(PALO ALTO, Calif. and PARAMUS, N.J. — Jan. 17, 2024) – OneD Battery Sciences, the leader in silicon anode technologies for EV batteries, and Koch Modular Process Systems, a global leader in process engineering design and modular construction, announced their strategic partnership centered on enabling large-scale production of silicon-graphite anode materials for the next generation of affordable electric vehicles (EV).
Leveraging Koch Modular’s proven silane gas manufacturing expertise, OneD’s SINANODE technology efficiently converts silane into nano-silicon inside graphite anode materials already qualified by EV cell makers. This partnership will scale up silane anode production by placing a modular silane plant adjacent to a SINANODE factory to process and add silicon inside EV-grade graphite powders from industrial suppliers. OneD and Koch Modular are currently designing the first integrated North American plant to produce 20,000 tons of silicon-graphite anode material per year, enough for the batteries of about 1,000,000 EVs annually.
“Koch Modular is the right partner to quickly increase the production scale and reduce the costs of silicon anode materials,” said Vincent Pluvinage, CEO and co-founder pf OneD Battery Sciences. “This strategic collaboration will enable the North American EV battery supply chain to reduce its dependency on overseas anode material imports and meet the urgent need for OEMs (EV producers) to compete with the next generation of more affordable EVs."
OneD’s SINANODE technology platform takes a fundamentally different approach to silicon anode manufacturing. The SINANODE platform is a highly scalable low-cost manufacturing process that grows nano-silicon directly in the pores of EV-grade graphite powders selected by each customer. This removes the need to manufacture a new expensive carbon substrate to host silicon. Instead of displacing EV-grade graphite producers, the SINANODE process increases the performance and value of the graphite powders already qualified by EV cell factories. The SINANODE manufacturing process results in lower cost, smaller EV batteries with longer range and lower carbon footprint.
“OneD has a unique approach in reducing risks and costs by placing our silane modular plant adjacent to the SINANODE processing plant and co-locating these two facilities next to EV-grade graphite production and EV cell factories in North America and Europe,” said George Schlowsky, president at Koch Modular. “Together, we are excited to help scale up silicon-enhanced graphite production and help each customer achieve a more competitive global market position by combining our proven technology platforms.”
Koch Modular's silane manufacturing expertise addresses the industry's need for proven, scalable, and economical silane production. These globally transportable modules allow for efficient shipping and assembly, supporting sustainable scaling of production capacity for OneD’s SINANODE plants worldwide. With over 40 years of chemical plant expertise, Koch Modular has demonstrated proven success, notably with the delivery of a longstanding silane plant in Taiwan serving demanding semiconductor applications for over a decade.
The use of silicon (“Si”) in the anode electrodes is broadly recognized to increase energy density of EV batteries, thus reducing weight and increasing EV range. However, silicon anode mass-adoption depends on finding ways to use silicon to reduce the cost of EV batteries. Many silicon technologies are too expensive and not scalable enough to support production of batteries for millions of affordable EVs. The key silicon precursor, silane gas (“SiH4”), is produced mostly in China for making over 93% of the global production of solar cells. Both silane and EV-grade graphite are now considered critical materials for the EV supply chains in the USA and Europe.
OneD’s SINANODE pilot facility in Moses Lake, WA, will go online in early 2024 to support the EV battery qualification process for OEMs while the large-scale production plants are completed.
