Sila Nanotechnologies, an Atlanta startup, has come up with innovative batteries for electric vehicles.
The company has filed for four patents for its new battery technologies, says a news report in Atlanta Business Chronicle.
The technology uses advanced composite materials for battery electrodes formed from a porous, electrically conductive scaffolding matrix.
These metal ion batters have relatively high energy densities. They are light weight and have potential for long lifetimes. As a result they are ideal for a wide range of consumer electronics.
However the battery technology needs to be further developed for use in high-end applications like low- or zero-emission hybrid-electrical or fully-electrical vehicles, consumer electronics, energy-efficient cargo ships and locomotives, aerospace applications, and power grids, a statement from the company said.
For this technology, Sila has won support in the form of $3 million in research grants from the U.S Department of Energy (DoE).
Most Li-ion batteries available in the market account for nearly 65 percent of the total cost of electric vehicles. This makes EVs less competitive with gasoline-based vehicles, said a statement from DoE.
According to DoE, an EV that is cost-competitive with gasoline would require a battery with twice the energy storage of today’s state-of-the-art Li-Ion battery at 30 percent of the cost.”