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Stellantis has just announced its intention to invest in the Californian start-up Lyten, which presents itself as a pioneer of three-dimensional graphene, an ultra-light “supermaterial” offering promising prospects for the production of lithium-sulfur batteries. .

If you don’t know this type of battery yet, that’s normal, since they are still at the experimental stage. For the moment, we know simply and only by the communication of the companies that work there, that they are “much more efficient than the lithium-ion batteries currently used in almost all of the automotive industry”.

Fewer critical materials

Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis, welcomed the collaboration, saying in a joint statement: “Lyten’s lithium-sulfur battery has the potential to become a key element enabling the adoption of electric vehicles by all. »

Unlike lithium-ion batteries, which are heavy and require a large amount of materials such as nickel, cobalt or manganese, the extraction of which can be highly polluting, the lithium-sulfur battery has the advantage of being considerably lighter.

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Lighter and with better energy density

According to Lyten, this technology has “the ability to store twice as much energy as traditional batteries. In addition, it does not require the use of cobalt, nickel or manganese, which reduces the carbon footprint by 60%”say the two companies in their press release.

“The materials needed to manufacture lithium-sulfur batteries can be found and produced locally in North America and Europe, strengthening the sovereignty of these regions”point out Stellantis and Lyten.

Lyten says it will be able to supply these batteries by the end of the decade, which is in line with Stellantis’ “Dare Forward 2030” strategic plan to halve the manufacturer’s carbon emissions by 2030 by compared to 2021, to reach neutrality in 2038.

The Californian start-up has already launched a small experimental production line and plans to offer some commercial applications of its technology outside the automotive sector by the end of the year.