Chemical supplier FMC Corporation plans to accelerate the expansion of its global lithium hydroxide production capacity as a result of a new multi-year supply agreement with “a major manufacturer of electric vehicles.”

Earlier, the company announced plans to triple capacity to serve the growing EV market. Now it has increased that objective even further, hoping to build an annual capacity of 18,000 metric tons by 2017. Over the next several years, FMC plans to boost output to at least 30,000 metric tons.

FMC’s battery-grade lithium hydroxide monohydrate is a granular solid suitable for cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries.

“We partner closely with leading manufacturers of lithium-ion batteries and electric vehicles to ensure our production meets their current and future demand,” said FMC Lithium VP Tom Schneberger. “Our manufacturing network is highly flexible, which allows us to increase capacity or accelerate expansion plans as customer needs warrant.”

Source:  FMC Corporation
Image: Danielle Pereira (CC BY 2.0)