Lyten, a materials applications company, announced today it has produced the United States’ first battery grade lithium-metal foil using American-made lithium alloys and US-sourced lithium-metal.
The company has already achieved a fully localized supply chain for its sulfur cathode and is now localizing the supply chain for its lithium-metal anode, creating a supply chain resilient and tariff-free battery. Applications for Lyten’s ultra-lightweight batteries include electric vehicles, micromobility, drones, storage, and defense.
This domestic manufacturing milestone for battery grade lithium-metal comes at a time when US policymakers and defense agencies are actively pushing for greater domestic sourcing of critical materials and the establishment of a national battery industry.
Today, batteries and the required critical minerals supply chain predominantly come from China, creating a critical vulnerability for the US.
“To build a U.S. battery industry, we must solve the supply chain challenge,” Dan Cook, Lyten co-founder and CEO explains. “We have already eliminated the need for nickel, manganese, cobalt, and graphite with our Lithium-Sulfur battery, allowing us to focus on local supply and production of lithium. Lyten will be the only battery manufacturer in the U.S. shielded from tariffs and critical minerals risk.”
Lyten Lithium-Sulfur is produced using widely available and geographically dispersed materials that can be sourced and manufactured in the United States. The company has replaced mined minerals like nickel, manganese, cobalt, and graphite with a sulfur cathode and lithium-metal anode.
Sulfur is abundantly available worldwide as an environmentally friendly byproduct of multiple global industries, including oil & gas, mining, and chemicals manufacturing. At present, the vast majority of battery-grade lithium is processed and manufactured in China.
Lyten is addressing two critical steps in the lithium supply chain. First, Lyten has begun production of proprietary lithium alloys with the help of Creative Engineers, Inc. in New Freedom, Pennsylvania. The companies collaborated to design and build the lithium metal alloy ingot manufacturing equipment, and Lyten is sourcing its lithium-metal feedstock from a facility in the Eastern US.
Second, it’s converting lithium alloys into proprietary lithium-metal foils in custom built extrusion and rolling equipment in its San Jose, California manufacturing facility. Lyten’s lithium foil extrusion and rolling capacity is one of the largest in North America, and the foils drop directly into Lyten’s lithium-sulfur battery manufacturing lines in California.
Lyten is producing National Defense Appropriations Act (NDAA) compliant lithium-sulfur battery cells in San Jose, California. Lyten recently announced the acquisition of Northvolt’s battery manufacturing plant in San Leandro, California to quickly scale production to meet the demand for American made batteries.
In December 2024, Lyten and the Export Import Bank of the US announced a $650M LOI to fund the scale up and delivery of Lyten Lithium-Sulfur for battery energy storage systems. Additionally, in 2024, Lyten announced its integration into Chrysler’s Halcyon Concept electric vehicle, plans to integrate lithium-sulfur into AEVEX Aerospace’s unmanned aerial vehicles, and the selection of Lyten Lithium-Sulfur for demonstration on-orbit aboard the International Space Station (ISS), scheduled for launch later in 2025.
Filed Under: Batteries, Technology News