High tech battery component manufacturing in Moses Lake.

Sometimes I get so wrapped up in my own little world that I forget that there are other places where exciting technological things are happening, one of those places is Moses Lake, WA. There are several very interesting cutting-edge industries that are taking place in Moses Lake, including manufacturing of carbon fiber body parts for cars, testing the latest technology in rocket engines, and the manufacturing of a highly specialized (and novel) silicon anode material for lithium-ion batteries. 

We are going to talk about Group14. 

Group14 is a technology company that has created a material called SCC55™. Now this product is basically a black powder that goes inside a battery. It's part of the anode material to help them charge extremely fast and hold more energy than batteries that just use graphite as an anode. It replaces that graphite found in your traditional lithium-ion battery with a type of silicon material, making battery powered things like electric cars for instance, and smartphones charge in as little as 10 minutes. (Pretty cool, huh) 

Who is Group14? 

In 2015. Rick Luebbe and Dr. Rick Costantino launched Group 14 and in 2016 established their business in Woodinville, WA.  

According to.  www.group14.technology,
‘Group14 Technologies — which derives its name from the Periodic Table column listing both silicon and carbon — will manufacture silicon-carbon anode materials with increased energy capacity compared to currently available materials while maintaining the low cost and high cycle life of graphite. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is supporting the project with a $2.8 million grant that is designed to help Group14 Technologies scale its low-cost manufacturing process to the plant level.’ 

Currently, Group14 is putting the finishing touches on their BAM-2 Factory in Moses Lake. When it's at full production, they expect their two lines to be creating approximately 2000 tons annually of the SCC55™ Silicon anode material. 

This anode material is backwards compatible to most current lithium-ion battery production systems and depending on the battery can increase energy density by up to 50. To put that into real perspective, currently my electric car has a range of 310 miles. If the battery in my car was using the silicon anode, then my range would be more like 450 miles and in theory, I'd be able to charge my car from 20% to 80% in 10 minutes or less. 

Right now, Group14 is employing approximately 180 workers, most from the Grant County area and they expect that the new factory called the Silane Factory. Will add more than 300 additional construction jobs and create up to 150 jobs to ramp up and sustain production there 

Group14 chose the Columbia Basin and Moses Lake in particular because of the large, seasoned talent pool and also access to hydropower. Their customers require a zero-carbon footprint so clean energy is a requirement. 

The advantages of this silicon anode material include lifespan, a silicon battery can outlast the typical lifespan of, say, a cell phone. It has more energy density which gives you a longer usage time. It has an extremely fast recharge time, and it will probably change the way manufacturers design their products to accommodate what could possibly be a smaller form factor. (Shape and size) 

Group14 says that their new anode material is already in about 2,000,000 smartphones worldwide. It is also being used by. Molicel, a manufacturer of ultra high-powered cells being used in hypercars. Among the investors in their company, battery manufacturer ATL, BASF and Porsche to name a few. 

Group14 | Powering the Silicon Battery Age
Lithium-Silicon Batteries at Global Scale | Group14
The Transition to Lithium-Silicon Batteries | Group14