The picture shows the deputies of the new shareholder FUCHS Schmierstoffe GmbH and the deputies of the former shareholders of Customcells & E-Lyte: (from left) Dr. Stephan Röser (Head of Production E-Lyte Innovations GmbH), Kay-Peter Wagner (Managing Director FUCHS Schmierstoffe GmbH), Torge Thönnessen (Managing Director Customcells Holding GmbH), Stefan Knapp (Chairman of the Management Board FUCHS Schmierstoffe GmbH), Dr. Ralf Wagner (Managing Director E-Lyte Innovations GmbH), Dr. Kolja Beltrop (Head of Research & Development E-Lyte Innovations GmbH) – copyright E-Lyte Innovations GmbH

With this announcement, the start-up company from Münster (Westphalia) is taking a giant step after only 3 years in business. In addition to supplying industrial manufacturers and the automotive sector in Germany, E-Lyte also wants its venture to help stabilize the supply chain for battery production in Europe.

“A universal electrolyte for batteries no longer exists today, and differentiation is increasing more and more. Rapidly developing battery technologies in a wide variety of applications are causing the demand for customized electrolyte formulations and ever-larger production volumes to virtually explode. To meet this, we need a local supply chain. Not least because the electrolyte does not allow for long delivery and storage times due to its limited shelf life,” says Dr. Ralf Wagner, managing partner of E-Lyte Innovations GmbH.

E-Lyte is supported financially and technologically in its project by FUCHS SCHMIERSTOFFE GMBH. The production plant is scheduled to be in production as early as summer 2023 and, in addition to the highest technological standards, will also enable flexible production processes. To enable industrialization, scaling and further growth quickly, the necessary manufacturing infrastructure will be built at a FUCHS site in Kaiserslautern.

“The world is changing rapidly and we don’t just want to keep pace, we want to actively meet the future: by entering a very exciting, globally fast-growing market with significant business potential,” comments Stefan Fuchs, Chairman of the Executive Board, explaining the reasons behind the recent investment.

What the new partners have in common, he said, is that they do not serve the mass market, but focus on promising high-performance applications. E-Lyte’s product technology also focuses on specific requirements, such as faster charging times or higher energy densities of batteries. These are not only of great importance for electric cars, but are also relevant for many other promising applications in the fields of medical technology, high- and low-temperature applications, or aerospace, among others.

The third partner in the joint venture is the founding shareholder of E-Lyte Innovations GmbH, the German Customcells Holding GmbH.

“Specific battery cell designs for premium applications are a CUSTOMCELLS success model – Made in Germany. This also requires specific materials. Electrolytes significantly determine the performance and aging properties and are a particularly important adjusting screw for application-optimized cell developments for CUSTOMCELLS,” says Torge Thönnessen, co-founder of CUSTOMCELLS.

About FUCHS

Founded in 1931 as a family business in Mannheim, FUCHS is now the world’s largest independent supplier of innovative lubrication solutions, covering almost every industry and application. Today, the company’s 6,000 employees in over 50 countries still share the same goal: to keep the world moving both sustainably and efficiently. To live up to this claim, we think in terms of perfection, not merely standards. When developing individual solutions, we enter into an intensive customer dialogue – acting as an experienced consultant, innovative problem solver and reliable team partner. more >

About E-Lyte Innovations

E-Lyte Innovations Gmbh operates out of the city of Münster in Germany, where it develops and produces groundbreaking electrolytes for modern energy storage technologies with a focus on specific requirements. The company was founded in 2019 as a startup, splitting away from the MEET Battery Research Center at the University of Münster (WWU). It is supported by the EXIST Transfer of Research pre-seeding program, which itself is financed both by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) and the European Social Fund. The team currently has twelve members.

About CUSTOMCELLS

CUSTOMCELLS is a leading company in the development and series production of state-of-the-art lithium-ion battery cells. Based on flexible manufacturing concepts and state-of-the-art research and production facilities, CUSTOMCELLS develops and produces high-tech solutions in the field of electrodes, electrolytes, battery cells and battery modules – tailored to the respective requirement profile of its customers. The customer spectrum covers a wide range of industries – with a focus on the automotive, marine, oil & gas and in the future, aviation sectors. more >

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