EHS Staff Professional

US firm Lyten sets sights on Norway's Morrow Batteries following Northvolt acquisition. August 25, 2026 US lithium-sulphur battery company Lyten is aiming to acquire another of Europe's failed homegrown battery startups, Norway's Morrow Batteries, which went into bankruptcy earlier this year. The bankruptcy estates of Morrow Batteries ASA, Morrow Technologies AS and Morrow Industrialization Center AS entered into an agreement with Lyten, Inc. and Innovation Norway for an asset sale of Morrow's business as a going concern last week (21 August). Morrow filed for bankruptcy in May. Those three subsidiaries are the primary entities of the company, which has been aiming to manufacture lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells in Norway primarily for battery energy storage system (BESS) applications. It has also been developing lithium nickel manganese oxide (LNMO) technology. Read its interview with its then-COO in 2024 here. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) is between the bankruptcy estates, state-owned agency Innovation Norway as the secured creditor and Lyten, Inc. as the buyer. It was announced by court-appointed bankruptcy administrator, attorney Christian Bohne, of law firm Simonsen Vogt Wiig. It follows a process in which interested parties were invited to compete on equal terms, out of which Lyten emerged as the preferred bidder. Bohne said the decision was made with the "objective of preserving values and pursuing a going-concern solution for the business". Lyten reportedly paid NOK 8 million (US$850,000) for exclusivity as part of the process. "The employees have been severely affected by the bankruptcy. Under demanding circumstances, they have made an important and highly valued contribution to the work to continue battery production in the Arendal region. Their commitment has been instrumental in enabling us to enter into this agreement," Bohne added. He said he was 'optimistic' about Lyten's ability to execute. The process aims to secure hundreds of jobs at Morrow Batteries long-term, having already secured 70 jobs through the autumn. Morrow's main physical asset is its LFP gigafactory in Arendal, Norway. It follows Lyten last year acquiring the majority of the assets of bankrupt Northvolt, the Swedish lithium-ion startup on which Europe's battery ambitions had rested over the past decade. It started with Northvolt's Poland BESS factory in July 2025, followed by its Sweden, Germany gigafactories and R&D and IP assets in August. Northvolt had been prioritising nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) chemistry. Energy Storage International then heard from Lyten's CBO and CEO afterwards about their plans with Northvolt. They will focus on scaling up the company's lithium-ion commercialisation, ahead of the company's own more novel but less commercially ready lithium-sulphur tech. Commenting on the Morrow process, Dan Cook, Lyten CEO, said: "Lyten is currently evaluating the site to serve as a Lyten Industrial Hub, combining battery manufacturing, upstream and downstream activities in the energy storage value chain, and industrial activities to support other critical industries, including AI data centers, mobility, and defense. We firmly believe this strategy creates a multi-decade asset that can attract high-quality capital investment and create sustained, highly trained jobs for the region. We are engaging with a wide range of stakeholders as part of our evaluation under the MOU." "I am grateful for the trust the Lyten team is showing in our technology, assets and people," interim Morrow Batteries CEO Jon Fold von Bülow said on LinkedIn. Before it emerged as a buyer for Northvolt, Lyten had sought US$650 million in financing from the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM), potentially providing its funds for its European battery M&A activity.

What is a lithium-sulfur battery for EVs? Written bySherjeel Sajid 22/08/2026 A lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery uses sulfur as the cathode material and lithium metal as the anode, achieving a theoretical energy density of approximately 2,500 Wh/kg - roughly 4-8x higher than current lithium-ion batteries. Sulfur costs just $0.57/kg and is one of the most abundant elements on Earth - making lithium-sulfur potentially far cheaper and more sustainable than cobalt- or nickel-based lithium-ion chemistries. However, lithium-sulfur batteries face fundamental chemistry challenges - particularly the "polysulfide shuttle effect" - that have prevented commercial EV deployment despite decades of research. Stellantis and Zeta Energy are targeting 2030 for commercial EV applications. Lyten is building a lithium-sulfur gigafactory near Reno, Nevada. Another exotic conversion chemistry chasing similar energy density gains is explored in its guide on what a lithium-air battery is. How lithium-sulfur batteries work. Lithium-sulfur batteries use a fundamentally different electrochemical mechanism than lithium-ion batteries. Rather than lithium ions intercalating into a structured cathode material (as in graphite anodes) or forming a stable alloy (as in silicon anodes), the Li-S reaction is a conversion reaction - sulfur is chemically converted through a series of intermediate compounds as it reacts with lithium: During discharge: Elemental sulfur (S[8]) reacts with lithium ions to