Over the last few years, Tesla has been rumored to have acquired SiILion, Inc., a battery technology startup based out of Colorado.<\/p>\n
The rumors started after a few of the startup\u2019s employees were hired by Tesla and the automaker started listing battery research jobs in Colorado<\/a>, where it previously didn\u2019t have R&D operations.<\/p>\n The startup was working on a new high-energy density battery chemistry based on \u201chigh-loaded silicon anodes<\/span>.\u201d<\/p>\n It described on its website that has since been shutdown:<\/p>\n \u201cDeveloper of an advanced lithium-ion battery designed to address the market\u2019s accelerated demand for higher performance energy storage devices. The company\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The startup received several grants from the US Department of Defense and US Department of Energy before going dark in 2018.<\/p>\n While three researchers at the company changed their job positions to Tesla, cofounders Tyler Evans and Daniela Molina Piper never did.<\/p>\n But we now can confirm that their technology is owned by Tesla.<\/p>\n One of the SiILion duo\u2019s most important patents, called \u201cLarge-format Battery Anodes Comprising Silicon Particles,\u201d is now listed as Tesla\u2019s:<\/p>\n Tesla is listed as the \u201capplicant\u201d for the patent while Evans and Molina Piper are listed as inventors.<\/p>\n They describe the anode technology in the patent\u2019s abstract:<\/p>\n \u201cLarge-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.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Interestingly, during Tesla\u2019s Battery Day, the automaker confirmed that its new 4680 cell is powered by a new anode enabled by a new silicon.<\/p>\n Earlier this week, we reported on Tesla delivering a new anode production line at Gigafactory Texas<\/a>.<\/p>\n It wouldn\u2019t be the only battery startup that Tesla acquired to secure technology for its next-gen 4680 battery cell.<\/p>\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/electrek.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2021\/11\/Tesla-SiILion-acquisition.jpg?quality=82&strip=all&w=1000\" "\\"Tesla")
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