BCG Digital Ventures, the corporate innovation and business building arm of Boston Consulting Group, and Unifrax, a provider of high-performance specialty materials backed by Clearlake Capital Group, have announced a collaboration on a new battery technology for improving energy density, accelerating charges, and lengthening battery life.
The team is focusing on commercialisation of Unifrax’s patented silicon fibre anode battery technology (SiFAB) by early 2022.
“SiFAB is a major breakthrough for the battery industry and will accelerate transition to renewable energy,” said John Dandolph, CEO of Unifrax. “Our collaboration with BCG Digital Ventures combines our success in manufacturing and fibre-based technology with the firm’s expertise in accelerating innovative and sustainable ventures. Working together, we can create a significant impact for customers, stakeholders, and advanced industries worldwide.”
SiFAB, which can be added to existing battery production processes, addresses a critical barrier to mass adoption of electric vehicles and the broader transition to clean renewable energy. The technology also has wide-ranging implications across a range of sectors that would benefit from the superior performance, longer battery life, and reduced size and weight that SiFAB delivers.
“Today’s climate and environmental challenges are an existential threat that can be addressed only through decisive action by the world’s most ambitious corporations, entrepreneurs, institutions, and investors,” said Raju Sarma, managing director and partner and Social Impact global practice area lead for BCG Digital Ventures. “BCG believes that SiFAB is uniquely positioned to lead the evolution of lithium ion battery technology, in part due to the significant energy density gains enabled by its drop-in technology, as well as to Unifrax’s large-scale manufacturing capabilities and facilities around the world. Our team is excited to continue our collaboration with Unifrax to bring this technology to market at a rapid pace and help advance the global transition to a zero-carbon economy.”
Also in the news:
Chart Industries invests in cryogenic hydrogen refuelling start-up
Suncor and ATCO seek fiscal support for potential CCS hydrogen project in Alberta
Plug Power and BAE Systems to develop powertrains and infrastructure for North American hydrogen bus OEMs
French government backs hydrogen trains in bid to become hydrogen champion