What is the promise of StoreDot’s extreme fast charging (XFC) batteries for EVs in technical and environmental terms?
Extreme fast charging (XFC) promises to challenge the common belief that fast charging must compromise a vehicle’s driving range or battery longevity. StoreDot’s innovation has demonstrated that with the right material modifications—specifically replacing graphite with silicon in the anode—fast charging is possible without sacrificing energy density or cycle life.
After shipping cells to 14 car manufacturers for testing, the company has achieved a breakthrough in which the range and longevity of batteries remain intact while enabling charging in minutes. The chemistry behind this technology has proven robust, and this innovation could revolutionize the user experience, making electric vehicle (EV) charging as quick and convenient as refueling a traditional car.
How does the XFC battery’s ability to handle 2,400 consecutive fast charging cycles compare with previous standards?
The ability to handle 2,400 consecutive fast charging cycles is a major milestone in the industry. Before StoreDot’s breakthrough, even leaders like Tesla warned against consecutive fast charging more than a handful of times, as it could degrade the battery after just a few cycles.
Today, 2,400 consecutive extreme fast charging cycles could translate to nearly half a million miles, vastly surpassing the typical 800 slower charging cycles seen in other battery tests. This progress ensures that EV users can rely on fast charging without sacrificing battery health, providing a more durable solution for frequent users.
What are the implications of XFC for vehicle design, manufacturing, and city infrastructure, particularly charging points?
XFC technology has significant implications for vehicle design, particularly reducing the need for large battery packs. If you can fast charge, there is minimal downtime, meaning that a 250–300-mile range is sufficient for most vehicles. This could reduce the need for the 100-kilowatt-hour packs currently used in some larger vehicles, including high-end sedans.
As for city infrastructure, we are seeing an increase in the installation of fast charging stations, with major companies like BP, Electrify America, and Shell recognizing the need to repurpose petrol stations for electric vehicle charging. Fast charging is critical for sustainability, as it ensures that users can charge quickly, not only along the highways, but also in urban areas.
How are the U.S. tariffs and associated trade tensions affecting StoreDot's strategy for sourcing silicon for its batteries?
StoreDot initially sourced silicon from the U.S. and continues to work with Group 14, which has a partnership with SK Materials in Korea. As the production process could be costly, the company has also qualified suppliers from China, where costs are potentially half the price. The anode material includes a composite of silicon and carbon, with multiple qualified vendors in regions like the U.S., China, the UK, and Europe.
One of the main advantages of StoreDot's approach is that the existing gigafactories can be used without needing to invest in new, specialized equipment. This allows the company to leverage current overcapacity in battery production lines. The supply chain, however, must be hyper-localized, with manufacturing and sourcing tailored to the region where the vehicles are built. This is crucial in light of trade tensions and efforts to bring more production to the U.S., though StoreDot remains committed to a localized, cost-effective production model.
Can we responsibly mine and recycle enough lithium and silicon to meet the future demand of battery technology?
Yes, there is no shortage of materials like silicon and lithium. Silicon is the second most abundant element on Earth, and while processing it into the required composite for batteries can be challenging, the material itself is plentiful. The real issue lies in scaling up the process and ensuring the right composition and purity. As for lithium, the challenge is in mining and the associated infrastructure.
Efforts are being made to develop subsea mining and improve recycling processes. Recycling materials like silicon, lithium, nickel, cobalt, and graphite will become more efficient and cost-effective as the industry scales. However, this requires greater investment in both recycling technologies and ethical mining practices. Over the years, cobalt usage in batteries has decreased, and newer technologies have moved to designs that require much less or no cobalt at all, addressing the ethical issues tied to its mining.
What is the biggest barrier to the widespread deployment of XFC technology across consumer EVs?
The primary barrier to the mass deployment of XFC technology is that StoreDot does not own the manufacturing capacity to produce the batteries at scale. While StoreDot collaborates with companies like EVE Energy in China and Kumyang in Korea, and has several strategic investors, the challenge lies in getting leading battery manufacturers to adopt StoreDot’s technology. Unlike the semiconductor industry, which has a well-established model of outsourcing production, battery-makers tend to develop their own technologies or use off-the-shelf solutions.
StoreDot needs to convince key EV OEMs such as GM, Firs, and Stellantis to leverage their battery manufacturing partners, such as LGES and Samsung SDI, to adopt its technology, which requires navigating complex collaboration agreements. However, we are tackling this challenge by starting with smaller volumes and gradually convincing tier-1 manufacturers to take on larger-scale production. The Polestar model, which demonstrates StoreDot’s XFC technology, is expected to hit the road by late 2027, for example.
