Stellantis invests in lithium-sulfur tech to promote low-cost, US-sourced EV batteries
On Thursday, Stellantis revealed a new investment in Lyten, an advanced materials company and pioneer behind lithium-sulfur EV battery tech.
Silicon Valley-based startup Lyten says its LytCell lithium-sulfur EV battery addresses the challenges typically associated with sulfur, enabling twice the energy density, improved payload, and roughly a 60% lower carbon footprint than traditional lithium-ion EV batteries.
CEO Dan Cook said, “We think this is what mobility needs to achieve net zero” during a media roundtable Wednesday.
According to Lyten, the key is the company’s proprietary “3D graphene” supermaterial. Although 2D graphene has been around since 2004, winning a Nobel Prize in 2010, Lyten took it a step further by taking it from the lab to commercial applications.
Lyten uses its patented reactor tech to transform methane into 3D graphene that can react with more materials, including sulfur, while improving strength, conductivity, and permeability.
As an alternative to nickel, manganese, and cobalt batteries, Lyten’s tech offers the potential for a lower bill of materials with higher energy density.
Perhaps most importantly, the raw materials can potentially be sourced and produced entirely in the US, Canada, or Europe to take advantage of the growing incentives, such as those in the Inflation Reduction Act, to boost supply in key auto markets.
Stellantis invest in Lyten for lithium-sulfur EV battery tech
Stellantis Ventures, the corporate venture fund behind the automaker, announced a key (undisclosed) investment in Lyten’s series B fundraising campaign. Carlos Tavares, Stellantis CEO, praised the technology, saying:
Having recently visited Lyten together with our CTO, Ned Curic, and our head of Stellantis Ventures, Adam Bazih, we walked away impressed by the potential of this technology to help drive clean, safe, and affordable mobility.
Tavares added:
Specifically, Lyten’s Lithium-Sulfur battery has the potential to be a key ingredient in enabling mass-market EV adoption globally, and their material technology is equally well positioned to help reduce vehicle weight, which is all necessary for our industry to achieve carbon net zero goals.
As part of Stellantis’s Dare Forward 2030 strategy, the company aims for 100% of passenger car sales to be electric in Europe and 50% in the US by the end of the decade.
Stellantis has several brands, including Jeep and Ram, launching their first EVs in North America. The 2025 Ram 1500 REV electric pickup is due out late next year, while Jeep will be opening reservations for both the Recon and Wagoneer S electric models this year.
Stellantis says it plans to begin deploying Lyten’s EV battery tech into its vehicles in the second half of the decade as it works to introduce a lineup of affordable electric models at scale.
Lyten, on the other hand, is currently looking for its first gigafactory as it currently produces its lithium-sulfur batteries, composites, and sensors at its 145,000-square-foot campus in Silicon Valley. The company believes its technology can be applied to several applications, including EVs, aerospace, and last-mile delivery, to reduce CO2 emissions and improve costs.
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Environment
Trump approves U.S. Steel merger with Japan’s Nippon after companies sign national security agreement
European EV charging provider Allego has launched what is says is Europe’s first rollout of the “world’s safest and most secure” Plug & Charge technology.
The new tech is based on the open industry standard OCPP 2.0.1 and promises to make EV charging as easy as, well, plugging in your car. Forget apps, cards, and complicated sign-ins. If your EV is compatible, all you have to do is pull up and plug in.
Jean Gadrat, Allego’s CMO, said, “By removing digital friction points, apps, and cards, we give drivers the confidence to travel further and charge more conveniently. Whether in the city, on the highway, or abroad, Plug & Charge delivers the same secure, one-step charging experience.”
Here’s how Allego’s Plug & Charge works
Plug & Charge is an ISO 15118-based authentication and payment method built by Allego on OCPP 2.0.1, standardizing communication between OCPP-compliant chargers and networks.
Once your car is enabled for Plug & Charge, the process is completely hands-off. You plug in, and your EV and the charger swap secure digital certificates to authenticate your account. There’s no need to tap an RFID card, open an app, or even press a button.
