6K, a 12-year-old battery-materials startup based in North Andover, Massachusetts, said on Thursday, November 5, 2026 that it received conditional approval for a $250 million loan from the Department of Defense to build a factory, according to TechCrunch, which reported the news on November 6. The factory will be in Tennessee, per the report; it does not state the plant’s capacity or a number of jobs.

What 6K makes

6K makes cathode active material for batteries. TechCrunch says its process uses microwaves to heat metals into a plasma and deposit them onto a surface, reducing the number of steps needed. The company says the process works with several battery types, including lithium iron phosphate (LFP), and that the materials avoid reliance on Chinese suppliers.

The timeline

  • The factory was originally slated to open in 2024, per TechCrunch. The article gives no new opening date.
  • In 2023, the company received a $50 million Department of Energy grant under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, but the Trump administration canceled it, forcing 6K to reapply, according to the report.
  • TechCrunch says the grant cancellation and uncertainty in the EV market led the company to revise its plans.

Context

The article also notes the Pentagon’s recent interest in expanding domestic manufacturing capacity for batteries. It does not describe the loan’s terms, such as the interest rate, repayment schedule or the conditions still to be met.

Sources and notes

This post is based on TechCrunch’s report by Tim De Chant (8:50 a.m. PST, November 6, 2026). Lens did not read 6K’s announcement or any Department of Defense statement, and “conditional approval” means the loan is not final.

Image: a bank of lithium iron phosphate battery cells wired with busbars, by Yo-Co-Man via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; cropped. Stand-in photo; it is not related to 6K or its factory plans and does not show the events described.