From Brine to Battery: A US Patent Ignites Saudi Arabia's EV Ambitions

CHICAGO, IL – November 25, 2025 – A foundational patent granted in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to a disruptive U.S. startup is the latest signal that the global infrastructure for electric mobility is on the verge of a radical transformation. Chicago-based Pure Lithium Corporation has secured protection for a “Vertically Integrated Pure Lithium Metal Production and Lithium Battery Production” process, a technological gambit that aims to connect raw materials directly to finished batteries in a single, localized loop.

This development is far more than a standard intellectual property filing. It represents the convergence of American innovation with the immense capital and strategic ambition of Saudi Arabia, a nation aggressively pivoting its economy beyond oil. For the future of connected mobility, this partnership could redraw the map of a battery supply chain currently dominated by China, promising a faster, cheaper, and more secure foundation for the next generation of electric vehicles (EVs).

The 'Brine to Battery' Revolution

At the heart of the announcement is Pure Lithium’s trademarked “Brine to Battery™” technology. The process aims to achieve what many in the industry consider a holy grail: combining direct lithium extraction (DLE) from salt brines with the production of a pure lithium metal anode in one continuous, integrated flow. This stands in stark contrast to the current, fragmented global supply chain, which involves mining ore or evaporating lithium in vast ponds over many months, shipping it thousands of miles for chemical processing, and then sending it elsewhere for battery component manufacturing.

By eliminating these intermediate steps, Pure Lithium claims it can produce a battery-ready lithium metal anode for as little as $15/kWh, a fraction of current costs. The resulting battery also bypasses the need for graphite, cobalt, nickel, and manganese—materials whose supply chains are often fraught with geopolitical tension and environmental concerns. “In order to displace today’s lithium-ion battery, our vision is to create global battery hubs with closed loop supply chains,” said Founder and CEO Emilie Bodoin in a statement, emphasizing that Saudi Arabia is a “perfect fit” for this vision.

While the company’s specific process remains proprietary, its viability is bolstered by recent milestones. A partnership with Canada’s E3 Lithium has already produced over 80 functional battery cells using lithium extracted from Alberta brines, a first for North America. However, the path to commercial scale is challenging. The broader DLE industry, while promising, is still on the “cusp of commercialization,” according to a recent BloombergNEF report. Each brine source has a unique chemistry requiring tailored solutions, and scaling from pilot to industrial production has proven difficult for many. Furthermore, the use of a pure lithium metal anode—which offers a tenfold theoretical capacity improvement over graphite—has long been hindered by safety and longevity issues related to dendrite formation and material stress. Solving these hurdles is a race being run by numerous well-funded competitors.

A Kingdom's New Power Play

The strategic importance of this patent is magnified by its location. The deal is a cornerstone of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, a monumental plan to diversify its $1 trillion economy. A key pillar of this strategy is unlocking an estimated $2.5 trillion in untapped mineral resources, with the Kingdom targeting a near-quadrupling of the mining sector's GDP contribution to $64 billion by 2030.

This resource wealth includes not only lithium-containing brines but also an abundance of vanadium, a key material for Pure Lithium’s planned second-generation battery. The Kingdom has also committed over $50 billion to establishing an EV sector capable of producing 500,000 vehicles annually by 2030. To achieve this, it needs a secure, domestic battery supply chain, and the partnership with Pure Lithium provides a potential shortcut.

This ambition is being fueled by investors like Saudi Arabia’s Energy Capital Group (ECG), which backed Pure Lithium in 2023. At the time, ECG stated the technology “could provide Saudi Arabia with the ability to enter the battery manufacturing space with the competitive edge of having unprecedented supply chain security.” By aligning with a U.S. innovator whose technology circumvents the existing China-centric supply chain, the Kingdom is making a clear geopolitical play to establish itself as a new power center in the global energy transition.

The Inventor's IP Fortress

This global strategy is being driven from Chicago by Emilie Bodoin, an inventor and entrepreneur who is listed as the sole inventor on the company's foundational U.S. patents. Since its founding in 2020, Pure Lithium has strategically built an intellectual property fortress, growing its portfolio to over 128 patents and applications worldwide. This aggressive IP strategy is a classic move for a disruptive technology company seeking to carve out space in a market dominated by incumbents.

The company’s credibility extends beyond its patent filings. Its leadership team includes world-renowned experts like MIT Professor Emeritus Donald R. Sadoway, who serves as Chief Science Officer. It also boasts a joint patent application with Sir M. Stanley Whittingham, a Nobel laureate for his foundational work on the lithium-ion battery. The backing of billionaire mining financier Robert Friedland, who sits on the company's board, provides further validation from the highest echelons of the resource industry.

This combination of visionary leadership, deep scientific expertise, and powerful financial backing gives the company significant weight as it moves to commercialize its technology. The Saudi patent is not just a legal protection but a strategic asset, providing a launchpad in a region eager to build the very infrastructure the technology was designed for.

A Crowded Race to Reshape Mobility

Despite its strong position, Pure Lithium is not operating in a vacuum. The race to revolutionize the battery is intensely competitive. In the DLE space, it faces established players like Livent and Albemarle, as well as innovators like Lilac Solutions and Standard Lithium. In the quest to perfect the lithium metal anode, it competes with heavily funded companies such as QuantumScape, Solid Power, and SES AI, all of which are pursuing solutions to the same fundamental challenges.

Ultimately, the success of this venture will hinge on execution—the ability to scale the “Brine to Battery” process from a successful pilot to a commercially viable, industrial-scale operation. The granting of the Saudi patent marks a critical milestone, solidifying a partnership that could serve as a blueprint for the future of resource-rich nations in the EV era. If Pure Lithium and its Saudi partners can deliver on their promise, they will not only power the next wave of electric vehicles but also fundamentally re-architect the infrastructure of connected mobility for decades to come.