Allego’s system supports Mutual TLS encryption and certificate-based authentication, so only authorized vehicles can charge. That means no billing mistakes or fraudulent access, which has been a big concern with some older public charging setups.
Available across Europe now
Allego’s Plug & Charge functionality is at more than 5,000 fast and ultra-fast chargers across Europe, and it also works across partner networks, deploying a truly cross-network Plug & Charge experience.
It’s a future-ready platform, too. Thanks to OCPP 2.0.1, the protocol supports remote firmware updates, advanced security, and new features as they become available. So your charger can grow along with your EV.
“As new vehicle models and charging technologies emerge, OCPP 2.0.1 ensures your car always ‘speaks the same language’ as the charger,” said Manuel Trotta, Allego’s head of mobility solutions.
Allego partnered with Alpitronic, Hubject, and Ford to bring its cross-network Plug & Charge to life.
Read more: Waffle House is getting DC fast chargers – and it’s a genius move
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Environment
The Kia PV5 is a real-life Transformer: Here’s our first look at it as an electric truck
Kia is looking to shake things up with its new custom-tailored Platform Beyond Vehicles (PBVs). The PV5, Kia’s first electric van based on the platform, is already showing how versatile it is. After the PV5 was spotted for the first time with an open bed, Kia looks about ready to drop an electric truck variant.
Is Kia launching an electric truck PV5 variant?
At the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Kia revealed its PBV strategy for the first time. The vehicles are designed as “total mobility solutions” that combine fit-for-purpose EVs with Hyundai’s latest software and tech.
Kia’s PBVs are based on Hyundai’s new ultra-flexible E-GMP.S EV platform, which can be custom-tailored for different uses. The first EV based on the platform, the PV5, launched earlier this year in the UK in two variations, Cargo and Passenger.
The Passenger model is fairly self-explanatory as a personal, everyday van, while the Cargo version is designed for commercial use.
Kia said more variants were on the way, including a refrigerated truck, chassis cab, open-bed, luxury “Prime” passenger, and sliding truck models.
The open-bed variant was recently captured driving in Korea, giving us our first look at the Kia PV5 as an electric truck.
Although brief, the video from HealerTV, taken as the vehicle was driving by, reveals a few new details. It’s our closest look at the open-bed variant so far.
Like other PV5 variants, it appears to be the same up front. In fact, it’s almost identical to the first teaser Kia showed.
It’s hard to tell from a video, but the reporter mentioned the electric truck “seemed like it was just the right size.” Since the PV5 Passenger is 4,695 mm in length, 1,895 mm in width, and 1,899 mm in height, we can expect it to be about the same size. To give you a better idea, it’s slightly smaller than the Volkswagen ID.Buzz SWB.
More variants on the way
The electric truck, or open-bed variant, comes after we saw the PV5 “Conversion,” which will feature new models, including a light camper and a camper van.
We got a preview of the camper van after Kia revealed two new “Spielraum” PV5 concepts, including one with a refrigerator, microwave oven, and even a wine cellar. And then we got a look at the PV5 “WKNDR,” an “adventure-ready” electric van concept. Kia’s electric van even has a wheelchair-friendly version, the PV5 WAV.
What’s next? Kia plans to launch a full range of electric vans. Next up will be the larger PV7 in 2027, followed by the PV9 in 2029. There’s also a smaller PV1, expected to arrive in late 2026 or early 2027.
In the future, Kia plans ot launch a Robotaxi model through a collaboration with Motional. All PBV models will be built at Kia’s Hwaseong EVO plant in South Korea. The facility can build up to 150,000 vehicles annually.
Kia said its goal is to “design PBVs that are simple and intuitive to operate and engage with, regardless of where, when or how they are used.” In other words, Kia wants to make your life easier, “Whether the purpose of the vehicle is to transport people, move goods, or meet logistics or personal mobility needs.”
In the UK, the PV5 Passenger and Cargo models start at £32,995 ($44,000) and £27,645 ($37,000), respectively.
It’s available with two battery pack options: 51.5 kWh or 71.2 kWh, offering WLTP ranges of 179 miles and 249 miles, respectively. The Cargo version gets slightly more range with 181 miles or 247 miles, respectively.
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