Ascend Elements

Ascend Elements (formerly Battery Resourcers) is a Westborough, Massachusetts-based manufacturer of advanced, sustainable battery materials that goes far beyond conventional lithium-ion battery recycling. Rather than simply shredding spent batteries into commodity "black mass," the company uses its patented **Hydro-to-Cathode®** direct precursor synthesis process to transform end-of-life EV batteries and manufacturing scrap directly into high-performance cathode precursor materials (pCAM) and cathode active materials (CAM). This industry-first process eliminates several intermediary steps compared to traditional cathode manufacturing, resulting in lower production costs, improved material performance, and up to 93% lower CO₂ emissions versus virgin-mined materials. The company also produces battery-grade lithium carbonate (Li₂CO₃) at commercial scale, and is developing Hydro-to-Anode® graphite recovery technology - positioning it as a full-spectrum closed-loop battery materials platform.

Ascend Elements is strategically central to the US energy and EV supply chain. Its flagship "Apex 1" facility - a 1-million-square-foot plant on a 140-acre site in Hopkinsville, Kentucky - is designed to be North America's first commercial-scale sustainable pCAM and CAM manufacturing facility, with capacity to supply enough cathode material for 750,000 electric vehicles per year. This directly addresses America's critical dependence on China, which dominates global pCAM and CAM production. The company secured a landmark $1 billion (extendable to $5 billion) multi-year pCAM supply agreement with a major US customer, and a multi-year offtake agreement for recycled lithium carbonate with global commodities trader Trafigura. It has also been named #1 in the Automotive category on Fast Company's World's Most Innovative Companies list for 2024.

Founded in 2015, Ascend Elements has attracted over $1 billion in combined equity funding and government grants, including one of the largest US cleantech private placements of 2023. The company is expanding internationally as well, with its EU-first "Project Apex 2" battery material refining center in Poland - recognized as Manufacturing Investment of the Year by Poland's Investment and Trade Agency. By creating a domestic, circular supply of critical battery minerals (lithium, cobalt, nickel) and keeping them in-country, Ascend Elements serves as a foundational piece of US energy supply chain security and battery manufacturing independence.