Mercedes has announced the upcoming G-Class EV will be offered with an optional battery pack that uses a silicon anode chemistry from Sila. According to the automaker, the “high-silicon anode material will increase the energy density of batteries without compromising safety or other performance parameters.” The company went on to say that compared to cells commercially available today, Sila’s technology allows for a 20-40% increase in energy density reaching more than 800 Wh/l at the cell level. That’s a sizable increase and it will enable future vehicles to “store much more energy in the same space,” thus increasing their range by a “significant amount.”
Mercedes isn’t ready to talk specifics,
but they expect to offer an extended range G-Class EV with Sila’s battery
technology around 2025. The company added the silicon anode materials will be
manufactured in Sila’s Washington state plant using 100% renewable energy and
Mercedes is the factory’s “first publicly announced automotive customer.”
While Sila isn’t a household name,
Mercedes invested in the company in 2019 as part of their research and
development efforts to create advanced batteries for future electric vehicles.
That investment is now set to pay off as upcoming models will feature high-tech
batteries that offer significantly longer ranges than traditional batteries.
