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United States startup Lyten to invest over $1 bln in Nevada lithium-sulfur battery factory

Silicon Valley startup Lyten revealed on Tuesday its strategy to construct the world's very first gigafactory for lithiumsulfur batteries in Reno, Nevada, as companies seek to capitalize on the need for more inexpensive source of power for electrical cars.

With battery costs considerably affecting EV rates, automakers are increasingly searching for alternative innovations to make such cars available to a larger market.

Lyten, backed by Chrysler-parent Stellantis and shipment providers FedEx, stated it would invest more than $1 billion in the center that would initially create 200 tasks, growing to more than 1,000 in northern Nevada.

Nevada's Reno is also home to a Tesla gigafactory that produces battery packs and other elements for its EVs.

Lyten's facility can produce approximately 10 gigawatt-hours of lithium-sulfur batteries every year at full scale and its first phase will start production in 2027.

Efforts to reduce dependence on China for battery materials have also encouraged business to develop domestic supply chains in North America, however industry professionals have cautioned that developing a robust and independent supply chain for EV battery cells will take several years.

Lyten, founded in 2015, has been putting together batteries at its semi-automated center in San Jose, California considering that May last year.

The business stated its lithium-sulfur cells have high energy density, which could make it as much as 40% lighter than lithium-ion cells.

The start-up said it has a pipeline of numerous potential customers and its lithium-sulfur batteries would be used in drones, micromobility, area and defense markets in the next 2 years.

(source: Reuters)