General Motors recently announced two deals to help the company secure battery materials. The first is with LG Chem to supply Cathode Active Material (CAM) to GM, and the second is a multi-year sourcing agreement in which Livent will supply GM with battery-grade lithium hydroxide.
GM says the supply agreement with LG Chem will help GM meet its EV production needs. CAM is a key battery material consisting of components like processed nickel, lithium and other materials representing about 40% of the cost of a battery cell.
Through the long-term supply arrangement, LG Chem plans to supply more than 950,000 tons of CAM to GM beginning the second half of 2022 through 2030, enough for approximately 5 million units of EV production. The CAM secured by GM will be used by Ultium Cells LLC, a joint venture between GM and LG Energy Solutions, at its battery cell plants in Warren, Ohio; Spring Hill, Tennessee; and Lansing, Michigan, the companies say.
GM and LG Chem will also explore the localization of a CAM production facility in North America by the end of 2025.
GM says its multi-year sourcing agreement with Livent is important, as lithium hydroxide is crucial to GM’s plans to make higher performance, higher mileage EVs. The lithium hydroxide from Livent will be used in GM’s Ultium battery cathodes, which will power electric vehicles such as the recently revealed Chevrolet Blazer EV, Chevrolet Silverado EV, GMC HUMMER EV and Cadillac LYRIQ.
Livent will provide battery-grade lithium hydroxide to GM over a six-year period beginning in 2025. Over the course of the agreement, Livent will increasingly supply battery-grade lithium hydroxide to GM from its manufacturing facilities in the U.S., with the goal of transitioning 100% of Livent’s downstream lithium hydroxide processing for GM to North America, the company says. The agreement is expected to help secure supply for GM while assisting Livent in expanding its North American capabilities.
