# Li Industries

> Li Industries is a Pineville, North Carolina battery-materials company developing automated battery sorting and patented direct electrode-to-electrode recycling. It works with battery manufacturers, cathode producers, recyclers and collectors to return used materials to battery production, with a particular economic opportunity in lithium iron phosphate (LFP).

- **Founded:** 2017
- **Headquarters:** Pineville, United States
- **Founders:** Zheng Li (Co-founder and CEO), Nolan Schmidt (Co-founder and President), David Young (Co-founder and CTO), Henry Han (Xu Han) (Co-founder and CFO)
- **Products:** Direct Electrode-to-Electrode (Direct E2E) recycling, Smart Battery Sorting System, LFP cathode active material recycling and manufacturing project
- **Notable:** Closed a US$42 million Series B in June 2024; announced cumulative private funding above US$50 million., Selected for a US$55 million DOE award in September 2024 for an LFP recycling and manufacturing project., Recognized as a Phase II and Phase III Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Prize winner.

## Products & services

- **Direct Electrode-to-Electrode (Direct E2E) recycling** — Patented direct recycling approach that recovers and rejuvenates electrode materials for reuse in lithium-ion battery production, including LFP.
- **Smart Battery Sorting System** — Machine learning, cameras and sensors identify battery characteristics and chemistry to automate separation for recycling.
- **LFP cathode active material recycling and manufacturing project** — Announced project targeting 10,000 tonnes per year of LFP CAM, equivalent to 5 GWh, with projected 23% lower domestic production costs. These are project targets, not verified operating results.

## Achievements

- Closed a US$42 million Series B in June 2024; announced cumulative private funding above US$50 million.
- Selected for a US$55 million DOE award in September 2024 for an LFP recycling and manufacturing project.
- Recognized as a Phase II and Phase III Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Prize winner.
- Named a DOE Battery Recycling Prize Breakthrough Contest winner in July 2026.
- Included in Resource Recycling’s October 14, 2026 list of facilities recently achieving, renewing or regaining R2 certification.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — Resource Recycling listed Li Industries of Charlotte among facilities recently achieving, renewing or regaining R2 certification.
- **2026-07** — DOE named Li Industries one of eight Battery Recycling Prize Breakthrough Contest winners, each receiving US$200,000 and advancing to Phase IV.
- **2024-09** — Announced selection for a US$55 million DOE award supporting a planned 10,000-tonne-per-year LFP cathode materials facility.
- **2024-06** — Closed Series B at US$42 million with GM Ventures, DNX Ventures and Tech Energy Ventures joining.

## Links

- Website: https://www.li-ind.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/li-industries

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/li-industries
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-16