Mercedes G-Class EV will incorporate a new, highly energy-dense battery in its upcoming electric G-Class from 2025, a solution to the problem of how to power large electric cars without weighing them down with heavy batteries.
The battery, developed by Sila Nanotechnologies, has silicon-based anodes and is 20% to 40% more energy dense than comparable cells currently on the market, according to Mercedes.
Silicon is a viable alternative to graphite, which is mostly produced in China (70 percent). Tesla stated that it would increase the use of silicon in its batteries by 2020.
Mercedes is the first publicly acknowledged automotive customer of Sila Nanotechnologies, a California-based battery start-up that is investing hundreds of millions of dollars in a new plant in Washington state that will open in 2024.
Mercedes owns a small investment in the unlisted Sila, which collaborates with BMW.
Sila, which was established by a former Tesla engineer, raised $590 million last year, bringing its valuation to $3.3 billion.
In a statement, Mercedes Chief Technology Officer Markus Schaefer said, “Delivering such a high energy density is a true game changer and allows us to think in completely new directions when creating future electric automobiles.”
The G-Class is one of Mercedes’ most costly models, and it’s becoming more essential in the company’s plan of expanding margins to help support the shift to electric vehicles.
When a battery is charged, ions flow from the cathode to the anode. The ions reverse direction when it is discharged. The traditional anode material is graphite, but in order to produce a battery that can store more energy, researchers have been looking at silicon as an alternative.
The G-Class was created in the late 1970s with a boxy form and all-terrain capability in mind for warriors and explorers.
It remained mostly in that niche until the SUV boom propelled it into the mainstream, attracting high-profile buyers such as Sylvester Stallone, Kim Kardashian, and Megan Fox.
The estimated range of the electrified G-Class was not updated by Mercedes.
