Sila Nanotechnologies Opens Silicon Anode Plant Moses Lake 2026

Key Points

• Sila Nanotechnologies has begun operations at Sila Moses Lake, the United States’ first automotive-scale silicon anode material plant, located in Moses Lake, Washington
• The 600,000 square-foot facility spans 160 acres and will initially support 2-5 GWh of capacity, with potential to expand to 250 GWh within five years, potentially becoming the world’s largest anode production facility
• The plant will produce Titan Silicon™, Sila’s breakthrough silicon carbon (Si/C) anode material that delivers up to 20% more energy density than traditional graphite anodes
• Titan Silicon enables EVs to charge from 10% to 80% in just 20 minutes, compared to 60 minutes with conventional batteries, with future iterations targeting approximately 10 minutes
• The technology can increase electric vehicle range by 20% today—up to 100 extra miles for some EVs—with a development runway to double gains to 40% in future releases
• Sila Nanotechnologies was founded in 2011 as a startup at the Georgia Institute of Technology, transforming into a materials company with 15 years of research and manufacturing experience
• The silicon carbon anode was invented by Gleb Yushin, PhD, Sila’s co-founder and chief technology officer, and commercially launched in 2021 as the world’s first commercial silicon anode
• The technology addresses silicon’s traditional swelling problem (300-400% volume expansion) by containing swell to levels comparable to graphite—6% at end of life
• Initial production will support electric mobility, consumer electronics including smartphones, drones, AR/VR devices, and satellites
• The facility represents 14 years of research and development finally hitting industrial scale, with the company raising $295 million from investors including Daimler/Mercedes-Benz AG
• Titan Silicon generates 50-75% less CO₂ per kWh than graphite during production, supporting cleaner battery manufacturing
• Panasonic Energy has signed partnerships with Sila to deliver unmatched EV performance using Titan Silicon technology

Moses Lake (Evening Washington News) May 30, 2026 — The nation’s first automotive-scale silicon anode material plant has officially begun operations in Moses Lake, Washington, marking a transformative moment for American battery manufacturing and electric vehicle technology. Sila, a next-generation battery materials company headquartered in Alameda, California, announced this week that Sila Moses Lake is now operational, putting the United States at the forefront of next-generation battery production.

Why Is This Silicon Anode Plant Considered a Historic Milestone for Battery Technology?

As reported by Business Wire, Sila today announced that it has begun operations at Sila Moses Lake, its new automotive-scale silicon anode plant in Moses Lake, Washington.

The facility represents the culmination of 15 years of research and manufacturing of silicon anode material for next-generation batteries, transforming what began as a startup at the Georgia Institute of Technology into a fully operational automotive-scale manufacturing plant.

According to the company’s press release, the team in Moses Lake has begun testing and refining process recipes, and the plant will soon begin producing initial batches of Titan Silicon™, Sila’s breakthrough Si/C silicon anode material.

This development places Washington state as home to the country’s first automotive-scale silicon anode material plant, a distinction no other U.S. location previously held.

How Does Titan Silicon Technology Improve Electric Vehicle Performance Compared to Traditional Graphite Anodes?

The core of Sila’s extensive portfolio is its silicon carbon (Si/C) anode, described on the company’s website as

“the world’s first commercial silicon anode to maximize lithium-ion energy density with low swell comparable to graphite”.

According to Sila’s official documentation, Titan Silicon delivers market-proven battery performance with 20% more energy density, 2x faster charging, and superior cycle life without compromising safety.

As reported on BatteryIndustry.net, Titan Silicon delivers a 20% energy density boost over the industry’s best-performing cells and will achieve a 40% increase in future releases, according to the company.

For automakers seeking longer range, Titan Silicon can deliver a 20% increase in range today, which could be up to 100 extra miles for some EVs, with a development runway to double those gains in future releases.

Regarding charging speed, as documented in Sila’s press release from April 4, 2023, Titan Silicon can dramatically improve battery charging time, charging a battery from 10% to 80% in just 20 minutes—even if your charge time is currently as long as 60 minutes.

