The Electric

The Electric: In a $350 Million Strategic Shift, Trump Backs an Iron-Based Battery Startup

Mitra Chem's Mountain View, Calif. headquarters. Photo: Courtesy Mitra Chem
By
Steve LeVine

In a surprise challenge to China’s chokehold on the most popular type of lithium-ion batteries, the Trump administration and Japan said they will invest about $350 million in a small U.S. startup that’s developing the main component in such batteries.