$5 billion deal to bring lithium-sulfur batteries to electric vehicles!

Lyten, founded in California in 2015, has announced it will acquire Northvolt’s 16 GWh production capacity factories in Germany and Sweden for $5 billion.

Previously supported by U.S. government incentives and backed by Stellantis in 2023, Lyten is developing a new type of cell that offers higher energy density than NMC batteries and can be produced with cheaper materials than LFP.

Currently supplying pouch and cylindrical lithium-sulfur cells for drones and the defense industry, Lyten plans to accelerate its activities in the electric vehicle and energy storage sectors with the factories acquired from Northvolt.

Lyten has designed a unique cell featuring a structural material called ‘3D Graphene’ and sulfur on the cathode side, and metallic lithium on the anode side. At its pilot factory in San Jose, California, the company can produce pouch and cylindrical cells with over 90% efficiency. It began testing its first automotive-grade battery samples with various American and European manufacturers in 2024.

With the acquisition of these large-scale facilities, Lyten is expected to shorten its path to mass production. It is not the only company working on lithium-sulfur battery technology; Zeta Energy and Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD are also investing in this field.