The Elements of Innovation Discovered
The Elements of Innovation Discovered
Partnership will develop advanced lithium-sulfur EV batteries Metal Tech News – May 31, 2023
All-electric Ram pickups are among the many EVs to be manufactured by Stellantis companies that will benefit from the lithium-sulfur batteries and other advanced products made with Lyten 3D Graphene.
Lyten 3D Graphene is infinitely tunable to deliver the properties of strength, hardness, electrical conductivity, and other properties necessary for each application. The first three commercial applications being accelerated by Stellantis investment are batteries, composites, and sensors.
Stellantis Ventures has invested in accelerating the development and commercialization of Lyten's various 3D Graphene applications for the mobility industry, including the LytCell lithium-sulfur electric vehicle battery, lightweight composites, and groundbreaking onboard sensors.
"We are delighted that Stellantis Ventures, as the venture investment arm of a global automotive innovator, has demonstrated a strong belief in our company and our Lyten 3D Graphene decarbonizing supermaterials," said Dan Cook, president and CEO of Lyten. "Among the automotive product innovations being transformed by Lyten 3D Graphene are Lithium-Sulfur batteries with the potential to deliver more than twice the energy density of lithium-ion, payload-improving lightweighted vehicle composites, and new modes of sensing that do not require chips, batteries or wires. We are committed to advancing each of these applications to Stellantis and the automotive market."
Stellantis Venture is the first Stellantis corporate venture fund, launched in 2022. Powered by an initial 300 million euros, it is a key component of the company's Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan.
The fund is committed to investing in startup companies developing innovative and sustainable technologies within the automotive and mobility sectors.
Lyten transforms methane from natural gas into carbon and hydrogen; the carbon is permanently sequestered in the form of three-dimensional graphene, creating a super-material useful for decarbonization applications like combining into lightweight materials or creating higher energy density batteries.
3D graphene is more reactive chemically and electrically while also being more reconfigurable than its 2D cousin, due to its three-dimensional morphology. It can therefore be "tuned" to improve strength, conductivity, permeability and more.
"Unlike two-dimensional forms of graphene, the production of our tunable Lyten 3D Graphene has been independently verified to be carbon neutral at scale. We are converting greenhouse gases into a new class of high-performance, high-value carbon materials and are incorporating these tuned materials into applications that will decarbonize the hardest to abate sectors on the planet," said Cook.
Requiring none of the nickel, cobalt or manganese in critically short supply for traditional lithium-ion cathodes, Lyten's lithium-sulfur batteries are lightweight and have the potential to deliver more than twice the energy density and can be produced with an estimated 60% lower carbon footprint than lithium-ion batteries and 40% lower than solid state.
This makes the company's lithium-sulfur batteries a scalable alternative with the lowest emissions in the world to date, which is attractive to automakers such as Stellantis.
Raw materials for the batteries can be sourced and produced by clients domestically and free from supply chain disruptions, meeting Lyten's goal to supply environmentally sustainable products enabling auto manufacturers to take advantage of policy incentives like those stipulated in the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act.
In addition to the LytCell lithium-sulfur battery, Lyten's decarbonization supermaterials are being tuned for a wide range of applications in automotive, aerospace, defense, and other specialty markets.
LytR is a unique thermoplastic polymer formulation with Lyten 3D Graphene that strengthens chemical and physical properties as well as impact performance, requiring less polyethylene material and reducing the carbon footprint by up to 55%.
Lyten's sensor arrays significantly increase detection and selectivity for use in automotive, industrial, health, and safety applications.
"Having recently visited Lyten together with our CTO Ned Curic and our head of Stellantis Ventures, Adam Bazih, we walked away impressed by the potential of this technology to help drive clean, safe and affordable mobility," said Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares. "Lyten's materials platform is a key investment for Stellantis Ventures, in line with our Dare Forward 2030 goal to accelerate deployment of innovative, customer-centric technologies. Specifically, Lyten's lithium-sulfur battery has the potential to be a key ingredient in enabling mass-market EV adoption globally, and their material technology is equally well positioned to help reduce vehicle weight, which is all necessary for our industry to achieve carbon net zero goals."
Furthering the company's aims in advancing the global transition to sustainable mobility, Lyten plans to begin commercially delivering Lithium-Sulfur batteries and 3D graphene-infused composites this year and is collaborating with investors from across multiple industries to apply their 3D graphene materials toward carbon-intensive sectors beyond transportation, with further announcements to come.
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