Lithium Americas (NYSE:LAC) +19.4% pre-market Wednesday after announcing a new investment agreement with General Motors (GM) to establish a joint venture for the construction and operation of Thacker Pass in Nevada.

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

General Motors Inc will commit $625 million toward what’s likely to be one of the biggest US lithium mines, reinforcing the automaker’s efforts to secure supply of the battery metal critical for electric vehicles.