Critical Need
Rising demand for electric vehicles and consumer electronics has pressured the limited global supply of lithium, most of which is currently produced using slow, inefficient, and environmentally damaging methods. Eighty percent of lithium reserves are found in brine deposits (i.e., accumulations of saline groundwater), yet this resource only accounts for 30 percent of current global production due to technical challenges. The inability of current processes to ramp up lithium production and recycling hinders ​​the global shift toward electric vehicles, creating an urgent need for innovative solutions to prevent a perpetual lithium deficit.

Technology Vision
Lithios aims to scale global lithium production by enabling access to untapped, low-grade brine resources using advanced electrochemistry. The technology uses an electroswing process: electrochemical cells with selective materials capture lithium upon charging and release it upon discharging. This method can help improve the performance and lower the cost of traditional extraction methods, which are primarily based on evaporation ponds, for sustainable production of lithium chemicals. 

Potential for Impact
Lithium is at the heart of the global transition to electric vehicles, but this critical mineral is in a full-blown supply crisis. Lithios aims to enable access to these untapped resources to build a strong domestic supply chain for lithium for the next generation of clean mobility technologies needed to reach President Biden’s goal of a future with net-zero emissions. Its innovation in electrochemical extraction could also enable direct production of lithium-ion battery components, massively simplifying the battery manufacturing process and strengthening the value chain.

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