BERLIN — Stellantis has signed a preliminary cope with lithium developer Vulcan Vitality Assets for the provision of climate-friendly lithium from Germany, the automaker mentioned on Monday.

Stellantis is the most recent automaker to signal a cope with the German-Australian start-up to lock down provides of the battery metallic forward of an anticipated surge in international demand as a transition in direction of cleaner mobility beneficial properties traction.

As a part of the five-year settlement, Vulcan will provide between 81,000 and 99,000 tons of battery-grade lithium hydroxide in Europe to Stellantis from 2026, they mentioned in a press release. No monetary particulars of the settlement have been supplied.

Vulcan is one in all plenty of firms testing a direct lithium extraction (DLE) technique that makes use of much less land and groundwater, making it extra sustainable than the most-common present strategies of open-pit mines and brine evaporation ponds.

Stellantis has pledged to take a position greater than 30 billion euros ($33.8 billion) by way of 2025 on electrifying its car lineup.

As a part of this plan the group will construct three battery manufacturing services in Europe, two in Germany and France by way of its ACC three way partnership with Daimler and TotalEnergies and one in Italy, although particulars about it are nonetheless to be disclosed.

Stellantis, whose manufacturers embrace Opel, Citroen, Jeep and Alfa Romeo, is concentrating on greater than 70 % of gross sales in Europe to be of low-emissions automobiles by 2030.

“This settlement is additional proof that now we have the aggressive spirit to ship on our commitments,” Stellantis Chief Buying and Provide Chain Officer Michelle Wen mentioned.

The announcement comes per week after Vulcan signed a second cope with Renault to provide as much as 32,000 metric tons of battery-grade lithium chemical substances from its geothermal brine deposits in Germany.

Vulcan already has provide offers with Belgian recycling group Umicore and South Korea’s LG Chem.