Stellantis Invests in Lyten's Breakthrough Lithium-sulfur EV Battery Technology

AMSTERDAM and SAN JOSE, Calif., May 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- 

• Lyten is a Silicon Valley-based pioneer of tunable three-dimensional graphene, which has demonstrated significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and will advance the transition to sustainable mobility
• Stellantis and Lyten to develop applications for advanced lithium-sulfur-based EV batteries, vehicle lightweighting and enhanced vehicle-sensing solutions
• Lithium-sulfur batteries have the potential to deliver more than twice the energy density of lithium-ion and represent an alternative, non-nickel-manganese-cobalt cathode solution
• Stellantis exploring all battery technology to meet the diverse needs of its broad customer base and ensure clean, safe and affordable mobility

Stellantis N.V. and Lyten, Inc. announced today that Stellantis Ventures, the corporate venture fund of Stellantis, invested in Lyten to accelerate the commercialization of Lyten 3D Graphene applications for the mobility industry, including the LytCell lithium-sulfur EV battery, lightweighting composites and novel on-board sensing. Lyten, a pioneer of 3D Graphene, will leverage the unique tunability of the material to enable enhanced vehicle performance and customer experience while decarbonizing the transportation sector.

Lyten's tunable materials platform has demonstrated significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and will advance the transition to sustainable mobility.

Unlike traditional lithium-ion batteries, Lyten's lithium-sulfur batteries do not use nickel, cobalt or manganese, resulting in an estimated 60% lower carbon footprint than today's best-in-class batteries and a pathway to achieve the lowest emissions EV battery on the global market. Raw materials for lithium-sulfur batteries have the potential to be sourced and produced locally in North America or Europe, enhancing regional supply sovereignty. This technology will meet the needs of industries seeking lightweight and energy-dense batteries that are free from supply chain disruptions.

Stellantis launched Stellantis Ventures in 2022 as a venture capital fund committed to investing in early and later-stage startup companies developing innovative and sustainable technologies within the automotive and mobility sectors. Stellantis Ventures, powered by an initial €300 million in funding, is a key component of the company's Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan, which sets out core targets for Stellantis, including deep emission cuts to slash CO2 in half by 2030, benchmarking the 2021 metrics, and achieving carbon net zero by 2038 with single-digit percentage compensation of the remaining emissions.

"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."

Cook continued: "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." 

"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 Carlos Tavares, Stellantis CEO. "Lyten's materials platform is a key investment for Stellantis Ventures, in line with our Dare Forard 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."

With traditional lithium-ion battery materials in critically short supply for EV manufacturing, Lyten's lithium-sulfur battery will offer an alternative, non-nickel-manganese-cobalt cathode solution that supports the global transition to electric vehicles at mass market scale. Lyten's goal is to provide a secure supply of performance-based and environmentally sustainable products to its customers, while also enabling auto manufacturers to take advantage of growing U.S. and European policy incentives, such as those referenced in the Inflation Reduction Act.

Lyten's lithium-sulfur battery, composites and sensor technologies are initially being produced on its 145,000-square-foot campus in Silicon Valley. Apart from producing EV batteries, Lyten is working with previous customers to start delivering lithium-sulfur batteries and 3D Graphene-infused composites for specialty markets in 2023. Lyten is collaborating with its strategic investors from across multiple industries to apply Lyten 3D Graphene materials to decarbonize additional, carbon intensive sectors beyond transportation, with more announcements planned for later this year.

Lyten 3D Graphene
Lyten 3D Graphene is a proprietary, tunable decarbonization supermaterial engineered from natural gas. Lyten's 3D Graphene is similar to two-dimensional graphene in many of its valuable properties; however, 3D Graphene can be orders of magnitude more chemically and electrically reactive while also being highly tunable due to its three-dimensional morphology. The processes and equipment to engineer three-dimensional graphene materials are proprietary technological inventions patented by Lyten. Lyten will scale its initial output from its San Jose, California, facility and will soon explore locations for a second phase of output capacity.

LytCell EV Lithium-sulfur Battery
LytCell is Lyten's proprietary lithium-sulfur battery that uses Lyten 3D Graphene to address the polysulfide shuttle challenges associated with sulfur, leading to a higher-performance battery that will have more than twice the energy density, and enables extended driving range compared to conventional EV batteries. Unlike lithium-ion and solid-state batteries, LytCell does not use expensive and scarce nickel or cobalt, will have an estimated 60%-plus lower carbon footprint than best-in-class lithium-ion, and an estimated 40% lower carbon footprint than solid state. The LytCell will be domestically and sustainably sourced, liberating manufacturers and consumers from supply chain risks and environmentally unsound mining issues associated with nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) oxide materials.

LytR
LytR is Lyten's unique thermoplastic formulation – infused with Lyten 3D Graphene – that reduces up to half the weight and materials required while maintaining or improving strength and performance. When Lyten 3D Graphene is tuned for dispersion into polyethylene, as with the LytR material, it significantly strengthens the thermoplastics' chemical and physical properties, thereby requiring less polyethylene material and reducing the carbon footprint by up to 55%.

Lyten
Lyten is a materials innovation and applications company and the pioneer of the Lyten 3D Graphene materials platform. Lyten's decarbonization supermaterials are being tuned for a wide range of applications, including the next-generation lithium-sulfur batteries for use in the automotive, aerospace, defense, and other markets; a next-generation LytR polymer composite that can reduce the amount of plastic used by up to half while maintaining structural and impact strength; and next-generation sensor arrays that significantly increase detection sensitivity and selectivity for use in automotive, industrial, health, and safety applications.

Lyten is led by a group of experienced executives from across Automotive, Energy, Batteries, Semiconductors, Manufacturing and Defense, lists more than 300 patent matters, and is currently manufacturing Lyten 3D Graphene material, as well as its LytCell EV batteries, in San Jose, California. Lyten was founded in 2015. For press kit: lyten.com/media-kit/

Stellantis Ventures
Established with an initial investment of €300 million, Stellantis Venture is the first Stellantis corporate venture fund. It targets early and later-stage startup companies that are developing cutting-edge technologies for the automotive and mobility sectors and are focused on improving outcomes for individual customers and society as a whole. The fund has a unique dual mandate that requires portfolio companies to have strong, sustainable growth prospects as well as a high potential for technological adoption within Stellantis' products and operations. Backed by one of the world's leading automakers and mobility providers, Stellantis Ventures is uniquely positioned to drive value quickly and effectively for portfolio members.

Stellantis
Stellantis N.V. (NYSE: STLA / Euronext Milan: STLAM / Euronext Paris: STLAP) is one of the world's leading automakers and mobility providers. Its storied and iconic brands embody the passion of their visionary founders and today's customers in their innovative products and services, including Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Citroën, Dodge, DS Automobiles, Fiat, Jeep®, Lancia, Maserati, Opel, Peugeot, Ram, Vauxhall, Free2move and Leasys. Powered by our diversity, we lead the way the world moves – aspiring to become the greatest sustainable mobility tech company, not the biggest, while creating added value for all stakeholders as well as the communities in which it operates. For more information, visit www.stellantis.com.

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