Washington Company Leading Charge into New Silicon Battery Technology
Research into EV batteries is one of the most intensely studied technologies of our era.
The rewards for the company that can “build a better mousetrap” are essentially unlimited, especially if the new and better battery can reduce the amount of rare and expensive minerals used in its construction.
Researchers worldwide are looking at silicon as a substitute for graphite as a building material for battery anode substrates. Group14 Technologies of Woodinville, Washington, outside Seattle, is one such company. Group14 just acquired Schmid Silicon Technology Holding GmbH, a silane gas producer in Europe.
The acquisition ensures a secure supply of silane gas, a critical precursor for the company’s proprietary silicon battery technology, called SCC55. The company says this material is an advanced silicon battery technology that delivers higher energy density and faster charge rates than traditional lithium-ion batteries for EV applications.
Group14 is already shipping SCC55 battery materials from its first commercial-scale factory in Washington State, all while building its second U.S. factory in Moses Lake and completing the commissioning of its joint venture factory with SK Materials in South Korea.
“Group14 has been rapidly growing across critical markets, and now we’re looking forward to being closer to our automotive customers in Europe to support the global energy transition,” said Rick Luebbe, CEO & co-founder of Group14 Technologies.
“Germany has long been the home for many of the world’s largest and oldest automakers, and we’re looking forward to putting this critical stake in the ground to bring forth a resilient silicon battery supply chain capable of meeting global demand right now.”
New U.S. manufacturing site established
In April, Group14 broke ground on its new U.S. Battery Active Materials (BAM-2) factory in Moses Lake, Washington. The community in central Washington is located about midway between Seattle and Spokane.
The location is strategic, because building battery components in the United States is a key component of Federal tax breaks for EVs, so companies building those components in the U.S. have a competitive advantage. The company says the 1-million-square-foot campus will be home to the world’s largest factory of advanced silicon battery materials for EV programs.
To capitalize the factory, Group14 has completed a $614 million Series C financing round with money from Porsche AG and Microsoft Climate Innovation Fund, as well as a subsequent $100 million grant from the Biden administration and the U.S. Department of Energy. The new BAM factory will join the company’s first factory in Woodinville in manufacturing commercial quantities of SCC55.
“Drawing from our team’s experience in manufacturing batteries for supercapacitors since the early 2000s, Group14 has prioritized our capacity to scale not only our technology but our manufacturing capabilities from day one,” said Rick Costantino, co-founder and CTO at Group14 Technologies.
“With an eye to the importance of process innovation, we are full-steam ahead on building our second commercial factory in Washington State in order to allow us to move at a pace that can match today’s skyrocketing demands.”
The BAM-2 factory in Moses Lake will begin with two large-scale manufacturing modules, each capable of delivering 2,000 tons per year of SCC55. The production lines for the two initial modules are expected to come online and begin manufacturing SCC55 for customers in 2024. Built to run on renewable energy in the form of Washington’s abundant hydropower, the factory is expected to eventually become part of a larger Group14 campus, comprising at least six modules, as the company looks to continue to expand its footprint in Moses Lake.
Group14 has committed to purchase more than $30 million in U.S. steel for the first two BAM-2 modules, buildings, and equipment. The company plans to work with American suppliers to secure necessary components, from asphalt to HVAC systems, to build a more robust domestic energy supply chain.
To support the scale of the factory’s construction and operations, Group14’s project will employ more than 400 people for the construction alone. Then the company expects to hire an additional 200 employees in Moses Lake to staff manufacturing, engineering and other positions to support the factory’s day-to-day operations for the first two modules.
As Group14 expands its workforce in Moses Lake, the company is working with more than 20 community-based organizations on increased clean energy job creation, hiring, job training and more to foster equal opportunity across the full spectrum of cultures that shape the local community.
“Boosting the nation’s global competitiveness in battery manufacturing comes down to strengthening domestic supply chains, which is why we are ramping up our second U.S. factory at the speed in which we need to see innovation scale,” said Rick Luebbe, CEO and co-founder of Group14 Technologies.
“By accelerating the timeline for market-ready, transformational battery technology, we are putting the power to electrify everything into the hands of U.S. workers who will become the backbone of the clean energy economy.”
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