Future releases will reduce that time to approximately 10 minutes, a standard similar to refilling a gas tank, according to the company.

What Problem Does Silicon Carbon Anode Technology Solve That Previously Limited Silicon Battery Adoption?

Silicon has long been recognized as a promising anode material for next-generation lithium-ion batteries due to its exceptionally high specific capacity of 3600 mAh g⁻¹, significantly exceeding that of conventional graphite, according to research published on arXiv.

However, as the same study explains, its practical application has been hindered by substantial volume expansion of 300-400% during lithiation, leading to mechanical degradation and capacity fade.

Sila’s technology addresses this critical challenge. As reported on BatteryIndustry.net, these gains are attainable without sacrificing cycle life or safety, by containing swell to levels comparable to graphite—6% at end of life.

This represents a fundamental breakthrough, as traditional silicon anodes can swell to more than three times their size during charging because of absorption of lithium ions, according to Chemical & Engineering News from 2019.

Who Were the Key Figures Behind This Technology and What Is the Company’s Background?

The modern silicon anode was invented and scaled by Sila, with the technology tracing its roots to foundational research at Georgia Tech, according to the company’s patents page. As reported on the Georgia Tech website, Gleb Yushin, MSE Professor and co-founder of Sila, is marking a major milestone in the journey from lab innovation to industrial impact.

Gleb Yushin, PhD, serves as Sila’s co-founder and chief technology officer, and invented the silicon carbon anode that was commercially launched in 2021, according to the original news story. As Yushin stated on LinkedIn on September 28, 2025:

“This is a defining moment for Sila and for me personally. We not only invented the modern silicon anode here in the U.S., but we’re also scaling it here. That’s a rare and powerful achievement in the world of battery innovation”.

Gene Berdichevsky serves as Sila’s co-founder and CEO. Prior to co-founding Sila in 2011, Berdichevsky was the seventh employee at Tesla Motors where he served as Principal Engineer on the Roadster battery, leading the development of the world’s first safe, mass-produced, automotive lithium-ion battery system, according to Sila’s leadership page.

As reported by Basin Business Journal on January 6, 2024, Berdichevsky stated: “This moment has been 12 years in the making” when the company broke ground on the Washington facility.

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What Are the Manufacturing Capacity and Expansion Plans for the Moses Lake Facility?

The new plant spans 600,000 square-feet and is situated on a 160-acre site, engineered to scale, according to Clean Energy Excellence.

Operations will initially support 2-5 GWh of capacity with the capability to expand up to 250 GWh within five years and become the largest anode production facility in the world, as reported by the same source.

As documented by The Tech Buzz, the Moses Lake facility can initially produce materials for 20,000 to 50,000 EVs annually, with potential expansion to serve 2.5 million vehicles.

The startup fired up operations Tuesday at its Moses Lake, Washington facility—the first large-scale silicon anode factory in the Western hemisphere and potentially America’s best shot at battery manufacturing supremacy, according to the same report.

According to the April 15, 2025 press release, the transition from the commissioning phase into material production remains on schedule for the second half of 2025, with Sila Moses Lake producing Titan Silicon at the capacity needed to deliver for multiple automotive customers, as well as a growing pipeline of consumer electronics and technology products.

Which Applications and Industries Will Benefit From This Silicon Anode Technology?

The team has begun testing and refining process recipes, and the plant will soon begin producing initial batches of Titan Silicon™ for customer applications, including electric mobility, consumer electronics, drones, AR/VR, and satellites, according to Sila’s September 23, 2025 press release.

Beyond electric vehicles, the technology addresses multiple sectors. As documented on Sila’s website, Titan Silicon was the first commercial next-generation silicon anode technology to enter the market in 2021, and today it delivers up to a 20% energy density improvement over the industry’s best-performing graphite cells, enabling automakers, consumer device OEMs, and industrial and defense equipment manufacturers to achieve unmatched product performance, including increased vehicle range or product runtime and ultra-fast charging speeds.

