Battery Material

AMG Lithium has commissioned its “PerLa” performance lab in Frankfurt, Germany, to develop and test sulfide solid electrolytes for solid-state batteries. Equipped with more than 200 test channels for standard testing and detailed electrochemical analysis, the facility is intended to expand joint development work with customers and partners. A new glovebox line covers the entire production process for laboratory-scale battery cells, from electrode slurry preparation and coating to cell assembly and pouch packaging. All steps take place in a controlled inert atmosphere. The setup allows materials to be evaluated in battery cells representative of practical applications using standardized test protocols. The expansion added 250 square meters, bringing the total laboratory area to approximately 1,100 square meters. According to AMG Lithium CEO Stefan Scherer, the performance lab will support the market introduction of the company’s solid electrolyte technology and facilitate targeted collaboration with customers. Part of AMG Critical Materials, AMG Lithium develops battery-grade lithium hydroxide as well as materials for solid-state batteries. Sources:https://www.automobil-industrie.vogel.de/amg-lithium-eroeffnet-testlabor-festelektrolyte-frankfurt-a-dad21642e7a60832712b2425926f8d2f/https://www.next-mobility.de/amg-lithium-nimmt-testlabor-fuer-festelektrolyte-in-frankfurt-in-betrieb-a-c6325a78afa35a2f16caf30e24d84210/

Group14 Technologies has closed a €150 million extension to its Series D funding round. The silicon battery material manufacturer announced the funding on October 29, 2026. The capital comes from a new investor whose identity the company has not disclosed. This brings the total funding round to more than $665 million. As part of the financing plan, Group14 intends to establish a manufacturing site in Sagunto, Spain. Initially, the BAM-4 plant is expected to include one production module with a capacity of 10 gigawatt-hours. The facility will produce the silicon battery material SCC55. The company has not announced a production start date in Spain. Planned Production Capacity Rises to 40 Gigawatt-Hours Including the Spanish plant, Group14 puts its total near-term production capacity target at 40 gigawatt-hours. In Sangju, South Korea, one 10-gigawatt-hour module at the BAM-3 site is already operational. Production is ramping up, according to the company. Two modules with a combined capacity of 20 gigawatt-hours are planned for BAM-2 in Moses Lake, Washington. They are expected to begin production in the first half of 2027. Group14 has also operated a commercial pilot facility in Woodinville since 2021. The company says it has supplied SCC55 to more than 150 customers from that site. Spain to Provide Access to European Supply Chains With the Sagunto site, Group14 aims to move closer to European automakers’ supply chains. According to the company, the geographic distribution of its plants is intended to strengthen supply chains and facilitate customer support. Group14 says SCC55 is already used in smartphones, drones, high-performance sports cars, and electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. Source:https://group14.technology/resources/press-releases/group14-closes-e150m-series-d-extension-to-accelerate-global-manufacturing-footprint/

POSCO Future M has signed a long-term supply contract with Samsung SDI for lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathode materials. According to the company, the contract is worth six trillion South Korean won, or approximately $4.5 billion. Signed on October 6, 2026, the agreement also expands cooperation on other battery materials. The agreed LFP volume is more than double the amount planned in August. At that time, the companies agreed on 190,000 metric tons for the period from 2027 through 2032. POSCO Future M does not disclose the exact revised volume in its announcement. Supply Agreement Expands Beyond NCA The new contract combines existing individual agreements for the main products supplied. It also expands the supply contract signed in 2023 to cover LFP alongside NCA cathode materials. The companies also plan to cooperate on lithium manganese oxide (LMO) cathode materials and synthetic graphite anode materials. POSCO Future M expects the broader product range to increase its overall supply volume by approximately 45% from existing levels. Samsung SDI Seeks to Secure Material Supplies Through the partnership, Samsung SDI aims to secure cathode and anode materials from sources not classified as prohibited foreign entities. POSCO Future M refers to these materials as non-PFE. For POSCO Future M, the committed volumes are expected to improve production capacity utilization and planning. This includes future facility expansions and raw material procurement. Source:https://www.poscofuturem.com/en/pr/view.do?num=1051

