Chemical manufacturer Lyten announced plans to build a lithium-sulfur battery gigafactory near Reno, Nevada. The company expects to invest more than $1 billion in the project and anticipates an annual production capacity of 10 gigawatt-hours of batteries when fully operational.
The factory will make lithium metal anodes and cathode active materials, as well as assemble lithium-sulfur battery cells in pouch and cylindrical formats.
Lithium-Sulfur Battery Gigafactory to Employ 1,000 Workers
The proposed 1.25 million-square-foot factory will initially employ 200 workers. Lyten projects employment numbers to reach 1,000 at full capacity, featuring roles such as battery and manufacturing engineers, researchers, operators and technicians, and support and administrative personnel.
Demand for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries Increases Across Various Industries
Lyten stated that the new gigafactory would help address demand for lithium-sulfur batteries, including potential customers in the defense, drone, space, and micromobility industries. The company expects its batteries to enter those markets in 2024 and 2025.
According to Lyten, its lithium-sulfur cells provide superior energy density, potentially making them 40% lighter than lithium-ion batteries and 60% lighter than lithium-iron-phosphate batteries. The company added that it manufactures its cells in the U.S. with locally available materials, removing a need for cobalt, nickel, graphite, and manganese.
Lyten Plans to Break Ground in the Next Year
The company hopes to break ground in 2025 and expects the facility’s first phase to come online in 2027.
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