form lithium polysulfides (Li[2]S[8] | Li[2]S[6] | Li[2]S[4] | Li[2]S[2] | Li[2]S). The final product, lithium sulfide (Li[2]S), is the fully discharged state. During charging, this reaction reverses - Li[2]S is oxidized back toward elemental sulfur. The entire series of conversion reactions involves significantly more lithium per gram of cathode material than intercalation reactions in NMC or LFP - which is why Li-S achieves such exceptional theoretical capacity (1,675 mAh/g for sulfur) and energy density (~2,500 Wh/kg theoretical). The practical cell energy density achievable with current Li-S technology is approximately 350-500 Wh/kg - well above current NMC (220-260 Wh/kg) but below the theoretical maximum due to engineering losses. This is still 35-100% better than current production NMC cells and would enable EVs with 500-700+ miles of range from a standard-size pack. Why lithium-sulfur is so attractive. * Extraordinary energy density: Theoretical 2,500 Wh/kg - 4-8x current lithium-ion. Practical target 350-500 Wh/kg - still 35-100% above current NMC 811 * Sulfur cost: $0.57/kg - essentially zero cost compared to nickel ($16-18/kg), cobalt ($30-40/kg), or lithium carbonate ($15,000-80,000+/tonne). Sulfur is a byproduct of petroleum refining - abundantly available globally * No cobalt or nickel: Completely eliminates DRC cobalt supply chain concerns and nickel price volatility * Sulfur abundance: Sulfur is one of the most abundant elements on Earth - no supply chain concentration risk comparable to lithium, cobalt, or nickel * Weight advantage: Lighter cathode material means lighter batteries for equivalent energy storage - important for aircraft, delivery drones, and aerospace applications where weight is critical The three core challenges blocking Li-S commercialization. 1. The polysulfide shuttle effect. The polysulfide shuttle effect is lithium-sulfur's defining problem. The intermediate lithium polysulfide compounds (Li[2]S[8], Li[2]S[6], Li[2]S[4]) formed during discharge are highly soluble in liquid electrolytes - they dissolve into the electrolyte and migrate to the lithium metal anode. At the anode, polysulfides react with lithium metal - creating irreversible side products that remove both lithium and sulfur from the active cycling pool. This shuttle effect causes rapid capacity fade with each cycle and significantly reduces Coulombic efficiency (the ratio of energy recovered to energy input). Without effective polysulfide containment, Li-S cells lose 30-50% of their capacity within 50-100 cycles - completely inadequate for EV applications requiring 1,000+ cycles. Solutions being pursued: porous carbon cathode structures that physically confine sulfur and polysulfides; functional separators or interlayers that block polysulfide migration; electrolyte additives that suppress polysulfide solubility; solid electrolytes (where polysulfide dissolution into a liquid phase is impossible); and lithium nitrate (LiNO[3]) anolyte additives that passivate the lithium metal anode against polysulfide attack. None of these solutions has yet achieved adequate containment at commercial cell scale and thousands of cycles simultaneously - but progress is accelerating. 2. Low cycle life. Current commercial-grade lithium-sulfur cells achieve approximately 300-500 cycles to 80% capacity - far below the 1,000-5,000 cycles required for EV applications. The polysulfide shuttle effect is the primary cause, but sulfur's 80% volumetric expansion during lithiation (Li[2]S formation) also contributes - causing mechanical degradation of the cathode structure similar to silicon anode problems. Additionally, the lithium metal anode in Li-S cells suffers the same dendrite formation challenges as in solid-state batteries - consuming lithium metal capacity with each cycle. Some laboratory prototypes have achieved 1,000+ cycles through advanced electrolyte management and interlayer engineering, but these results haven't yet translated to commercial-scale production cells. 3. Sulfur's insulating nature. Elemental sulfur is an electrical insulator - it cannot conduct electrons. The cathode must include conductive carbon materials (typically carbon black or graphene) to provide the electron pathway needed for the electrochemical reaction. This carbon addition adds weight and complexity, and the carbon must be intimately mixed with sulfur to ensure every sulfur particle has electronic contact. Designing sulfur-carbon composite cathode structures that remain electrochemically accessible through hundreds of cycles while tolerating sulfur's volume changes is a significant materials engineering challenge. Solid electrolytes are one of the leading paths to containing the shuttle effect - see its explainer on what a semi-solid-state battery is. Who is developing lithium-sulfur EV batteries? Lithium-Sulfur for aerospace: the first commercial market. Lithium-sulfur's first commercial market is aerospace and aviation - where weight matters far more than cycle life, and where the 300-500 cycle limitation is acceptable for aircraft applications with planned maintenance intervals. Airbus and Oxis Energy (UK) developed Li-S cells targeting aviation applications before Oxis's liquidation in 2021. The underlying technology has continued at successor organizations. For electric aviation applications - eVTOL aircraft, electric regional aircraft - lithium-sulfur's