American Battery Factory Inc. (ABF), a leader in developing the first network of gigafactories in the United States based on Lithium-Iron Phosphate (LFP) cell technology, has announced a strategic alliance agreement with Anovion, LLC to supply graphite anode materials for ABF’s US-manufactured LFP battery cells. As the preferred vendor for ABF’s synthetic graphite anode materials, Anovion will ensure domestic sourcing of this critical battery component. Beyond strengthening the domestic supply chain for LFP battery cells, the two companies aim to foster long-term collaborative efforts, including joint investment in emerging technologies to improve battery performance and supply chain optimization.
“Utilizing Anovion’s innovative synthetic graphite provides us with one more essential ingredient needed to achieve our mission of establishing a world-class domestic LFP battery cell supply chain,” said Paul Charles, President and CEO of ABF. “Anovion’s leadership team has a proven track record of manufacturing a high-quality product with excellent performance and consistency. We are pleased to collaborate with a US-based supplier who shares our values and vision for the overall battery market and is equally committed to making energy independence a reality for everyone.”
Synthetic graphite is widely used as the active material in lithium-ion battery anodes. Anovion uses proven, reliable, scalable graphitization technology to ensure a product with high crystallinity and low impurities, but with a greater focus on mitigating the environmental impacts of the conventional processes used today. Anovion’s engineered materials enable ABF’s cells to be longer-lasting, more reliable and safer. Anovion is expanding on existing capacity in Niagara Falls as well as embarking on an expansion program of 150,000 tons in North America, initially with a large-scale production plant at 35,000 tons per annum capacity.
“We have great confidence in American Battery Factory’s blueprint for bringing lithium battery cell production to North America,” said Eric Stopka, Chief Executive Officer of Anovion. “Supplying synthetic graphite to ABF furthers our mission of growing a resilient, secure and sustainable North American lithium-ion battery supply chain, which directly impacts several strategic imperatives, including national security interests, robust economic growth and environmental stewardship.”
ABF is preparing for the development of the first network of safe LFP cell gigafactories in the United States. As ABF develops its network of clean and green modular rapid construction factories near or on-site at pack integrators, its cell manufacturing facilities will unlock the capability for new battery chemistry research and the scaling of emerging technologies.