US Battery materials company Graphenix Development Inc (GDI) was awarded a €20 million loan from the European Investment Bank to develop silicon anode technology in Europe.
GDI has an affiliate in the Netherlands and it plans to produce its silicon anode at industrial scale in Germany.
It selected an industrial site with a glass-coating production facility owned by AGC Glass Europe, a supplier to European auto OEMs. The AGC factory, in Lauenförde, Lower Saxony, will provide coating expertise and advanced manufacturing equipment. European copper foil company Schlenk SE will supply industrial scaled copper foil.
GDI said the loan, made under the InvestEU programme, will support it in developing its 100% silicon anode technology towards gigawatt-scale production. The technology has the potential to produce silicon anodes that increase lithium-ion cell energy density by over 30% (compared with graphite anodes).
The technology can also decrease battery charging time by two thirds, it said. GDI has verified through third party safety testing that multi-Amp hour high-energy lithium-ion cells with its 100% silicon anode can pass nail penetration testing.
EIB-Vice President Ambroise Fayolle said: “We at the EIB are happy to support GDI’s innovative technology that helps the industry to replace graphite, a critical raw material, with silicon that is available everywhere in the world.”
