Supermaterials trailblazer Lyten will make investments over $1 billion to construct the world’s first lithium-sulfur battery gigafactory in Reno, Nevada.
The brand new manufacturing facility will likely be able to producing as much as 10 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of batteries yearly as soon as it’s absolutely on-line. Section 1 (rendering pictured above) is about to go dwell in 2027.
The brand new gigafactory will produce each cathode energetic supplies and lithium metallic anodes, and it’ll assemble battery cells in cylindrical and pouch codecs. Lyten has already been engaged on this expertise at its pilot facility in San Jose, California, which has been on-line since Might 2023.
The Reno manufacturing facility is a part of Lyten’s plan to assist its entry into the micromobility, house, drone, and protection markets beginning in 2024 and 2025. The corporate says it already has a strong pipeline of potential prospects, and it sees this new gigafactory as an important step towards assembly rising demand.
Lyten’s gigafactory will cowl 1.25 million sq. ft on a 125-acre campus within the Reno AirLogistics Park. Initially, it should make use of round 200 folks, ultimately increasing to greater than 1,000 jobs. These positions will embrace roles for researchers, engineers, technicians, and extra. The corporate plans to interrupt floor in early 2025.
Lyten can be working carefully with the College of Nevada-Reno (UNR), Truckee Meadows Neighborhood School, and Nevada Native American and Tribal members to develop a workforce pipeline. The objective is to create native jobs and practice a gifted workforce that may assist the manufacturing facility’s superior manufacturing wants.
Neighborhood leaders are rightfully excited concerning the challenge. UNR President Brian Sandoval famous that Lyten’s expertise performs a key position in northern Nevada’s rising lithium financial system. Native officers and academic leaders expressed their enthusiasm, highlighting the advantages to the neighborhood, workforce partnerships, and financial improvement.
In February 2024, Chrysler introduced the inclusion of Lyten’s lithium-sulfur batteries in its Halcyon idea EV. In Might, Lyten shipped lithium-sulfur batteries to Stellantis and different US and EU OEMs for testing. Lyten has acquired greater than $425 million in funding from firms together with Stellantis, and the US Division of Power granted Lyten $4 million to speed up improvement.
Lyten’s CEO, Dan Cook dinner, known as the Nevada gigafactory a big milestone for the corporate, describing lithium-sulfur as a “leap in battery expertise.” Lithium-sulfur batteries are as much as 40% lighter than lithium-ion batteries and use supplies which can be extra considerable within the US, not like conventional lithium-ion batteries that depend on imported minerals like nickel, cobalt, and graphite. Nevertheless, they nonetheless have challenges to deal with, resembling a shorter lifespan and fewer stability than lithium-ion batteries, earlier than they go mainstream.
Learn extra: Stellantis is about to check the first-ever production-line lithium-sulfur batteries
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