Canadian miner Lithium Americas said on Wednesday General Motors will contribute $625 million to their new joint venture for developing the Thacker Pass project in Nevada. U.S. automakers are ramping up their output of EVs and hybrids and aiming to reduce their reliance on China for battery-related materials in a competitive market.

US carmaker seeks to secure supply of metal expected to suffer shortfalls because of rising demand in switch to EVs

Canada’s Lithium Americas said General Motors will boost investment in the miner’s Thacker Pass project, which produces the critical ingredient for electric-vehicle batteries.