General Motors (GM) is strengthening its connection toLithium Americas via a joint venture centered on advancing the Thacker Pass lithium project in Humboldt County, Nevada.
In a Wednesday (October 16) press release, the companies said GM will provide US$625 million in cash and letters of credit, and will acquire a 38 percent asset-level ownership stake in Thacker Pass.
The Detroit-based carmaker emphasized to Reuters that it is keen to secure electric vehicle (EV) raw materials.
“We don’t want to become a mining company,” Jeff Morrison, GM’s senior vice president, told the news outlet. “Our main goal is to build out a North American based, Western-allied, reliant supply chain. To do that, we have to pick partners and assets and figure out what they need to do to industrialize and be successful.”
Lithium, a key component in EV batteries, is in high demand as automakers ramp up their EV offerings. The Thacker Pass asset is touted as North America’s largest depositary of the resource.
GM’s US$625 million contribution will be divided into phases. It will provide US$330 million in cash when the joint venture closes, and US$100 million at a later stage, when a final investment decision for Phase 1 is made.
