Under the terms of the JDA, Northern and the company will jointly develop and commercialize natural graphite BAM products designed to extend cycle life, enhance charging speed and reduce electrode swelling in lithium-ion battery cells. This innovation addresses the stability gap between natural and synthetic graphite, enabling increased use of natural graphite in electric vehicle (EV) battery cells.
The JDA follows the launch of Northern’s Battery Materials Group (NGCBM) in February and RAIN’s announcement of its new technology Innovation center for energy storage materials (Innovation Center) in August.
NGCBM included the acquisition of a fully equipped, state-of-the-art carbon and battery laboratory in Frankfurt, Germany capable of both producing BAM derived from the Northern’s Lac-des-Îles graphite mine in Canada and of building lithium-ion batteries according to the specifications of automakers seeking critical characteristics, ranging from cycle life and driving range to charging speed.
The company's innovation center in hamilton, Canada allows product and application development activities of batterygrade carbon and carbon precursor products in a 30,000 sq. ft. development facility including demonstration plants for the pilot-scale processing of carbon and carbon precursor materials along with laboratories dedicated to the carbon material analysis with state-of-the-art powder and electrochemical testing equipment.
Hugues Jacquemin , chief executive officer, Northern Graphite, said, "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.”
“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.”
Gerard Sweeney , president, Rain Industries, said, "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,"
Rain Industries is one of the world leading producers of calcined petroleum coke , coal tar pitch and other high quality basic and specialty chemical.
The company reported net loss of Rs 44.86 crore in Q1 FY25 as compared with net profit of Rs 206.54 crore in Q1 FY24. Revenue from operations declined 11.52% YoY to Rs 4,094.14 crore during the quarter.