[RahulNagaraj]

It is already known that Mercedes-Benz is working on an all-electric version of its iconic G-wagon in the form of the EQG. Now, according to fresh reports, the Mercedes-EQG could become the first EV to use batteries made from silicon-based anodes.

The new silicon-based anodes will be supplied by 'Sila Nanotechnologies', a California-based battery material firm. Mercedes will be the first automaker to make use of the new tech. Sila states that the material "Titan Silicon" has been under development for years and is now market-proven, safe, and ready for commercial usage. The new battery material is said to help boost EV performance drastically.



Reports state that the silicon-based batteries from Sila could help improve range by over 20%, compared to an existing battery tech, while also helping bring down charging times. The new battery material is also better for the environment, generating 50 - 75% less CO2 per kWh than Graphite. It also claims to hold 10 times more charge than Graphite.

Sila aims to have its Titan Silicon material powering 1 million EVs by 2028, starting with the EQG, which is scheduled to arrive in markets in 2024. The upcoming EQG is said to feature a large battery powering four electric motors, one on each wheel. The EV is expected to offer around 300 miles (483 km) of range on a single charge.

Source: Electrek

Link to Team-BHP news

[one-77]

How does 10X more charge and 20% more range add up to 483 Km/ 300 miles?
Assuming the battery will be 80 kW or higher in such a behemoth of a vehicle, it’s still only 6 Km/ kWh (claimed), which is about the same as every other big/powerful EV right now.

[Shresth_EV]

Originally Posted by one-77

How does 10X more charge and 20% more range add up to 483 Km/ 300 miles?

While I’m not an expert on the matter, usually when efficiency gains like “20% more range” are concerned, the difference purely comes from weight/size reductions due to material science advancements.

We cannot break the rules of physics — an 80kWh battery will still store 80kWh with these new gizmos. Just that the weight may drop from like, 500kg to 350-400kg which is a big ask for a vehicle like the G which already weighs 2.5ton in its ICE guise.

While going from graphite anode to Silicon may offer 10x charge holding capacity, it is probably expressed as a comparison with mass parity or volume parity (as in, 1kg of graphite anode = X amount of charge and 1kg of silicon anode = 10•X amount of charge). I’d assume that the 10x figure is from anode to anode comparison, no battery to battery. Because battery itself has much more parts than anode.

Think of it as a comparison between the cylinder volume — boreXstroke. Many oldies had as much as 10-15L engines in past but they don’t even make half as much bhp as modern day econoboxes.

The pain point here though, is that the electrodes make up very small percentage by mass composition of a battery to begin with. So if a 500kg battery had a 10kg combined anode material, it became 1kg. The new mass is still 491kg.

The main weight comes from the aluminium enclosure of cells, the copper wiring, and the steel frames to impart structural integrity to the pack, not the batteries themselves.

Such details are of course difficult to verify since the brands are very tight lipped on their tech and unless there’s some kind of teardown by say sandy munro etc, we might as well never know how much of the claimed gains are actually present in the production vehicle

[EV Fan]

Originally Posted by RahulNagaraj

2024 Mercedes EQG to debut new battery tech; store 10x more charge

Everyone hold off your EV plan's, let's wait for this

Originally Posted by RahulNagaraj

& offer 20% more range

False alarm, not need to wait. you can upgrade your vehicle a few years down the line if it makes to India.
The 10X just got my eyes wide and dilated for a second. Why isn't the world taking about it?

Originally Posted by Shresth_EV

While going from graphite anode to Silicon may offer 10x charge holding capacity, it is probably expressed as a comparison with mass parity or volume parity (as in, 1kg of graphite anode = X amount of charge and 1kg of silicon anode = 10•X amount of charge). I’d assume that the 10x figure is from anode to anode comparison, no battery to battery. Because battery itself has much more parts than anode.

The 10X figure was basically the specific capacity difference between silicon & graphite.
Nothing ground breaking but a good improvement. Volumetric weight savings or pack more cells in the same volume types.
They anyways started off the baby steps, batteries for wearable consumables and plans for factory.
Good tech but off the charts PR.
Reference:
https://cen.acs.org/materials/energy...es-time/97/i14

[Venkatesh]

Mercedes-Benz India confirms the EQG concept will be showcased at the upcoming Bharat Mobility Show 2024 from Feb 1-3.



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