Battery materials startup Anthro Energy has broken ground on a factory in Louisville, Kentucky, that can make enough electrolytes for more than 300,000 electric vehicles — and potentially give solid-state batteries a much-needed boost in the U.S.

The facility, scheduled to start production in 2028, will produce 25 gigawatt-hours' worth of electrolytes. Battery manufacturers are actively seeking materials that aren't controlled by Chinese companies — a requirement known as "foreign entity of concern" (FEOC) compliance — and Anthro hopes its Kentucky factory can fill that gap.

"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," CEO David Mackanic told TechCrunch.

To build the factory, Anthro received a $24.9 million award from the Department of Energy under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, plus $18.4 million in investment tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act. Kentucky contributed another $2.3 million in tax incentives in exchange for creating 110 permanent jobs.

The factory's headline product is Anthro's own polymer electrolyte called Proteus, designed to drop into existing production lines with minimal tweaks. Proteus is a polymer that promises to pave the way to solid- and semi-solid-state batteries — a holy grail of the battery industry that promises higher energy density, reduced fire risk, and prevention of dendrite formation.

Unlike conventional solid-state approaches that struggle with cost-effective mass manufacturing, Anthro's electrolyte flows into the cell as a liquid, penetrating the anode and cathode like today's liquid electrolytes, before firming up to essentially glue the battery components together. The result is a cell that is 10 to 15 times stronger than one made with liquid electrolyte, and potentially flexible enough for drones and robots as well.

The Louisville factory is strategically located: within a 12-hour drive, you can reach 70% of existing U.S. battery production facilities.

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