FUCHS and E-Lyte open Germany's first electrolyte production plant
The first production plant for electrolyte solutions was officially opened in Kaiserslautern, Germany, on 13 September. With a production volume of up to 20,000 tonnes of electrolyte per year, E-Lyte Innovations GmbH is setting a significant milestone in the production of high-performance electrolytes for lithium-ion batteries, sodium-ion batteries and ‘super-condensers’. A large proportion of this production is made available directly to the battery electric vehicle market.
In May 2022, the FUCHS Group, which operates worldwide in the lubricants industry, acquired 28 % of the shares in E-Lyte Innovations GmbH. With this investment, FUCHS enters the fast-growing market for electrolytes, which are becoming increasingly important essential components of lithium-ion batteries for electric mobility, among other things, especially in Europe. With the implementation of this project, E-Lyte establishes itself as the first German company able to offer the European battery market one of the most important components of European production.
Together, the strategic partners have created the necessary production infrastructure in Kaiserslautern to enable E-Lyte to industrialise, increase capacity and grow even further. The plant is one of the most modern of its kind and also revolutionises the electrolyte production process. The highly automated system controls the supply of raw materials precisely and cleanly. Thanks to this efficient system, far fewer solvents are needed for cleaning, which significantly reduces both production costs and the waste produced. As a result, the whole process is more sustainable and environmentally friendly - one of the reasons why the construction of the plant was funded with the German Environmental Innovation Programme.
‘With this cooperation, we want to break new ground in the field of new mobility,’ says CEO Stefan Fuchs, who explains his company's motives for this strategic partnership: ’With E-Lyte, we have broadened our field of expertise and entered the battery market - a new area outside of traditional lubricants. With our expertise in the field of lubricants and functional fluids, we can now cover the entire demand throughout the life cycle of a battery.’
The FUCHS CEO was particularly impressed by the speed with which E-Lyte transformed itself from a German start-up to a major European player in the battery market: ‘We are proud to have supported the development of this state-of-the-art production plant for customised electrolytes as a strong partner with process and production expertise. It's great that this pioneering role has also been recognised by the nomination for the German Entrepreneurship Award.’ E-Lyte is one of three finalists in the ‘Rising Star’ category. The awards ceremony takes place on 24 September 2024 in the Berlin studio of German public television ZDF.
