E-magy BV, Broek op Langedijk, The Netherlands, a cleantech scale-up, has developed a technology platform for nanoporous silicon that can significantly boost the performance of next-generation lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles (EVs), Greencarcongress.com reports.
E-magy’s low-cost process manufactures structured silicon particles with nano-scale pores that do not swell and break. As a result, batteries enjoy 40% higher energy density (in Wh/kg) and up to 5x faster charging without impact on battery lifetime.
E-magy is one of the first movers in this space and says that it is one of the few players with a fully operational pilot line in place. From here, the next step is to ramp up production to industrial scale in order to meet anticipated demand of EV battery producers and car manufacturers.
Casper Peeters, co-founder and CEO: “Silicon has various unique features which are all superior to graphite which is the current standard for EV batteries. That is about to change. Over the past 8 years we have worked on a unique silicon based nanostructure. With our partners TU Delft and Zentrum für Sonnenenergie- und Wasserstoff-Forschung we have extensively tested our solution against the highest automotive standards with regards to performance, stability and safety—among others.We have demonstrated that batteries with our nano-porous silicon work and that the energy density is much higher than possible with graphite. Following these successful tests, we have produced several batches of the material for the largest EV manufacturers in the world, allowing them to validate our technology for their specific battery and vehicle applications. As these customers confirm the good results we see in our own lab, now is the time to start ramping up our production to an industrial scale. In line with the European Green Deal strategy, there is strong interest from industry and policy makers to push the European battery industry forward. We are excited to play a role in making EVs more accessible to many more people through our low-cost nano-structured silicon while at the same time pushing EV battery performance to the next level.”
The core of the patented technology platform is a high throughput silicon alloy casting machine. The current production site can produce up to 25 tons of nanoporous silicon per year.
E-magy is now preparing the launch of an additional funding round for the construction of a new production facility in the Netherlands with a capacity of up to 3,000 tons which could serve the manufacturing of approximately 500,000 new electric vehicles annually.