Tesla May Have Quietly Acquired Lithium-Ion Battery Startup - SilLion Inc.

Recent observations by active members of the Tesla community suggest that the electric car maker may have acquired SilLion Inc., a lithium-ion battery cell specialist startup from Louisville, Colorado. If the above speculation proves accurate, the company is likely to further expand its leading position in the electric vehicle market, according to foreign media reports.

It's no secret that Tesla has is always in improving its batteries. The company has stated that it wants to start producing its cells, even if it requires them to venture into the mining industry. Interestingly, the electric car maker is currently recruiting "cell technicians" in Louisville, Colorado. The job requires recruiters to have a background of electrode coatings and battery assembly, suggesting that the company may be studying battery innovation and battery manufacturing.

Louisville, Colorado happens to be a breeding ground for a new generation of battery startups, with several companies working on lithium-ion technology. Battery startups such as Forge Nano have also received investments from automakers such as Volkswagen. But among these, a company called SilLion Inc. may be the perfect company for Tesla.

SilLion is a small company is specialized in high-loading silicon anode and electrode technology for commercial cylindrical batteries. The company has achieved technological breakthroughs in high-energy batteries by using high-load silicon anodes, nickel-rich NMC cathodes, and non-flammable ionic liquid electrolytes at the same time. Tesla happens to be one of the few car manufacturers that use cylindrical batteries for its vehicles.

Unlike other battery startups in Louisville, SilLion has closed its official website. Some employees of the company, such as research scientist Simon Hafner, now list the company as their employer on LinkedIn pages. SilLion's co-founders Daniela Molina Piper and Tyler Evans also expressed interest in Tesla on professional social platforms. In summary, one might speculate that electric car maker has acquired (perhaps hiring) SilLion Inc., and the company may be investigating including the startup's technology to its next-generation lithium-ion battery.

Tesla's acquisition of small companies to improve its ability to innovate is no stranger. Last year, the company adopted the same strategy when it acquired DeepScale. DeepScale is a particularly small company with only about 40 employees, but it is working on a technology that allows deep neural networks to work on smaller devices. For example, the company's product Carver21 is dedicated to optimizing the processing of front camera data for fully autonomous vehicles. Such innovations are very valuable to the company, especially amidst the company's fully autonomous driving.

It remains to be seen whether Tesla acquired SilLion Inc., but it is difficult to find reasons why the technology developed by the lithium-ion battery startup will not benefit the electric car maker. Ultimately, the above speculation may be addressed soon, because the company is about to hold the much-anticipated Battery Day.

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