Anthro Energy breaks ground on solid-state battery factory

Anthro Energy has officially broken ground on a new manufacturing facility in Louisville, Kentucky, designed to produce enough battery materials to power more than 300,000 electric vehicles annually. The plant’s primary output, 25 gigawatt-hours of electrolytes, represents a significant step for the company, but the broader implications for the U.S. solid-state battery sector may be even more consequential.

Battery producers across the globe are actively searching for material sources that avoid any entanglements with “foreign entities of concern,” a designation that effectively rules out supply chains controlled by Chinese firms. Anthro aims to position its new Kentucky plant, which is slated to begin operations in 2028, as a critical answer to that demand for domestic manufacturers.

“When it opens, we’ll be serving domestic, high-spec customers, this emerging ecosystem for battery production where they frankly just need electrolytes, a domestic source of China-free supply, FEOC-free supply,” David Mackanic, co-founder and CEO of Anthro Energy, told TechCrunch in an exclusive interview.

The startup, which completed its first fundraising round only four years ago, is betting that this factory will become a linchpin of the growing American battery supply chain. Mackanic noted the strategic location offers a distinct advantage: “Within a 12-hour drive, you can get to 70% of the battery production facilities in the United States that exist today.”

Financing for the project comes from a mix of federal and state sources. Anthro secured a $24.9 million award from the Department of Energy through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, along with $18.4 million in investment tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act. Kentucky added $2.3 million in tax incentives, with the expectation that the facility will create 110 permanent jobs.

The Louisville site is initially configured to produce a variety of electrolyte formulations. Mackanic, however, envisions a future where the bulk of output is dedicated to Anthro’s proprietary polymer product, Proteus. That material is engineered to integrate into existing production lines with minimal modifications, which is precisely why the company can start manufacturing using other firms’ formulas while customers evaluate its own technology. As validation occurs, the startup can pivot its production accordingly.

There is strong reason to believe a significant share of customers will eventually make that transition. Proteus is a polymer designed to enable solid- and semi-solid-state batteries, a technology often described as the industry’s holy grail. Reports indicate Chinese companies are already preparing trial production of solid-state batteries as early as 2027.

Solid-state batteries are widely seen as a solution to several persistent problems with conventional lithium-ion cells. They offer higher energy density, and because they eliminate flammable liquid electrolytes, they substantially reduce fire risk. Furthermore, the solid barrier between the anode and cathode prevents dendrite formation, the spiky structures that can bridge electrodes and trigger short circuits.

Despite their promise, solid-state batteries have yet to achieve commercial viability at scale, primarily because no one has cracked the code on cost-effective, durable manufacturing.

Anthro’s approach may offer a workaround. During production, its electrolyte is introduced as a liquid, allowing it to seep into the anode and cathode much like traditional electrolytes. Once in place, it solidifies, effectively bonding the battery’s components together.

The resulting cell is not only more robust, with Mackanic claiming it is “10 to 15 times stronger than with a liquid electrolyte,” but also flexible depending on the formulation. He sees those properties benefiting not just electric vehicles but also drones and robotics in the long run.

Many battery materials companies have stumbled at the transition from pilot-scale to mass production, a phase often called the valley of death. Mackanic believes the federal backing will help Anthro clear that hurdle. “To get into big applications, you have to have big production,” he said. “The Department of Energy award solves a lot of the chicken or the egg problem.”