Amprius Raises $30 Million To Commercialize Li-ion Batteries

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ampriusAmprius, a lithium-ion battery manufacturer, has raised $30 million of Series C funding for new, compact lithium-ion batteries which utilize silicon nanowire anodes.

In the past, silicon anode technology has experienced multiple failures, but also improvements — as have most other technologies, proving that alternative energy technologies in general deserve a chance to develop as well. Initially, a solid silicon anode was developed, but it was prone to cracking, so a nanowire version of it was developed, as the high energy density of silicon anodes was a major benefit worth pursuing (1,000 Wh/kg). However, the nanowires still weren’t reliable enough. There have been developments since then which significantly improved reliability, but now, Amprius apparently has silicon nanowire batteries ready for commercialization.

According to Green Car Congress:

“The company introduced its first generation of batteries in May 2013, and is supplying smartphone and tablet OEMs with its first two product families, based on an 1,850 mAh (580 Wh/L) battery and a 4,060 mAh (600 Wh/L) battery. Amprius’ first-generation batteries are made with silicon anodes—not silicon nanowire anodes, which will appear in the subsequent generations. The company has demonstrated greater than 650 and 700 Wh/L batteries with its second-generation and third-generation technology platforms.”

The Amprius technology was initially developed at the laboratory of Yi Cui in Stanford University. Yi Cui is a founder of Amprius.

Image Credit: Amprius


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Nicholas Brown

Has a keen interest in physics-intensive topics such as electricity generation, refrigeration and air conditioning technology, energy storage, and geography. His website is: Kompulsa.com.

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