Lithium Americas
- Company typePublic
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersToronto, Canada
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
Lithium Americas firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Lithium Americas
- Legal name
- Lithium Americas Corp.
- Website
- https://lithiumamericas.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Lithium Americas industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Lithium Mining & Battery Materials
- NAICS
- Other Metal Ore Mining (21229)
- SIC
- Metal Mining (1000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Lithium Mining & Brine Extraction (IMAKAFAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Battery-Grade Chemical Processing (LiOH/Li2CO3, Ni/Co Sulfates, Mn Sulfate) (IMAKAFAI), Battery Raw Materials Mining & Refining (Lithium, Nickel, Cobalt, Manganese, Graphite) (EUAFABAA), Exploration & Resource Development (Critical Minerals) (IMAKAFAL)
Keywords
Where Lithium Americas is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Toronto
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Lithium Americas business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Lithium Carbonate Sales: Pre-revenue stage. Will generate revenue from sale of battery-quality lithium carbonate (Li2CO3) produced at Thacker Pass. Phase 1 designed for 40,000 tonnes per year capacity. GM has 20-year offtake for up to 100% of Phase 1 production volumes and 38% of Phase 2.
- Future Production Revenue: Company is in construction phase with mechanical completion targeted for late 2027. Commercial production ramp-up expected through 2028. Revenue model will be commodity sales with long-term offtake contracts providing revenue visibility.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Battery-quality lithium carbonate commodity pricing |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Lithium Americas product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Lithium Americas is developing the Thacker Pass project in Humboldt County, Nevada — the world's largest known measured lithium resource — using proprietary sedimentary clay-based lithium extraction technology. The open-pit mine and processing facility is designed to produce battery-quality lithium carbonate (Li2CO3) for the North American EV supply chain, with Phase 1 targeting 40,000 tonnes per year and expansion potential to 160,000 t/y across five phases over an 85-year mine life. The company is currently in construction phase with mechanical completion targeted for late 2027.
Product overview
Lithium Americas operates as a lithium mining and production company with two core offerings: the Thacker Pass project (a five-phase lithium mining and chemical processing operation in Nevada) and the Lithium Technical Development Center (a pilot facility validating the extraction and production process). The Thacker Pass project, the company's flagship initiative, uses sedimentary lithium extraction to produce battery-quality lithium carbonate. The project is structured as a joint venture with General Motors (62%/38% ownership), with Phase 1 targeting 40,000 tonnes per year production capacity and potential expansion to 160,000 tonnes annually across five phases. The Lithium Technical Development Center supports process validation and optimization for the Thacker Pass operation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Thacker Pass Lithium Project A shallow open-pit mine and chemical processing facility in Humboldt County, Nevada, designed to produce battery-quality lithium carbonate (Li2CO3) for North American EV and battery manufacturers. Phase 1 capacity is 40,000 tonnes per year, expandable to 160,000 t/y across five phases. Structured as a joint venture with General Motors (62% LAC, 38% GM) with a 20-year offtake agreement securing up to 100% of Phase 1 production.
- Lithium Technical Development Center A 30,000 ft² state-of-the-art laboratory and piloting facility in Reno, Nevada that validates the Thacker Pass flowsheet with all recycles in one place, proving continuous-production of battery-quality lithium carbonate from Thacker Pass ore. Achieved ISO-9001:2015 certification.
Quantifiable outcome
- Phase 1 capacity: 40,000 t/y of battery-quality lithium carbonate - expands current U.S. capacity by ~7x
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Lithium Americas
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Lithium Americas technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Lithium Americas partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Great Basin CollegeminorWorkforce development training program being developed with Great Basin College to support skilled labor pipeline for Thacker Pass operations and construction.
- Career Bound NV and BuildNV Core Construction Training ProgramminorLocal workforce development partnerships to proactively support community development and skills training for construction and operations positions at Thacker Pass.
- Sawtooth Mining (NACCO Natural Resources)coreMining operations agreement with Sawtooth Mining for mine design, construction, operation, maintenance and closure services. Sawtooth has over 65 years surface mining experience, operates seven surface mines in similar deposits, manages reclamation for over 200,000 acres under permits, and has earned 99 federal and state awards for reclamation.
- BechtelcoreBechtel serves as primary construction contractor for Thacker Pass Phase 1. Recruiting professional staff and craft professionals for critical materials/energy security project. Manages construction activities including site preparation, structural steel installation, and equipment commissioning.
- Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone TribecoreAmended Community Benefits Agreement with Indigenous community. 16 Tribe members completed Process Plant Fundamentals training. Company contributed $5M to Tribe and $14.1M toward new Orovada K-8 school construction. Ongoing cultural work monitoring and archaeological engagement.
Scale indicators16 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Lithium Americas competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- MP Materials: U.S. rare earth producer operating the Mountain Pass mine in California, supported by DOD funding. Comparable as a U.S.-based critical minerals producer with significant government backing and policy support, though focused on rare earths rather than lithium.
Direct peers
- Sigma Lithium: Brazilian hard-rock spodumene producer supplying battery-grade lithium concentrate. Comparable as a publicly-traded pure-play lithium producer serving the EV supply chain, though operating in commercial production rather than development.
- Ioneer Ltd: U.S.-focused lithium-boron developer advancing the Rhyolite Ridge project in Nevada. Directly comparable as a Nevada-based, development-stage critical minerals company targeting battery-grade lithium with similar regulatory and customer dynamics.
- Standard Lithium: Canadian-listed lithium developer focused on direct lithium extraction (DLE) from Smackover brine resources in Arkansas. Comparable as a development-stage lithium technology company pursuing novel extraction methods for North American production.
- Piedmont Lithium: North American lithium developer focused on spodumene (hard-rock) lithium projects in North Carolina and Quebec. Directly comparable as a development-stage North American lithium company targeting the EV supply chain, though uses different extraction technology than Lithium Americas' clay-based approach.
Broad incumbents
- Ganfeng Lithium: Chinese integrated lithium producer and one of the world's largest lithium processors. Broad incumbent controlling significant global lithium conversion capacity, representing the foreign processing dominance that Thacker Pass aims to help offset domestically.
- SQM (Sociedad Química y Minera): Chilean lithium and specialty chemicals producer with major operations in the Salar de Atacama. Broad incumbent in global lithium supply with established low-cost brine extraction, representing the cost benchmark Lithium Americas must compete against.
- Albemarle Corporation: World's largest lithium producer operating the Salar de Atacama brine operations in Chile and other global assets. Albemarle is a broad incumbent in lithium chemicals with significant scale advantages but is primarily focused on South American brine extraction rather than U.S. clay-based mining.
Emerging players
- Avalon Advanced Materials: Canadian critical minerals developer focused on lithium, rare earths, and other battery materials in North America. Emerging player pursuing similar Canadian/U.S. lithium strategy with comparable development-stage risk profile and government engagement approach.
- Lithium Royalty Corp: Canadian royalty company providing financing to lithium developers and producers globally. Emerging player in the lithium ecosystem with comparable exposure to North American project economics and royalty structures on similar development assets.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Lithium Americas social profiles
Digital presenceLithium Americas compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Lithium Americas financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Lithium Americas leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Lithium Americas subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Lithium Americas funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds13 records
Investors6 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Lithium Americas M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A2 records
Investments2 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Lithium Americas
What does Lithium Americas do?
Lithium Americas is developing the Thacker Pass project in Humboldt County, Nevada — the world's largest known measured lithium resource — using proprietary sedimentary clay-based lithium extraction technology. The open-pit mine and processing facility is designed to produce battery-quality lithium carbonate (Li2CO3) for the North American EV supply chain, with Phase 1 targeting 40,000 tonnes per year and expansion potential to 160,000 t/y across five phases over an 85-year mine life. The company is currently in construction phase with mechanical completion targeted for late 2027.
Is Lithium Americas a public or private company?
Lithium Americas is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Lithium Americas founded?
Lithium Americas was founded in 2011. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Lithium Americas based?
Lithium Americas is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Lithium Americas make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Lithium Carbonate Sales are the primary driver. The others are future Production Revenue.
Who are Lithium Americas's main competitors?
MP Materials is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are Sigma Lithium, Ioneer Ltd, Standard Lithium and Piedmont Lithium. Broad incumbents are Ganfeng Lithium, SQM (Sociedad Química y Minera) and Albemarle Corporation. Emerging players are Avalon Advanced Materials and Lithium Royalty Corp.
Does Lithium Americas have an API?
No public API is recorded for Lithium Americas.
What industry is Lithium Americas in?
Lithium Americas's product category is Lithium Mining & Battery Materials. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAKAFAA, Lithium Mining & Brine Extraction, with a secondary code of IMAKAFAI, Battery-Grade Chemical Processing (LiOH/Li2CO3, Ni/Co Sulfates, Mn Sulfate). Its NAICS code is 21229 and its SIC code is 1000.