At the start of operations, around 100 direct jobs will be created in Minas Gerais. The new factory will serve the mobility sector, as well as the defense and aerospace industries.

Minas Gerais: The first lithium-sulfur battery cell factory in the world will be installed in Juiz de Fora, in the Zona da Mata. With investments of approximately 245 million reais, the project was named Oxis Brasil. Petrobras' largest refinery, Replan records the biggest drop in oil production since 2010

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The initiative is led by the Minas Gerais Development Company (Codemge) and the British company Oxis Energy.

The world's first lithium-sulfur battery cell factory will be installed in a 20-square-meter shed, which belongs to Mercedes-Benz do Brasil. The lease is for 15 years and the adaptation works will start immediately.

Operations should begin in 2023. It is expected that the factory will start operating with a production of 300 battery cells per year, but with the capacity to produce up to 5 million per year.

At the start of operations, around 100 direct jobs will be generated. The new factory in Minas Gerais should serve the mobility sector, as well as the defense and aerospace industries.

“We are bringing more than a factory to Minas, to the interior of the State: it is technology at the frontier of knowledge that is being put at the service of Minas Gerais development. In this complex and delicate moment in which we live, it is essential to contribute to the strengthening of the State and to focus our resources and efforts on creative, pioneering solutions”, highlights the CEO of Codemge, Dante de Matos.

The executive also highlighted as advantages of the enterprise "the transfer of technology, the generation of new jobs, in addition to the projection of the State in the international economic scenario in a vanguard segment".

According to Codemge, Juiz de Fora was chosen, above all, because of its geographical position, which gives the municipality several logistical facilities. Other important points that the region of the state of Minas Gerais offers, according to the entity, are the good schools and universities, in addition to a wide network of services and specialized labor.

Company – Oxis was founded in 2005 and already has more than 43 families of patents. Now, the company hopes to contribute to a new reality in Brazil.

“Our objective is to help the Brazilian government to eliminate all buses powered by internal combustion engines in a period of 25 years, which is equivalent to the production of 4 billion cells. Brazil has the third largest fleet of buses in the world, with 700.000 units powered by internal combustion in circulation”, says the president of Oxis Energy, Huw Hampson-Jones, also in material sent to the press.

Some advantages of lithium-sulfur batteries in relation to the lithium-ion batteries, most used in the market today, are observed in applications where weight is a critical factor or high energy density is required.

Lithium-sulfur batteries are lighter and more environmentally friendly, as they do not contain heavy metals in their formulation. They have high added value, although they are economical, and guarantee greater safety compared to other batteries.

Mercedes-Benz – According to Mercedes-Benz do Brasil, the space rented by the company in its factory in Minas Gerais was in disuse. The company said, in a note, that it will continue to produce the cabs of all its trucks at the municipality's facilities, without interference due to rent.

“The company opted for renting, since the building was not being used, and sees the possibility of generating revenue and new jobs for the local population as positive, even more so in a challenging moment for the Brazilian economy”, he said.