India’s homegrown battery-tech startup, Lohum Cleantech, has announced a joint venture with ReElement Technologies and American Metals to establish a $30 million lithium-ion battery materials processing facility in the United States. The facility, set to be located at the Marion Advanced Technology Center in Indiana, will have an initial capacity of 15.5 gigawatt hours (GWh) and aims to create 250 'green jobs'. The facility will serve over 315,000 electric vehicles annually, with the potential for further expansion based on feedstock availability.

Rajat Verma, Founder and CEO of Lohum, highlighted the significance of this partnership, stating, “The joint venture will be instrumental in building resilient critical material supply chains in the US that can sustain themselves through circularity. This is an inspiring development in US-India technology collaboration through market entities”.

The facility will offer a comprehensive, end-to-end battery and critical minerals lifecycle management system. This includes battery cell testing, segregation for second-life energy storage applications, recycling, mineral refining, engineered materials, and the production of battery-grade products. The aim is to ensure the facility produces critical materials with purity levels greater than 99.5%, which will be incorporated into the US domestic battery ecosystem.

Mark Jensen, Chairman of American Metals and ReElement Technologies, emphasized the synergy between the companies. “We have been working with Lohum to leverage our unique capabilities and world-leading technologies at ReElement, along with the innovative and scaled-up approach to critical minerals recycling and refining that Lohum has established”, said Jensen.

Lohum’s collaboration with ReElement and American Metals represents a significant step in strengthening the US's critical mineral supply chain and advancing sustainable battery technology. This move follows Lohum’s successful $54 million (Rs 450 crore) series B funding round earlier this year, which was backed by investors including Singularity Growth, Baring Private Equity, Cactus Venture Partners, and Venture East.

With this joint venture, Lohum continues to expand its integrated battery lifecycle management, offering solutions in battery recycling, repurposing, and refining, contributing to the global green energy transition.