Bill Gates invested in Mangrove Lithium for burgeoning EV market

Bill Gates’ investment fund Breakthrough Energy Ventures recently invested $10 million in a seven-person start-up with no revenue and no customers, Mangrove Lithium.

It’s a niche investment, but could have critical implications for the rapidly growing electric vehicle market, as its founders aim to improve a very specific part of the lithium supply chain: Turning raw lithium into material for batteries.

Lithium is used in batteries for electric vehicles because it is the lightest metal and has the highest charge-to-weight ratio, which matters when you are building a battery for…