Lucid Motors said on Wednesday it had formed the Minerals for National Automotive Competitiveness Collaboration (MINAC) with four critical mineral producers.
The group aims to support domestic mineral production for U.S. auto manufacturing as tariffs introduced by the Trump Administration push companies to revise supply chains and production plans.
In late May, the Trump administration announced new tariffs on imports of graphite active anode material from China.
According to the International Energy Agency, China produces over 90% of the world’s battery-grade refined graphite.
The group includes Alaska Energy Metals, Graphite One, Electric Metals, and RecycLiCo.
It was formed less than two months after Lucid signed a second agreement with Graphite One to source natural and synthetic graphite materials produced in the United States.
The company’s primary EV assembly plant sits in Casa Grande, Arizona, while its Saudi facility is being readied for full vehicle build operations.
Lucid said the partnership aims to “complete offtake agreements for American critical minerals” and “resolve barriers to commercialization.”
Additionally, the companies aim to strengthen coordination between the mining and automotive sectors and support the procurement of domestically produced materials by U.S.-based automakers and suppliers.
Alaska Energy Metals is developing a nickel project in Alaska while Electric Metals USA is working on the Emily manganese project in Minnesota.
Lucid’s partner Graphite One is working to establish synthetic graphite production in Ohio and develop natural graphite mining operations in northern Alaska, with output expected to begin by 2028.
Synthetic and natural graphite make up a large portion of lithium-ion battery materials and are critical for enabling fast-charging performance of electric vehicles.
RecycLiCo focuses on extracting lithium, cobalt, nickel, and manganese from spent batteries and production waste.
Commenting on the partnership, Lucid’s interim CEO said the domestic supply chains “strengthen manufacturing resilience, fortify sustainable supply chains, and accelerate job growth.”
“Following in the footsteps of our previous agreements, today we are doubling down on our commitment to powering American innovation and look forward to working with our partners as we built the next generation of automotive manufacturing in the United States,” the executive added.
