Q&A: COMPANY'S CHEMISTRY COULD CUT EV BATTERY COSTS

A small company called Sila has contracts with most major automakers to research or provide a promising new battery chemistry that can let electric vehicles travel farther with a smaller battery.

The Alameda, California, company began more than a decade ago as a startup out of Georgia Tech, and co-founder and CEO Gene Berdichevsky says its chemistry can store more energy than current lithium-ion batteries.

In current batteries, lithium ions move from anode to cathode, generating electricity by splitting into charged ions and electrons. Graphite stores lithium atoms inside a battery until needed. Instead of graphite, Sila uses silicon, which can store more lithium.

Berdichevsky, who was an early employee at Tesla, talked about the future of electric vehicles. The interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Q: What do you see as the shortcomings of today’s lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, and how can your company change that?