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Ascend Elements is constructing America’s first EV battery cathode precursor plant

February 28, 2024

Ascend Elements has laid the final piece of structural steel in their 315,000-square-foot cathode precursor plant in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. The cathode precursor plant is one of many structures under construction on the 140-acre campus, which they call the “Apex 1”.

Unlike most of the world’s cathode precursors (pCAM), made in China from primary (mined) metals, Ascend Elements is developing a method to produce sustainable pCAM from recycled materials.

The company’s patented Hydro-to-Cathode® direct precursor synthesis process eliminates several intermediary steps in the traditional cathode manufacturing process, providing significant economic and carbon-reduction benefits. Peer-reviewed studies have shown that Ascend Elements’ recycled battery materials perform as well as similar materials made from virgin (or mined) sources.

The Apex 1 project is partially funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and grants from the U.S. Department of Energy. Construction of the pCAM operations will continue into 2025. Once all phases of the project are complete, the $1 billion Apex 1 campus will produce pCAM and other engineered battery materials for 750,000 EVs per year.