Panasonic Energy has entered into partnership with Sila to deliver unmatched EV performance. As reported by InsideEVs on December 12, 2023, the Japanese battery manufacturer targets a significant increase in energy density and expects to enable automakers to deliver “unmatched EV performance” by “dramatically increasing vehicle range” and reducing charging time, with low as 10 minutes charging capability mentioned by Panasonic Energy CTO Shoichiro Watanabe.

What Environmental Benefits Does This Technology Offer Compared to Graphite Production?

Titan Silicon generates 50-75% less CO₂ per kWh than graphite during production, according to BatteryIndustry.net. This represents a significant environmental advantage for battery manufacturing, supporting cleaner production processes as the electric vehicle industry scales.

Additionally, with the wide adoption of EVs, consumers are looking for best-in-class solutions that deliver best-in-class performance, and Sila’s solutions provide just that:

longer range and faster charge, according to the company’s documentation. Using silicon instead of graphite enables the battery to store more energy in the same volume, maximizing the efficiency of battery materials.

Background of the Development

The development of Sila Moses Lake represents the culmination of 14 years of dedicated research and development since Sila Nanotechnologies was founded in 2011.

The company’s origins trace back to Georgia Institute of Technology, where co-founder and CTO Gleb Yushin began foundational research into silicon/carbon (Si/C) composites using chemical vapor deposition, as documented on Georgia Tech’s website.

In 2019, Sila Nanotechnologies raised $170 million in a fourth round of funding, led by automaker Daimler, bringing total funding to $295 million from investors including Sutter Hill Ventures, Matrix Partners, Bessemer Venture Partners, Coatue Management, T.

Rowe Price, and Mercedes-Benz AG, according to Chemical & Engineering News. This funding enabled advancement of technology for battery anodes made with silicon, with experts saying incorporating silicon has the potential to improve energy density by 20–40%.

The company broke ground on the Moses Lake facility in January 2024, with Basin Business Journal reporting that the plant would take about a year to complete and begin shipping product in mid-2025. Commissioning began in April 2025, with the company announcing the start of the commissioning phase for its first auto-scale manufacturing plant on April 15, 2025.

The technology is protected by 250+ US & international patents and patent applications, representing over a decade of research, thousands of material iterations, and countless concepts that led to the invention of Si/C, today’s modern silicon anode, according to Sila’s patents page.

As Professor Yushin noted on LinkedIn, this achievement would not have been possible without support from Georgia Institute of Technology’s School of Materials Science & Engineering, Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and policymakers who championed development of a battery supply chain in the United States.

Prediction: How This Development Can Affect Electric Vehicle Consumers and the Automotive Industry

This development can significantly affect electric vehicle consumers by addressing the two primary barriers to EV adoption: range anxiety and charging time. According to AAA survey data referenced by The Cool Down, factors such as limited EV range and long charging times hinder many drivers from transitioning to EVs.

With Titan Silicon delivering up to 100 extra miles of range for some EVs today and charging from 10% to 80% in 20 minutes, consumers may experience EVs that more closely match the convenience of traditional gasoline vehicles.

For electric vehicle buyers, the 20% energy density improvement could translate to either longer driving range without increasing battery size, or smaller, lighter batteries for the same range. As documented by BatteryIndustry.net, with Titan Silicon, automakers can benefit from up to a 15% reduction in battery weight and 20% increase in space, enabling higher vehicle efficiency and the addition of innovative designs and features. This could result in more vehicle design flexibility and potentially improved handling due to reduced weight.

The automotive industry may see accelerated EV adoption as charging times approach the 10-minute target mentioned by Sila, which would be similar to refilling a gas tank, according to the company’s press release.

As reported by The Cool Down, if realized at scale, silicon-anode batteries could ultimately bring down the upfront cost of EVs, reduce charging times, and increase EV ranges—all factors that hinder many drivers from transitioning to EVs.

For U.S. battery manufacturing, this facility positions America ahead in the global battery race, according to CEO Gene Berdichevsky, as reported by The Tech Buzz. With the facility potentially expanding to serve 2.5 million vehicles within five years, this could significantly increase domestic battery material production capacity, reducing dependence on foreign supply chains.