leading manufacturers of lithium-ion pouch batteries, announced today a significant performance milestone for EV batteries featuring lithium-silicon technology developed by Group14 Technologies, a global manufacturer of advanced silicon-carbon anodes.

A leading developer of automotive EV batteries globally, Farasis already delivers the highest-performing lithium-ion batteries on the market and has notable partnerships with automotive OEMs Daimler and Geely.

In cells built and tested by Farasis utilizing Group14’s flagship silicon-carbon anode material SCC55™, the company has achieved an increase in energy density that would enable them to reach 330 Wh/kg in typical automotive cells with more than 1000 charge-discharge cycles. The battery EV cell will have a volumetric energy density of 750 Wh/l.

“Traditional BEV lithium-ion batteries using graphite for anode materials typically can approach 260 Wh/kg energy density, so this performance boost over traditional lithium-ion batteries represents a real breakthrough for EV applications,” said Dr. Keith Kepler, CTO of Farasis Energy.

Compared to typical automotive EV batteries on the market today with energy density in the range of 260 Wh/kg, a Farasis Energy automotive battery powered with SCC55™ could increase EV range significantly without compromising cycle life standards set by high-quality graphites and synthetic graphites.

“These significant third-party results with Farasis demonstrate that SCC55™ has the potential to meaningfully impact the performance of batteries for automotive applications,” said Dr. Rick Costantino, CTO of Group14 Technologies. “This is a significant milestone in our goal to enable EVs to achieve true cost-parity with internal combustion engines, and Group14 is ready to deliver our lithium-silicon battery technology manufactured in our commercial-scale Battery Active Materials (BAM) factory in Washington state.”

Snart ser vi Mercedes, Volvo och Polestar med fantastisk performance. Allt härstammar i grunden från REC silicon 🤑
Tesla står kvar på perrongen med sitt silicon partiklar

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-07/mercedes-backed-farasis-says-silicon-boosts-battery-energy-25?utm_source=Group14+Master+List&utm_campaign=696f1d250c-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_10_07_2021_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_8c0bf1dafa-696f1d250c-1366202468&mc_cid=696f1d250c&mc_eid=b4f8840ba4

Mercedes-Backed Farasis Says Silicon Boosts Battery Energy 25%
Farasis Energy, the Chinese battery manufacturer backed by Mercedes-Benz, said a lithium-silicon battery it’s developing with Group14 Technologies Inc. passed a key performance test, paving the way for its commercialization in electric vehicles.

Group14, which makes battery materials, is part of a crowded field of companies trying to land on new battery chemistries that could speed EV adoption by providing automakers with safer, cheaper alternatives or improvements to lithium-ion batteries.

The cell that Farasis and Group14 have developed was found to have 25% more energy density than a typical lithium-ion battery in cars today, according to Group14, meaning it can go farther on a single charge without increasing cost. It also retained 80% of its storage capacity after being charged and discharged 1,500 times, matching the performance of current lithium-ion batteries, said Rick Luebbe, chief executive officer of Group14. The results were also verified by the U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium.

“People talk about what might be available in 2026 or 2027,” Luebbe said. “This is a today technology that Farasis has validated works right now.”

Farasis confirmed the battery that contains Group14’s materials works in an EV-sized cell and meets automotive specifications.

“We’ll see these in cells in electric vehicles by 2023,” Luebbe said. “But we expect to be in the majority of EV battery cells by 2025.”

Farasis, whose parent is based in Ganzhou, China, declined to comment on when it plans to offer the battery to customers. “With continued progress this technology could be successful in future generations of vehicles,” the company said in a statement.

Batteries have three major components: two electrodes -- an anode and a cathode -- and an electrolyte that helps shuttle the charge between them. The materials used to make them determine how much energy batteries store and at what cost.

The cell developed by Farasis and Group14 has a silicon-carbon anode instead of the graphite in most EV batteries today. It is one of several breakthroughs that companies are targeting to improve range and lower costs. Companies like QuantumScape Corp. are taking a different path by pursuing solid-state lithium-metal batteries, which use solid materials instead of flammable liquids to enable charging and discharging.
“There’s a bit of a horse race going on between these two” technologies, said Venkat Srinivasan, director of the battery center at the U.S. government-backed Argonne National Laboratory. “It comes down to who is going to execute, create those large numbers of batteries, capture the market, and demonstrate the battery they’re making can satisfy all the metrics for the application.”

A common stumbling block with silicon anodes is that charging makes the silicon swell, reducing battery life. Group14 says that by using nanoengineering -- manipulating molecules -- it can prevent that from happening.

Group14 counts SK Materials Co. and Chinese battery maker Amperex Technology Ltd. as investors. It’s in the process of raising money in a private funding round to fuel its expansion, Luebbe said.

Group14 is building a battery materials plant in South Korea through a joint venture with SK. It also has a materials plant near its headquarters in Woodinville, Washington, and is building a second factory there that will begin operation in early 2023 to expand production of its silicon-carbon composites. It is planning a third U.S. plant, as well as one in Europe.

