Page 158 - CW E-Magazine (26-11-2024)

News from Abroad

GROWING DEMAND
Lyten acquires battery making facility to accelerate

US production of lithium-sulphur batteries

Lyten, the US-based maker of lithium-
sulphur batteries, said it will acquire
Cuberg’s San Leandro (California, US)
lithium-metal battery manufacturing
facility and cell making equipment.
Lyten intends to convert the facility to
lithium-sulphur and expand capacity
to enable up to 200-MWh of lithium-
sulphur battery production in the Bay
Area at full capacity.

As part of the agreement, Lyten will
take over Cuberg’s lease of a 119,000
square foot facility in San Leandro, loca-
ted near Lyten’s San Jose headquarters,
that includes manufacturing, office, and
warehouse space. Lyten will acquire sulphur cells to defence, drone, micro- According to Lyten its lithium-sul-
Cuberg’s battery cell development and mobility and other energy storage customers phur battery cells feature high energy
manufacturing equipment and make from the San Leandro facility. Batteries density, which will enable an up to
additional equipment investments to produced at San Leandro will be sourced 40% lighter weight than lithium-ion
expand the facility’s capacity. by a US materials supply chain, making and 60% lighter weight than lithium
the batteries US National Defence iron phosphate (LFP) batteries. Lyten’s
Lyten intends to invest up to $20-mn Appropriations Act (NDAA) and Inflation cells are fully manufactured in the US
in 2025 as part of an ongoing plan to Reduction Action compliant. and utilise abundantly available local
expand the San Leandro and San Jose materials, eliminating the need for the
facilities to deliver up to 200-MWh per Lyten, which currently produces bat- mined minerals nickel, cobalt, manga-
year, at full capacity, of US manufac- teries on its semi-automated pilot line in nese, and graphite. Lyten said its use
tured lithium-sulphur batteries. San San Jose, recently announced plans to of low cost, local materials make Lyten
Leandro commercial production is inten- build a gigafactory in Nevada capable lithium-sulphur a lower cost and higher
ded to begin in the second half of 2025. of manufacturing up to 10-GWh of performing battery than lithium-ion at
lithium-sulphur batteries annually utili- scale.
“The acquisition of additional manu- sing a US materials supply chain. The
facturing capacity for lithium-sulphur first phase is expected to come online Strategic investors in Lyten include
is in direct response to fulfilling cus- in 2027. Stellantis, FedEx, Honeywell, and the
tomer demand more quickly,” said Walbridge Group. Earlier this year, Lyten
Mr. Dan Cook, Lyten’s CEO and co- “Lithium-Sulphur is a highly manu- announced it has partnered with leading
founder. “Our customer pipeline has facturable battery that can be produced defence manufacturer Aevex Aerospace
grown nine-fold since the start of 2024 on standard lithium-ion equipment used to demonstrate lithium-sulphur battery
and now numbers in the hundreds of throughout the world today. We intend powered unmanned air vehicles (UAVs)
potential customers. We are now work- to use this advantage to continue to op- that are fully compliant with the 2024
ing to allocate capacity from both San portunistically expand lithium-sulphur National Defense Authorization Act’s
Leandro and our previously announced production though the acquisition of (NDAA). Lyten also recently announced
Reno gigafactory,” he revealed. lithium-ion assets,” added Ms. Celina that its battery cells were selected for
Mikolajczak, Lyten’s Chief Battery testing aboard the International Space
Lyten intends to deliver lithium- Technology Officer. Station (ISS) in 2025.

158 Chemical Weekly November 26, 2024

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