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Pentagon offers 6K a $250 million loan for Tennessee battery plant
TechCrunch reports the Defense Department conditionally approved a $250 million loan for 6K to build a cathode-materials factory in Tennessee.
- New headline Was: “Pentagon offers battery startup 6K $250M loan to build U.S. factory”
- Our desk filed its story
The Defense Department has conditionally approved a $250 million loan to 6K, a North Andover, Massachusetts, battery-materials startup, to help build a factory in Tennessee, TechCrunch reported Friday, citing a company announcement Thursday1.
The plant is meant to make cathode materials, a key part of lithium-ion batteries, using a microwave-powered process that 6K says does not rely on Chinese suppliers1.
TechCrunch said batteries are used widely, including in military equipment, which it said helps explain Pentagon interest in more U.S. manufacturing capacity1.
6K's process uses microwaves to heat metals into a plasma and deposit them onto a surface, cutting steps needed to make cathode material, and the company says it can work on several battery types, including lithium iron phosphate1.
The 12-year-old company previously received a $50 million Department of Energy grant under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law; TechCrunch said that 2023 grant was later canceled by the Trump administration, forcing 6K to reapply1.
The loan is described as conditional. TechCrunch did not report when construction would start, how much of the $250 million would be disbursed, or whether other financing is in place1.
