EcoPro Innovation wins first direct lithium supply deal with automaker

South Korean battery materials maker EcoPro Innovation said Friday it had signed a four-year deal to supply lithium hydroxide to a global automaker, enough to power roughly 200,000 vehicles.

The deal, covering 12,000 metric tons of lithium hydroxide, marks the first time the company has secured a direct supply contract with an automaker rather than a battery cell maker.

Financial terms and the name of the automaker were not disclosed due to a confidentiality agreement.

The company previously sig