Farasis counts Mercedes, Volvo Car AB and Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co. as customers. Mercedes parent Daimler AG has invested and its development chief, Markus Schaefer, said last month that the German automaker is considering expanding the relationship.

Så nå Group 14 og Sila Nano involvert i Daimler🙂

🚀🚀🚀🚀 Nu ska blankarna köpa tillbaka och de som vill hänga med gör bäst i att ta position innan rapporten om 14 dagar 🚀🚀🚀🚀

Tenker REC må snart gi markedet noe!?

@Group14Tech
Today, we’re making lithium-silicon a reality for EVs! 🥳 We’re thrilled to announce the first silicon-based anode for an EV-scale battery with @Farasis – bringing 25% greater energy density than anything on the market. More from @gablova via @business:
https://twitter.com/group14tech/status/1446199993040314368?s=21

alle melder om at silikon i batteriene er det nye men den j-la rec ledelsen er tause som noen j-la naut
tror dessverre ikke at den den lille rekefiskeren jobber for aksjonærene . gribben jobber for seg selv

Helt enig. Sannsynligheten for at dette ikke involverer REC er helt minimal.

Dette involverer jo REC så det holder?
G14 og REC har fortsatt en intensjonsavtale...
G14 er avhengig av denne for å kunne "scale up" og være verdensledende med sine anoder (masseproduksjon)

Hold dere fast, for snart tar det av.

Vet det er frustrerende, men må bare gi det tid. Er positivt for selskapet at test piloter kjøres. Det er riktig retning. Slike avgjørelser tar dessverre lengre tid enn mange av oss håpet på. Selv om ting virker klart for mange, så trengs det fremdeles tid for at alle prosessene kan gjennomføres. Ordner seg min venn.

Frustrasjon? Jeg har benyttet anledning til å handle enda litt mer - både på 16, 14 og seneste på 12,60, og det mens den ene gode nyheten etter den andre har triller inn siden februar og kursen var den dobbelte.

Det er et ulogisk og utålmodig markedet, og jeg har takket i form av å kjøpe flere aksjer for alt jeg er god for. Jeg tror ikke tilbudet overlever Q3🔮

Skrev et innlegg i et annet tråd for noen minutter siden hvor jeg beskriver akkurat det du skriver om, Vilter. For de som har kapital og muligheten til å gjøre kjøp så er dette en gull mulighet. Faktisk er det bare bra for meg personlig om aksjekurs faller enda mer, for jeg har langsiktige tanker og ønsker så lav snitt som mulig. Dessverre er det andre folk der ute som ikke har anledningen til å snitte ned eller benytte kjøpsmuligheter og for dem kan jeg forstå frustrasjonen over at aksjekurs ikke reagerer som man ønsker. Men helt enig med poenget om at fundamentet er hva som avgjør og ikke markedsverdi, innenfor vekst selskaper som REC.

Det kommer rec å gjøre også, og det blir når de melder om åpning av ML.
Group 14 sier jo fortsatt planen er andre fabrikk i Washington, det er den 12000 t store fabrikken som er planen i ML som skal være klar i 2023.
Blir bra til slutt det her . Jeg har ingen tvil for øyeblikket!


Group14 is building a battery materials plant in South Korea through a joint venture with SK. It also has a materials plant near its headquarters in Woodinville, Washington, and is building a second factory there that will begin operation in early 2023 to expand production of its silicon-carbon composites. It is planning a third U.S. plant, as well as one in Europe

Omg!!! Dette går raskt :)
Grunnen til at anodematerialeprodusentene bygger fabrikker noen få km fra REC er jo at de har andre hensyn å ta enn bare frakten av silan. Parkering for ansatte og nærhet til offentlig kommuniksjon teller med når man skal finne ut hvor man skal anlegge fabrikk :)

Hadde ikke fått med meg denne haha, skjer mye nå !!

Sirbalo! Jeg blir glad hver gang jeg ser deg! Hvordan går det med deg? :)

Hvordan ser ting ut fra et teknisk perspektiv? Hadde vært flott med innspill fra deg. Takk :)

Dette er en tråd for Rec nyheter. Det er fint om vi kan holde den mest mulig ren, og lar småprat og andre lette kommentarer skje på de andre trådene. Ha en fin helg👍

Har ikke hatt tid siste tiden, og lite tilgang til pc.

Blir mer oppdatering fra november :-)

Edit: God helg til dere begge og enig vi burde holde tråden til kun nyheter.

Haha. Planen var å opprinnelig være borte frem til desember / januar. Jeg skrev i min opprinnelige innlegg for noen måneder siden at jeg ikke tror noe skjer før det, og det er lite vits for meg å gjenta det alle vet om og om igjen. Fallet til 13kr forventet jeg derimot ikke og det førte meg tilbake for å prøve å roe ned folk litt.

Jeg har jo begynt med TA selv, men Sirbalo er fremdeles eksperten. Tror selskapet vil få nødvendige avklaringer på plass mot slutten av året og da vil markedet respondere med økt tillit, noe som vil gi oss en mer rettferdig markedsverdi. Ikke spør om min mening rundt markedet..... fylt med idioter og frykt.... :(

EDIT: beklager flyers. Du har rett. God helg folkens!