DALLAS, Feb. 19, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ACTion Battery Technologies, Inc. (“ACT-ion”) announced the appointment of Anthony Thurston as Chief Operating Officer. Thurston has decades of experience working with diverse cathode active materials (CAM) including multiple technical leadership positions at Tesla, BASF, and Apple. The move comes as the CAM innovator accelerates commercialization of its leading manufacturing process.
Thurston joins ACT-ion from Tesla, where he spent five years leading Tesla’s Cathode Materials and Manufacturing operations globally, including the Austin Texas high nickel cathode Gigafactory. Prior to Tesla, Thurston held prominent Research and Development leadership roles at Apple and BASF.
"Tony's proven ability to translate cutting-edge battery technologies into high-volume production makes him the ideal leader for this phase of ACT-ion's growth," said Jin Lim, CTO and interim CEO of ACT-ion. "His experience with industry-leading CAM manufacturing lines at Tesla, BASF, and Apple will be invaluable as we prepare to bring our first pilot-scale CAM production line online in 2025."
In his new role, Thurston will oversee the buildout of ACT-ion's pilot facility in Dallas, Texas — a critical step in validating the company's continuous process technology with automotive and grid storage partners. The facility will demonstrate ACT-ion's ability to produce chemistry-agnostic single crystal CAM at scale.
"ACT-ion's technology represents a fundamental manufacturing breakthrough," Thurston said. "The potential to make domestic CAM production cost-competitive while improving battery cycle life aligns perfectly with the needs of next-generation EVs and renewable energy systems. I'm excited to help transform this innovation into a global industrial reality."
Thurston's appointment follows three months after the company's Pre-Series A round led by BASF Venture Capital, with participation from Hunt Energy Enterprises, Mirae Asset Capital, Arosa Capital Management, and LG Technology Ventures.
About ACTion Battery Technologies, Inc.
ACTion Battery Technologies, Inc. (“ACT-ion”) is a leading lithium battery cathode active material (CAM) technology company. As an advanced manufacturing technology company, ACT-ion produces coated single crystal CAMs for lithium batteries through its novel, clean, and chemistry-agnostic process that requires lower energy and cost. For more information, please visit www.act-ion.com.
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