Former Solid Power and Dongwha Electrolyte Executive to Lead Manufacturing Scale-Up of Advanced Battery Electrolytes and High-Performance Lithium-Ion Cells
ALAMEDA, Calif., June 2, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Anthro Energy, a next-generation battery technology company developing advanced polymer electrolytes to enhance lithium-ion battery performance and safety, today announced the appointment of Dr. Hyungrak Kim as Executive Vice President of Manufacturing. In this role, Dr. Kim will lead production and manufacturing scale-up efforts for Anthro Energy's advanced electrolyte platform and high-performance lithium-ion battery cells across the company's operations in Alameda, California, and Louisville, Kentucky.
Kim joins Anthro Energy with more than 25 years of experience spanning advanced materials, battery manufacturing, electrolyte technologies, and large-scale chemical production. Most recently, he served as Executive Vice President of Electrolyte Technologies at Solid Power, where he helped advance sulfide solid-electrolyte development for next-generation all-solid-state batteries and managed production engineering initiatives, including the operation of a 30 metric ton-per-year pilot manufacturing line. Before Solid Power, Kim served as Plant Manager at Dongwha Electrolyte, a leading global electrolyte manufacturer supplying lithium-ion battery materials to major battery producers worldwide.
At Anthro Energy, Kim will focus on scaling manufacturing processes for the company's proprietary Anthro Proteus™ polymer electrolyte platform, which is designed to improve the safety, energy density, and mechanical robustness of lithium-ion batteries while remaining compatible with existing gigafactory infrastructure. His leadership will play a key role as Anthro expands domestic manufacturing capacity to support growing demand across defense, robotics, embodied AI, consumer electronics, wearables, and advanced mobility applications.
"Hyungrak brings an extraordinary combination of deep technical expertise and real-world manufacturing scale-up experience at a critical moment for Anthro," said David Mackanic, CEO and Co-Founder of Anthro Energy. "As we transition from pilot-scale development toward large-scale domestic production, his background in electrolyte manufacturing and advanced battery commercialization efforts will be instrumental in accelerating our roadmap. Hyungrak understands both the complexity of battery materials and the operational discipline required to build world-class manufacturing organizations."
Kim's appointment comes as Anthro Energy continues expanding its U.S. manufacturing footprint, including plans for a large-scale advanced electrolyte production facility in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is scaling production to support increasing demand for safer, lighter, and higher-performance lithium-ion batteries that can enable next-generation robotics, AI-enabled devices, defense systems, and advanced wearables.
"Anthro Energy is developing a truly differentiated battery platform with the potential to significantly improve both battery safety and performance while leveraging existing manufacturing infrastructure," said Hyungrak Kim, Executive Vice President of Manufacturing at Anthro Energy. "I'm excited to join the team at this important stage of growth and help scale production capabilities that can accelerate the commercialization of advanced lithium-ion batteries across a wide range of industries."
Kim holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of California, Davis, as well as bachelor's and master's degrees in Chemistry from Yonsei University. His expertise spans liquid electrolytes, sulfide solid electrolytes, nanomaterials, and advanced electronic materials, and his career is focused on advancing next-generation energy storage technologies and scaling complex manufacturing operations.
About Anthro Energy
Anthro Energy is a next-generation battery technology company developing advanced polymer electrolytes to enhance the performance, safety, and flexibility of lithium-ion batteries. Founded out of Stanford University and headquartered in Alameda, California, Anthro's proprietary Anthro Proteus™ platform enables safer, mechanically robust batteries compatible with existing manufacturing infrastructure. The company is expanding domestic production capacity, including a planned large-scale advanced electrolyte facility in Louisville, Kentucky, to support growing demand across defense, robotics, consumer electronics, and transportation markets. For more information, visit www.anthroenergy.com.
Media Contact
Jackie Nguyen, Anthro Energy, 1 408-703-2967, [email protected], https://www.anthroenergy.com/
SOURCE Anthro Energy
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