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Sila lands $300M to scale EV battery anode output
Sila raised $300 million to expand its Washington factory, aiming to make enough anode material for more than 100,000 EVs.
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Sila has raised $300 million to expand its battery materials factory in Moses Lake, Washington, even as U.S. electric vehicle demand has cooled.
The startup said Tuesday that the expansion will lift output of its anode material to tens of gigawatt-hours per year, enough to support more than 100,000 EVs. Sila began production at the plant last September, and the facility currently has capacity for up to 2 gigawatt-hours of silicon-carbon anode material.
The move comes at a difficult moment for the U.S. EV market. According to the source, sales are down this year compared with 2025, when demand jumped ahead of the expiration of tax credits. At the same time, Benchmark Minerals Intelligence says global EV sales are up 27% year over year.
Sila is pitching its material as both a performance upgrade and a supply-chain alternative. Most lithium-ion batteries still use graphite anodes, and Chinese companies control about three-quarters of the supply chain, according to Benchmark Minerals Intelligence. That has pushed automakers outside China to look for options less exposed to tariffs.
Sila says its anode material can store up to 40% more energy than traditional graphite anodes and can also charge faster. The company has spent the last 15 years developing the technology. Founder and CEO Gene Berdichevsky, Tesla’s seventh employee, previously worked at the EV maker before starting Sila.
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The company has already announced supply deals with Mercedes and Panasonic. It also sells to consumer electronics companies including Whoop, as well as drone makers and satellite companies.
While EVs remain the biggest market for lithium-ion batteries, energy storage is growing fast as electricity demand rises. The source notes that data centers have become major buyers of grid-scale batteries, which can provide backup power, reduce peak demand charges, and help extend the use of solar and wind power.
The round was led by Atreides Management and Sutter Hill Ventures, with participation from 8VC, Bessemer Venture Partners, Matrix Partners, and funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates Inc. According to PitchBook, Sila had previously raised about $1.3 billion.
Enterprise Editor
Marcus follows the money. He covers enterprise software, cloud architecture, and the tectonic shifts in Big Tech strategy. He translates dense earnings calls and complex M&A activity into actionable insights about where the industry is actually heading. If a tech giant makes a silent pivot, Marcus is usually the first to notice.
via TechCrunch
