WOODINVILLE, Wash. and ITZEHOE, Germany, July 8, 2024 — German battery pioneer CustomCells and Group14 Technologies today announced they have signed a multi-year supply agreement, enabling CustomCells to procure SCC55™, Group14’s advanced silicon battery material.
CustomCells is planning to develop a factory in the United States with a capacity of up to 2GWh, underlining their North American growth plans. This supply agreement between Group14 and CustomCells is expected to exceed US$300M of contract value to secure a substantial supply of SCC55™ beyond 2030, ensuring CustomCells’ long-term capability to meet demand for their high-performance battery cells.
“In collaboration with leading cell developers like CustomCells, Group14 is turning the next generation of silicon batteries into a reality for many automotive and aviation customers who seek transformative, high-performance rechargeable power,” said Rick Luebbe, CEO and co-founder of Group14. “We see rapidly growing demand for Group14’s advanced silicon battery material due to the dramatic performance improvements in energy density and extreme-fast charging rates that can be realized with SCC55™.”
“CustomCells, as an experienced premium player, knows how to push new materials to their absolute limit. And Group14’s SCC55™ opens the doors to the next level of performance,” says Dr. Dirk Abendroth, CEO of CustomCells. “CustomCells is a leading battery cell developer and manufacturer; Group14 is a highly innovative material supplier — together we complement each other ideally and expect to expand our work together. The collaboration secures us access to silicon as an anode material for the next generation of cells and the generation after that. This enables a significantly higher energy density, including increased range, extreme-fast charging, and reduced battery weight.”
Group14 and CustomCells have been working together since 2020. “We have proven the potential of Group14’s SCC55™ and have also made high-performance prototype cells available to our customers, which have been very well received,” said Abendroth. In this partnership, valuable insights have been gained — particularly with regard to processing in the extruder. In the future, the main aim is to strengthen technical dialogue, including with regard to future process technology and cell chemistry. CustomCells integrates high silicon content into its 4695 cylindrical cells — and thus pushes the boundaries of what is possible.
