GM has entered into a $625 million joint venture with Lithium Americas to develop and operate a lithium carbonate mining project.

Canada’s Lithium Americas said General Motors will boost investment in the miner’s Thacker Pass project, which produces the critical ingredient for electric-vehicle batteries.

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.