Talga have created a silicon anode product called Talnode-Si, which is a composite of graphite, graphene and ~50% silicon which is designed to manage swelling.
It is blended with existing standard graphite anode as a drop in solution.
The cells they have been testing with a global EV manufacturer contain only around 9% Talnode-Si, with the rest being standard graphite anode, and have boosted capacity by around 40%.
They have stated many times that in theoy, a pure silicon anode can provide ~10x the capacity. However, in practice the swelling and cracking during charging shorthens the battery life and makes them unviable for EVs. The costs are also significantly higher than graphite due to more expensive materials and higher cost process technologies, at a time when all EV manufacturers are trying to reduce the cost of cells.
Benchmark Mineral Intelligence forecast the 2030 anode market share for silicon anode to be 5% or around 150,000tpa.
So I really don't see silicon anodes as a significant threat for the EV graphite anode market, especially with large supply deficits looming. They are more a complimentary solution which could potentially be added to graphite anodes in small amounts to "dope" the anode to increase capacity. They are more likely to be used in the 3C market where battery life isn't as important.
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