Sila Acquires Location for Battery Materials Plant

Battery materials manufacturer Sila has secured a location in Moses Lake, WA for a new plant that will produce lithium-ion battery anode materials at “automotive volumes and quality,” the firm announced in a recent release. The 160-acre location is situated near rail lines and has an existing 600,000-sq-ft facility.

“The US has always excelled at innovation. Now we must also excel at manufacturing that innovation. Sila is delivering proven next-generation anode materials today. Our new Washington state plant builds on that momentum offering the manufacturing capacity to meet the needs of our auto partners on their way to a fully electric future,” Gene Berdichevsky, co-founder and chief executive officer of Sila, said in a statement. “We’ve been working towards automotive quality standards and scale since our start to ensure longer range, faster charge times, and lower battery cost. With this scale-up, we have a pivotal piece to realize the full potential of next-generation materials at the volumes required to make a global impact.”

Slated to become operational in 2024, production lines at the Moses Lake plant will produce enough lithium-ion anode materials to power batteries in up to 500,000 premium electric vehicles and 500 million smart phones each year.

“Our energy independence and economic prosperity are tied to our ability to develop and manufacture new clean energy technologies here on American soil. I’m proud that Washington state has been a leader on this issue and even prouder that companies like Sila come here to advance these clean energy solutions,” said Washington Gov. Jay Inslee in the release. “Washington is excited that Sila is investing here and we welcome the transformative impact that building clean energy can have on our world and our state.”

SIla is based in Alameda, CA.