An Australian battery technology promising to slash lithium-ion charging times by over 40 per cent has secured a major international boost.
Wollongong-based startup Sicona Battery Technologies has striked a $15 million strategic deal with Indian chemicals conglomerate Himadri Speciality Chemical Ltd.
At the heart of the agreement is SiCx® — Sicona’s silicon carbon anode material that significantly outperforms conventional graphite anodes, delivering up to 100 per cent more capacity and cutting charging times dramatically.
Developed at the Australian Institute for Innovative Materials (AIIM), the innovation is now set for global commercial deployment.
Himadri’s investment includes a licensing deal to manufacture SiCx® in India, where it plans to build a large-scale production facility. The facility will primarily supply the automotive sector, embedding both companies in the global electric vehicle (EV) supply chain.
Sicona CEO Christiaan Jordaan thanksed Himadri “for their unwavering belief” in a statement.
“Despite challenging capital markets, we are forging ahead, delivering on our goal to be the largest global producer of Si/C materials. This is how we win in climate tech, through smart partnerships, fast execution, and solutions that scale globally.”
“The licensing deal itself is worth much more than $15 million — I can’t disclose the numbers but it’s a considerable capital investment from them in the hundreds of millions of dollars that they’ll need to spend to build the facility,” Jordaan told the ABC.
“The revenue that it will generate for us in terms of royalties is in the tens of millions of dollars that will flow over quite a long period.”
Jordaan described the partnership as “transformative,” allowing Sicona to scale operations without the prohibitive cost of building its first full-scale manufacturing plant.
“This is a very neat way to overcome that challenge for us to get our first commercial-scale operation … our vision is to become the largest producer of these materials globally.”
In the short term, Himadri’s backing will enable Sicona to expand its pilot operations and boost employment at its Wollongong base in the Illawarra.
Long-term, the experience gained from Himadri’s Indian facility will inform Sicona’s own large-scale plant — likely to be built in the United States, where Jordaan says government support for manufacturing is stronger than in Australia.
“Governments like the US and Europe are looking at incentivising companies like Sicona to set up manufacturing there, as opposed to doing it here in Australia.”
Himadri, which previously took a 12.79% stake in Sicona in 2023 with a cash investment of over $10 million, said the new deal aligns with its ambitions in high-quality battery materials.
Anurag Choudhary, Himadri’s Chairman and CEO, said in a statement:
“Sicona’s SiCx® delivers two core advantages—higher energy density for longer driving range, and faster charging capability that dramatically reduces wait time for EV users.”
Unlike other silicon anode technologies that rely on volatile and emissions-heavy gas processes, SiCx® uses inert materials and a mechanical method — making it safer, cheaper and easier to scale globally. It can be blended with graphite and integrated into existing lithium-ion battery manufacturing lines, allowing for rapid adoption by battery manufacturers.
The partnership positions Sicona to meet surging global demand from EV makers and the 3C (consumer electronics, communications and computers), defence, and space sectors.
Sicona’s long-term plans also include a 6,500-tonne-per-annum plant in the southeastern United States, with expansion capacity up to 26,500 tpa on the same site.
Founded in 2019, Sicona’s mission is to become a global leader in next-generation battery materials, accelerating the clean energy transition through advanced manufacturing and international collaboration.
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