US battery materials producer 6K has confirmed that its cathode active material (CAM) will meet US government mandates for compliance with the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) for both lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) materials for EV batteries.
The company’s 6K Energy subsidiary is delivering large quantities of critical materials from its Battery Center of Excellence facility to customers for qualification. 6K’s UniMelt production system is capable of producing multiple lithium-ion battery materials, including NMC, LFP, lithium salts and alkaline battery CAM. It aims to deliver IRA-compliant CAM at a lower cost than materials exported from China.
The IRA offers additional tax credits for battery production in the US—as much as $35/kWh for the production of battery cells and an additional $10/kWh for battery module assembly. The Advanced Manufacturing Production Credit also offers a $7,500 tax incentive for EV battery production in the US—including 10% of the cost of critical mineral production and 10% of the cost of electrode active material production.
6K is currently building its flagship PlusCAM plant in Jackson, Tennessee, which is expected to start production in 2025. The plant will have the capacity to produce 13,000 tons annually, of single-crystal NMC811 and two LFP variants: a direct replacement for LFP made in China and a new spherical option for electrode construction, which the company says is effective for delivery of powder when using a dry coating process.
“During the past year, we’ve witnessed a transformation in the battery industry like never before. Targets for domestic production of batteries and battery material were once just aspirational goals and are now being mandated by the government with the introduction of the Inflation Reduction Act,” said Sam Trinch, President of 6K Energy.
Source: 6K Energy