combination of exceptional energy density and low weight makes it uniquely suitable, and cycle life requirements (~200-500 cycles before maintenance checks) match current Li-S capabilities. This aerospace pathway provides a commercial proving ground that will build manufacturing experience and lower costs toward eventual EV adoption. Frequently asked questions. A lithium-sulfur battery uses sulfur as the cathode and lithium metal as the anode - achieving a theoretical energy density of 2,500 Wh/kg (4-8x lithium-ion) through a conversion reaction chemistry rather than intercalation. Sulfur costs $0.57/kg and is abundant globally. Current practical energy density targets are 350-500 Wh/kg - still 35-100% above NMC 811. The main barriers to EV deployment are the polysulfide shuttle effect (causing rapid capacity fade) and short cycle life (300-500 cycles vs EV requirements of 1,000+). When will lithium-sulfur batteries be in EVs? Stellantis and Zeta Energy are targeting commercial EV applications around 2030. Lyten is building a gigafactory near Reno, Nevada with EV production in view by 2027. Aerospace applications are the nearer-term commercial deployment due to lower cycle life requirements. Mainstream EV deployment of lithium-sulfur is more likely 2030-2035, contingent on solving the polysulfide shuttle effect and achieving 1,000+ cycle life at automotive scale. Why is the polysulfide shuttle effect a problem? Intermediate lithium polysulfide compounds formed during Li-S discharge are soluble in liquid electrolytes. They dissolve and migrate to the lithium metal anode, where they react irreversibly - removing both sulfur and lithium from the active battery chemistry. This continuous loss causes rapid capacity fade (30-50% within 50-100 cycles), low Coulombic efficiency, and poor cycle life. Solving the polysulfide shuttle through cathode structure engineering, separator modification, or electrolyte formulation is the central R&D challenge for Li-S battery commercialization. Conclusion. Lithium-sulfur batteries offer a genuinely revolutionary combination of energy density (~2,500 Wh/kg theoretical), raw material cost ($0.57/kg sulfur), and environmental sustainability - representing the most compelling long-term cathode chemistry alternative to lithium-ion. The polysulfide shuttle effect, sulfur volume expansion, and lithium metal anode dendrites have prevented commercial EV deployment despite decades of research. But the pace of materials innovation is accelerating - Lyten's 3D graphene approach, Zeta Energy's carbon nanotube cathode, and solid electrolyte-enabled Li-S designs are all making genuine progress. Commercial EV deployment is targeted by multiple companies for 2028-2030. If the cycle life challenge is solved, lithium-sulfur could eventually make today's 400-mile EVs look short-ranged - enabling an 800+ mile range from the same pack weight. Curious about another emerging cell architecture entirely? See its explainer on what a dual-ion battery chemistry is.

Lyten chosen as the main filament supplier for Modovolo's innovative BFP 3D printing platform. July 25, 2026 Lyten has been chosen as the primary filament provider for Modovolo's innovative BFP 3D printing platform, which aims to transform the production of high-performance parts in sectors like aerospace and automotive. This collaboration leverages Lyten's advanced 3D Graphene(TM) enhanced filaments, particularly the PA1205 filament, which boasts superior strength and lightweight properties compared to traditional carbon fiber options. The BFP 3D printing system developed by Modovolo is designed to facilitate US-sourced, US-manufactured parts, addressing the rising demand for large, complex components that can be produced right at the point of need. This modular and containerized design empowers manufacturers to set up operations wherever required without the constraints of long supply chains. Justin Call, CEO of Modovolo, expressed confidence in Lyten's filaments after an exhaustive search for high-performance materials. The PA1205 filament not only enables the production of lighter and stronger parts but also offers better finish and speed in comparison to competing materials. Lyten's PA1205 filament offers significant advantages including a 100% improvement in X-Y axis tensile strength, a 40% boost in Z-axis strength, and a 50% increase in impact resistance. These properties make it an ideal choice for applications demanding aerospace-grade quality. Dan Cook, CEO of Lyten, emphasized the importance of local sourcing and manufacturing, stating that the partnership with Modovolo aims to demonstrate that high-quality products can be made domestically, fostering resilience in supply chains. The developments with Modovolo's BFP system signifies a shift in how parts can be manufactured and supplied globally, with the capability to quickly establish modular factories anywhere in the world for aviation and industrial-grade components. Modovolo has been utilizing Lyten's filaments in its Lift Quadcopter-X, a versatile drone designed for various applications, from commercial use to defense tasks. The two companies plan to showcase their collaborative work at upcoming aerospace and motorsport events. Have a model ready? Get a price in seconds. Upload your STL or STEP file for an instant, no-obligation quote across every process and material 3D Printing Services offer.