Lithium company EnergyX says it has signed a binding offtake agreement with commodities trader Trafigura. Over ten years, EnergyX is expected to supply a total of 100,000 metric tons of lithium products from planned facilities in Chile and Texas. The contract’s estimated value of $2 billion is based on current lithium prices of around $20,000 per metric ton. However, production facilities still need to be built. EnergyX requires additional funding for both plants. The agreement is expected to support its application for a $690 million loan from the Export-Import Bank of the United States. Lithium From Chile and Texas Trafigura is expected to purchase 5,000 metric tons each of lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide annually. The contract requires payment even if Trafigura does not take delivery. In Chile, EnergyX plans to produce 7,500 metric tons of lithium carbonate annually starting in 2028. Trafigura would purchase roughly two-thirds of that output. In Texas, initial lithium hydroxide production is scheduled to reach 15,000 metric tons annually starting in 2029. The agreed purchases represent one-third of the planned output there. Trafigura plans to sell the products initially to Chinese customers. Over the longer term, the trader aims to expand its role in the U.S. market as the country’s battery supply chain develops. EnergyX uses direct lithium extraction, or DLE, which involves various filtration processes. The company combines established technologies with readily available equipment and tests its processes at its laboratory in Austin. Source:https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/energyx-signs-binding-2-billion-lithium-supply-deal-with-trafigura-2026-10-12/

LG Energy Solution has signed a binding offtake agreement with Elevra Lithium for spodumene concentrate from Canada. According to the battery manufacturer, the agreement covers 240,000 dry metric tons over four years. Deliveries are expected to begin in 2026. The raw material will come from Elevra’s operational North American Lithium project in the Canadian province of Quebec. LG Energy Solution aims to expand its raw material supply in North America and respond to demand for stationary energy storage systems. The announcement does not disclose specific contract prices. Spodumene Concentrate Broadens Raw Material Supply Spodumene concentrate is a feedstock that can be processed into lithium carbonate or lithium hydroxide. LG Energy Solution already sources both lithium compounds. The company aims to diversify its supply with the additional concentrate. According to the company, this should allow it to adjust production more flexibly to demand for electric vehicles and energy storage systems. LGES did not specify where the Canadian concentrate will be processed. Source:https://news.lgensol.com/company-news/press-releases/5412/

POSCO Future M has signed a supply agreement with SK On for LFP cathode material worth around KRW 1.1 trillion, or approximately $800 million. The contract runs from 2027 through 2029 and may be extended by two years by mutual agreement. For POSCO Future M, this is its first agreement to supply cathode material to SK On. The company already supplies anode material to the battery manufacturer. According to POSCO Future M, it now supplies cathode and anode materials to all three major Korean battery makers. In August, the company announced another long-term agreement to supply 190,000 metric tons of LFP cathode material to a Korean battery manufacturer. POSCO Future M Expands LFP Production in Pohang Compared with NCM and NCA cells, LFP batteries generally offer lower energy density but are considered less expensive and longer-lasting. POSCO Future M points to growing demand from stationary energy storage systems and lower-cost electric vehicles. The company is therefore expanding a product portfolio that has so far focused primarily on NCM and NCA materials. Parts of its high-nickel cathode material production lines at the Pohang plant have already been converted to LFP production. Commercial-scale deliveries are scheduled to begin by the end of 2026. Additional production lines are expected to be converted depending on further orders. POSCO Future M also plans to use lithium sourced from salt lakes in Argentina. According to the company, this is intended to improve cost competitiveness and product quality. Source:https://www.poscofuturem.com/en/pr/view.do?num=1049

