Tesla recent patent indicates the acquisition of a battery startup.
Friday, November 5, 2021 | Chimniii Desk
Key Highlights
- Tesla disclosed the acquisition of SiILion, Inc., a Colorado-based battery startup, in a new patent for a silicon-based battery anode.
- "Before going silent in 2018, the firm got multiple funding from the US Department of Defense and the US Department of Energy.
- Tesla has acquired one of the SiILion duo's most significant patents, "Large-format Battery Anodes Comprising Silicon Particles.
- "Tesla is designated as the patent's "applicant," while Evans and Molina Piper are listed as the patent's "inventors.
- "Intriguingly, Tesla acknowledged on Battery Day that their new 4680 cell is powered by a new anode enabled by new silicon.
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Tesla disclosed the acquisition of SiILion, Inc., a Colorado-based battery startup, in a new patent for a silicon-based battery anode.
Tesla has been speculated to have bought SiILion, Inc., a Colorado-based battery technology startup.
The rumours began after many employees of the business were hired by Tesla and the automaker began advertising battery research jobs in Colorado, where it previously did not have R&D activities.
The firm was developing a new high-energy density battery chemistry that utilised "high-loaded silicon anodes."
It described on its now-defunct website:
“Developer of an advanced lithium-ion battery designed to address the market’s accelerated demand for higher performance energy storage devices. The company’s technology delivers high-energy batteries by simultaneously incorporating high-loaded silicon anodes, nickel-rich NMC cathodes, and a non-flammable ionic liquid electrolyte and offer an increase in both energy density and specific energy in lithium-ion batteries, enabling users to get safer and lower-cost energy storage devices for defense, consumer electronics, and electric vehicle applications.”
Before going silent in 2018, the firm got multiple funding from the US Department of Defense and the US Department of Energy.
While three of the company's researchers transferred to Tesla, cofounders Tyler Evans and Daniela Molina Piper did not.
However, we can now certify that Tesla owns their technology.
Tesla has acquired one of the SiILion duo's most significant patents, "Large-format Battery Anodes Comprising Silicon Particles."
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Tesla is designated as the patent's "applicant," while Evans and Molina Piper are listed as the patent's "inventors."
In the patent's abstract, they explain the anode technique as follows:
“Large-scale anodes containing high weight percentages of silicon suitable for use in lithium-ion energy storage devices and batteries, and methods of manufacturing the same, are described. The anode material described herein can include a film cast on a current collector substrate, with the film including a plurality of active material particles and a conductive polymer membrane coated over the active material particles. In some embodiments, the conductive polymer membrane comprises polyacrylonitrile (PAN). The method of manufacturing the anode material can include preparation of a slurry including the active material particles and the conductive polymer material, casting the slurry on a current collector substrate, and subjecting the composite material to drying and heat treatments.”
Intriguingly, Tesla acknowledged on Battery Day that their new 4680 cell is powered by a new anode enabled by new silicon.
We previously reported on Tesla sending a new anode production line to Gigafactory Texas earlier this week.
Tesla would not be the first to acquire a battery startup in order to gain technologies for its next-generation 4680 battery cell.
Tesla also bought Canada's Springpower International for its cathode technology, as previously reported.
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