Group14 Technologies CTO Rick Costantino and CEO Rick Luebbe outside of the company’s commercial-scale Battery Active Materials (BAM) manufacturing factory in Woodinville, Wash. Photo by Talia Green
Group14 Technologies, a global provider of silicon-carbon composite materials for lithium-ion markets, and Inobat Auto, a European battery R&D and manufacturing company, announce a partnership to custom manufacture high energy density batteries for automotive applications.
As major global automakers continue to make commitments to all-electric lineups, the demand for higher-performing energy storage is continuing to skyrocket at an unprecedented rate. To deliver on the promise of zero-emission electric vehicles, automotive OEMs are turning to drop-in-ready technologies such as high-capacity silicon-based anode materials, which deliver dramatically more energy density per volume than traditional lithium-ion-based batteries for mobility of all modes.
A leading global electric vehicle battery supplier, InoBat is pioneering extensive efforts in R&D and manufacturing across the complete battery value life cycle including energy storage, charging infrastructure and recycling. With automotive, commercial and aviation customers including Czech bus manufacturer SOR, InoBat creates high-margin EV batteries customizable in different cell formats such as pouch or cylindrical — both with faster development timelines than the industry norm.
“Our goal is to contribute to the global electrification efforts. Partnering with Group14 will enable us to bring advanced energy solutions across the whole battery value chain for a variety of markets,” said Marian Bocek, CEO and Co-Founder of InoBat. “At InoBat, sustainability lies at our core – we are thrilled that Group14 shares our vision of a zero-emission future enabled by breakthrough battery technology and materials.”
Group14’s flagship silicon-carbon anode material, SCC55, which unlocks 50% more energy density compared to conventional lithium-ion. Photo by Talia Green
The largest manufacturer of lithium-silicon battery materials, Group14 is now capable of producing 120 tons per year of its patented anode technology, SCC55, from its first domestic Battery Active Materials (BAM) factory in Woodinville, Wash. While the majority of the factory’s current production capacity has been earmarked for the company’s consumer electronics customers, the factory also provides EV-sized batches of materials to auto-focused customers as part of the qualification process.
“In order to truly enable the electrification of everything, successful and sustainable EV adoption will hinge on energy storage breakthroughs,” said Rick Luebbe, CEO and co-founder of Group14 Technologies. “With this partnership with InoBat, we are taking a leap to enable automotive OEMs to meet and exceed cost-parity all while delivering unparalleled performance and mitigating carbon emissions on a global scale.”
The partnership with InoBat Auto comes on the heels of a joint venture agreement with SK materials to launch a factory in South Korea to enable dual sourcing of Group14’s patented lithium-silicon technology to reach all corners of the world.