Group14 lands $ 463 million from SK, Porsche, and others to make silicone silicon for EVS

Group14 Startup Group14 announced on Wednesday that it had closed a $ 463 million financing round to expand its manufacturing, a sign that investors remain confident in the future of electric cars.

The startup manufactures silicone animation materials, which greatly enhance the storage of lithium ion batteries. Group14 It currently runs three factories, two in the United States and one in South Korea.

Despite the headlines about reducing the growth of demand for electric cars, the global market for lithium -ion batteries is still strong. Over the next decade, more than 15 % is expected to grow annually, in size, According to To research precedence. Car manufacturers and investors are still following companies that work on technology that will make EVS more efficient and affordable.

The tour led the SK battery manufacturer with the participation of ATL, Lightrock, Microsoft, PorscheAnd omers. Besides the tour, Group14 also announced that it had “obtained a full ownership” of a joint project with SK in South Korea, which includes its BAM 3 factory. SK had 75 % of JV. When asked if the value of JV transaction was included in the D series, the Group14 Kristen Karen spokesman said the company “did not reveal any additional details about the tour.”

Silicon has always been targeted as a potential alternative to graphite, which is the transition material today, because it can hold up to 10 times the electrons. But with every drawing and discharge, the pure silicone Anodes tends to collapse with the expansion and shrinking of materials, which is what the graphite is more resistant to it.

Startups such as Group14 and the Sila competition clarified the tendency of silicone to decrease by creating structures that keep silicone in place without sacrificing the safety of the total Anudi. The Group14 group is a scaffold with internal voids that carry silicone, giving it an expansion room.

The material itself can be mixed with graphite or completely replaced. Many companies still choose the latter due to the stability of the inherent graphite. But the more silicone use, the more energy that one cell can store. Group14 says its materials can improve energy density by up to 50 % and reduce fast charging times less than 10 minutes.