"Exxon Wants to Make More of the Materials Needed for E.V. Batteries"

"The oil giant said Tuesday that it was acquiring assets from a Chicago company as it looks to start producing graphite, a key battery ingredient, by the end of the decade." 

"Exxon Mobil, the largest U.S. oil and gas company, is pushing further into the electric vehicle business with an acquisition it says will help it produce graphite, an important battery ingredient, by the end of the decade.

Under the deal, announced Tuesday, the oil giant will buy a production facility, a research center and other assets from Superior Graphite, a privately held Chicago company, for an undisclosed price.

It is the latest in a series of small bets Exxon is making to produce the materials needed to power electric cars and trucks and help balance supply and demand of energy on the power grids. The company is also working to extract lithium from underground brine in southwest Arkansas."