Daimler has acquired a minority stake in Sila Nanotechnologies, a US battery materials specialist, as part of its research and development activities. Founded in 2011, Sila Nano is a leading developer of new battery materials that outperforms existing lithium-ion battery technology. With the latest developments, the company has set a new standard for battery performance, using the potential of silicon to make safe, mass-producible, high-energy-density batteries possible, which will be used for consumer electronics and electric vehicles. Electrification in other areas brings new possibilities. With the acquisition of shares, Daimler will receive a seat on the board of Sila Nano. Daimler led the investment as part of Sila Nano's latest funding round.
Sajjad Khan, Daimler's executive vice president of connected, autonomous, shared, and electric vehicle businesses, said, "We are on the road to carbon-free transportation in the future. When our new EQC models enter the market this year, we are already A new generation of more powerful electric vehicles is ready. Lithium-ion battery technology is currently the most effective battery technology, and there is still great potential for development in the future. Sila Nano has a bright future for battery performance. "
The battery has a highly complex overall system that determines the characteristics of the vehicle in terms of performance, mileage and charging time. As an important part of Daimler's electrification strategy, the capabilities of materials and cells in battery technology evaluation and research and development activities continue to expand. This includes continuous optimization of current lithium-ion battery systems, further development of existing batteries in the global market, and research on next-generation battery systems.
The improvement of traditional lithium-ion battery chemistry has reached its limit, and Sila Nano's interdisciplinary team of scientists and engineers has used safe, powerful, and mass-producable silicon to advance the development of next-generation battery chemistry. Sila Nano co-founder and CEO Gene Berdichevsky said, "This breakthrough chemical reaction has the potential to improve on traditional lithium-ion batteries by up to 20%." The company is headquartered in Alla, California Mida completely replaced traditional graphite electrodes with its proprietary silicon-based composite materials. This material has high energy density and high cycle life, which means that electric vehicles will have more powerful, longer mileage, and more durable power sources.
Mercedes-Benz is rapidly accelerating the pace of electrification of cars. By 2022, electrification products will be available for the entire Mercedes-Benz series. This means that from 48-volt power systems (EQ Boost), plug-in hybrid vehicles (EQ Power) to more than a dozen pure electric vehicles (EQ) powered by batteries or fuel cells, each market segment will have Different electrified products. Daimler predicts that by 2025, electric vehicles will account for 15% to 25% of Mercedes-Benz ’s total sales, depending on the framework conditions such as infrastructure construction, customer preferences and the specific development of specific markets Legal situation.
Mercedes-Benz is investing around € 10 billion to expand its product portfolio under the EQ brand. In addition, Daimler is investing more than 1 billion euros to establish a global battery production network in Mercedes-Benz's global production network. The company buys batteries on the global market and instructs suppliers to produce according to special specifications. In this way, make sure you have the best technology. The company has spent more than 20 billion euros on batteries and is creating the conditions to continue its transition to the future of electricity. Mercedes-Benz's global battery production network will consist of nine plants on three continents in the future.