Long-term partnership will secure battery-grade lithium hydroxide for automaker and accelerate both companies' expansion into EV space.

This week, Albemarle announced a long-term partnership with BMW to deliver battery-grade lithium hydroxide for the automaker's next generation of high-performance electric vehicles and to work together to develop technology for safer and more energy-dense batteries.

"Albemarle is committed to building a more resilient world," said Albemarle Energy Storage President Eric Norris. "We welcome the opportunity to work alongside the BMW Group to further enable the clean energy transition."

Taking effect next year in 2025, this is the second supply agreement between Albemarle and the BMW Group, which is one of the global lithium supplier's largest ever in volume and value, and the first to include a shared interest in research opportunities to accelerate lithium battery innovations.

Building relationships

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Albemarle provides lithium and bromine materials for mobility, energy, connectivity, and health while developing strategic partnerships focused on pioneering advanced green technologies across those fields.

As the world's largest producer of lithium for EVs that already has a deal to supply Ford with more than 100,000 metric tons of lithium hydroxide sourced in the U.S. or a country with a free trade agreement between 2026 and 2030, the two companies additionally hope to cooperate on battery recycling innovation.

To help better serve its partners, which also include General Motors, BMW, Duke Energy and the U.S. Department of Energy, Albemarle also recently celebrated the opening of a 15,500-square-foot Battery Complexity, Autonomous Vehicle and Electrification Research Center at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte.

This research facility, colloquially known as the BATT CAVE, is a key stop along the newly christened lithium belt – miles of geologic formations containing America's largest hard rock lithium deposit – and the beginning of a home-grown value chain comprising raw materials, research and development, and EV production.

BATT CAVE is North Carolina's only university-led research center focused on electric vehicles, with upgraded facilities for training the next generation of engineers and technicians ready to revolutionize the EV industry. The University is well-positioned to lead in fostering a new workforce as well as provide facilities to address emerging sectors of improved battery performance, energy storage systems, and integration of autonomous control systems into vehicles and machinery.