6K, a 12-year-old battery materials startup based in North Andover, Mass., won conditional approval for a $250 million loan from the Department of Defense to build a factory in Tennessee. The plant will produce battery cathode material using a microwave-powered process that does not rely on Chinese suppliers.
The company previously received a $50 million grant from the Department of Energy under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2023, but the Trump administration canceled that award. 6K has since reapplied for funding.
The factory's original 2024 opening date shifted due to the grant cancelation and market uncertainties in the EV sector. 6K's manufacturing process uses microwaves to heat metals into plasma and deposit them onto a surface, reducing steps needed to make cathode material. The company says its process works with multiple battery types, including lithium iron phosphate (LFP).