IBU-tec has received another approval for its planned LFP production facility in Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Germany. The State Administration Office of Saxony-Anhalt approved new operating buildings for the production platform. The facility is designed for an annual capacity of 15,000 metric tons of LFP battery material. The approved building complex also includes a new laboratory. It will be used to analyze battery materials based on different material combinations. According to IBU-tec, large-scale production is scheduled to begin in early 2028. IBU-tec is already working on logistics, analytics, and IT systems. Detailed engineering for the production equipment has also begun. The steel structure of a logistics building with capacity for around 2,000 pallets has been erected. PowerCo Secures Planned Capacity for Ten Years The planned annual capacity has already been allocated under a long-term agreement. According to IBU-tec, PowerCo has secured the full annual capacity of 15,000 metric tons for ten years at previously defined prices. The company describes the planned facility as Europe’s largest LFP production plant. IBU-tec also states that it expects to be the only European supplier producing LFP cathode material on an industrial scale once the facility is operational. Source:https://www.ibu-tec.de/investor-relations/finanzmeldungen/newsbeitrag/ibu-tec-erhaelt-wichtige-genehmigung-vom-landesverwaltungsamt-weiterer-meilenstein-beim-aufbau-der-groessten-lfp-produktionsanlage-in-europa/

LANXESS is expanding its development activities for lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries. The specialty chemicals company has commissioned a new battery laboratory at its Krefeld-Uerdingen site in Germany. This facility is being used to investigate iron oxides and iron phosphate as raw materials for LFP cathode materials. The laboratory allows different material grades to be tested directly in battery cells. Testing focuses on their effects on cell performance, processability, and suitability for specific applications. LANXESS aims to shorten development processes and assess material properties under battery cell conditions at an earlier stage. LFP Batteries Gain Market Share The investment comes amid a growing market for LFP batteries. According to market data cited by LANXESS, LFP batteries are already used in more than three-quarters of electric vehicles in China. In Europe, their market share is expected to reach 50 percent by 2030, compared with around 10 percent today. In addition to electric vehicles, stationary energy storage systems, data centers, and critical infrastructure are considered other potential markets. According to the company, LANXESS has been producing iron oxides for around 100 years and has developed specific grades for manufacturing LFP cathode materials. The company positions the battery laboratory as part of its broader offering for the battery industry. The new facility primarily expands LANXESS’s ability to test its own raw materials under battery cell conditions. Source:https://lanxess.com/de-de/presse/presseinformationen/2026/09/neues-labor,-c-,-lanxess-st%C3%A4rkt-batteriekompetenz

LG Energy Solution has signed a long-term offtake agreement for lithium carbonate produced in the United States. The supplier is Smackover Lithium, a joint venture between Standard Lithium and Equinor. The agreement covers 8,000 metric tons of battery-grade lithium carbonate annually over a ten-year period. The material is expected to come from the South West Arkansas Project in Arkansas. With the agreement, LG Energy Solution aims to source a larger share of this key cathode material within the United States. One factor behind the agreement is the growing North American market for stationary energy storage systems. LG Energy Solution requires raw materials for batteries using lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry. The company operates seven manufacturing facilities in the United States. According to the company, most already have production capacity for LFP batteries. Direct Lithium Extraction to Support Supply Chain Smackover Lithium plans to produce the lithium carbonate using direct lithium extraction followed by purification. According to the companies involved, the DLE process is intended to provide a more sustainable method of sourcing the raw material. Source:https://news.lgensol.com/company-news/press-releases/5189/

Asahi Kasei is expanding its production of separators for lithium-ion batteries in North America. At its site in Charlotte, North Carolina, the company has opened a new coating facility for wet-process Hipore separators. Commercial production is scheduled to begin in the second half of fiscal 2026. The facility complements the existing Celgard plant in Charlotte. Asahi Kasei has produced dry-process separators there since 1986. With the new line, the company plans to coat and supply wet-process separators in North America as well. The investment decision was made in 2023. Asahi Kasei Builds Regional Supply Structure The coating line processes separators sold under the Hipore brand. According to the company’s plans, it represents a first step toward establishing a regional supply structure for wet-process separators. Asahi Kasei attributes the expansion to expected growth in battery demand in North America. In addition to electric vehicles, stationary energy storage systems are expected to generate further demand. In parallel, Asahi Kasei is building another production facility in Canada. Together, the two sites are intended to supply the North American market. The Charlotte facility is also covered by a capacity rights agreement with Toyota Tsusho Corporation. Source:https://www.asahi-kasei.com/news/2026/e280826