The upcoming Mercedes EQG will be the first EV to use silicon-based anodes, which will be supplied by California-based battery materials firm Sila Nanotechnologies. The “Titan Silicon” battery material has been in the works for several years and is now finally commercially available, with Mercedes being the first automaker in line to receive it.
Sila claims Titan Silicon is the “first market-proven safe, and clean full graphite anode replacement engineered for mass scale to dramatically boost EV performance.” What does this mean, in reality? A range increase of around 20% versus existing battery tech, as well as significantly improved charging speeds.
Furthermore, Sila’s battery material is better for the environment. During the production phase, Titan Silicon generates 50% to 75% less CO2 per kWh than graphite. It can allegedly store 10 times more charge than graphite as well.
Sila wants to have its Titan Silicon material powering 1 million EVs by 2028. It will start with the EQG, which is set to launch in late 2024.
The EQG is expected to have a quad-motor layout, which should result in humongous amounts of power. The electrified G-Wagon is also anticipated to have a range of over 300 miles, thanks in part to Titan Silicon. It will most likely share a chassis with the ICE G-Wagon, which is set to receive a mid-life facelift later this year. The interior and general design of the production EQG is also expected to be almost identical to the regular G-Class, bar one or two elements that will help distinguish it as an EV.
Given the traditionally powered Mercedes G-Class starts at $139,900 we reckon the electrified variant will have a base point in the region of $150-175k.
