Solid-state batteries for electric vehicles have been grabbing headlines over the past few years, but most automakers don't expect them to be ready for commercialization before the end of the decade. Battery companies expect several other chemistries to arrive first, including an advanced version of current lithium-ion batteries with silicon in the anodes. 

"We believe silicon is the next anode technology," Kurt Kelty, the vice president of battery and sustainability at General Motors, told me in an interview at last week's GM Empower conference in San Francisco. 

The goal remains the same: to make EVs drive farther, charge faster, and be safer. The anode can help automakers achieve that. It is a critical battery component, storing ions during charging and releasing them during discharging. 

Today, anodes are almost universally made from graphite, a material tied to expensive, environmentally fraught mining, with more than 90% of its processing concentrated in China. Battery makers have stuck with it anyway, because graphite keeps batteries stable and energy-dense. But by reducing the amount of graphite in the anode and increasing the amount of silicon, you can massively improve batteries, even if you still need some graphite to manage the swelling that would occur in a pure silicon anode.

A pivot away from pure graphite anodes is now already underway across multiple sectors. Silicon anode batteries are already powering high-end smartphones, and the technology is now being adapted for automotive-grade applications. 

"We're definitely deep on silicon," Kelty said. "What you're going to see in the short- to mid- term is silicon anodes being deployed in greater percentages," he added. 

GM didn't specify how far along it was in developing silicon anodes, or how much range or charging improvements are expected in these future batteries. But several battery startups have made the benefits of silicon anodes plenty clear.

California startup Amprius Technologies claims an EV with 310 miles of range on a traditional pack could deliver 574 miles with its silicon anode battery. Sila, another American startup, says its high-silicon anodes can boost range by 20% with no increase in pack size.