The Electric Flash Analysis: Enovix Claims Safety and Energy Density Breakthroughs for Silicon-Based Batteries

Enovix, a Fremont, Calif., battery company, claimed this week that its silicon anode can outdo rival pure lithium-metal technology, which has gained favor among major automakers searching for the next generation of batteries to power electric vehicles.

The company’s chief technology officer, Ashok Lahiri, said Enovix’s silicon-based battery achieves energy density of 900 watt-hours per liter, an extremely high performance that, if borne out, would substantially increase EV driving range. Volkswagen-backed QuantumScape, a leading lithium-metal anode startup, also says its batteries achieve 900 Wh/L, but has projected that claim based on the performance of a far smaller battery. Today’s lithium-ion EV batteries have energy densities of around 400 Wh/L at the pack level.

In data provided first to The Electric, Lahiri also claimed that a new feature of Enovix’s silicon anode will make its batteries substantially safer than solid-state lithium-metal batteries.