Rain, Northern Graphite to jointly develop EV anode materials
As per the Joint Development Agreement (JDA), the two companies will jointly develop advanced battery anode material (BAM) for lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles.
Canadian company Northern Graphite and Rain Carbon have signed an agreement to jointly develop natural graphite anode materials to enhance the life and charging speed of lithium-ion battery cells.
As per the Joint Development Agreement (JDA), the two companies will jointly develop advanced battery anode material (BAM) for lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles, according to a media release.
Rain Carbon Inc., a company with headquarters in Dover, Delaware, USA, is a wholly owned subsidiary of India-based Rain Industries Limited.
“This exclusive JDA is a significant milestone for our companies and the industry, as it enables increased use of natural graphite in battery anode materials by lowering costs and addressing the environmental concerns linked to synthetic graphite, while enhancing key performance metrics such as cycle life, charging speed and stability,” Northern Graphite CEO Hugues Jacquemin said. “By leveraging Northern’s expertise in mining, milling, shaping and purifying natural graphite alongside Rain’s advanced coating capabilities, we are positioned to produce the lower-cost, higher-quality BAM, which battery manufacturers and consumers are demanding.”
The agreement follows the launch of Northern’s Battery Materials Group in February and Rain’s announcement of its new Technology Innovation Center for Energy Storage Materials in August. Rain’s Innovation Center in Hamilton, Canada, allows product and application development activities of battery-grade carbon and carbon precursor products in a 30,000 sq. ft. development facility.
“We are delighted to partner with Northern in this development collaboration, which will allow us to expand and tailor our existing portfolio of LIONCOAT® battery-grade carbon precursors, while also advancing new, efficient and sustainable coating technologies through our Innovation Center in Hamilton, Canada,” said Rain’s President, Gerard Sweeney. “This partnership enables us to combine our strengths in raw material integration and processing to produce high-performance battery anode materials, accelerating the development of innovative solutions for the rapidly growing lithium-ion battery market.”
