General Motors has agreed to establish a joint venture with Lithium Americas Corp. that includes the automaker supplying $625 million in cash and credit to the Canadian mining business, the companies announced Wednesday.

General Motors (GM) is increasing its investment in a Nevada lithium mine and its operator to almost $1 billion as it looks to secure a long-term supply of a critical mineral for electric vehicle batteries.

The automaker has invested in and partnered with companies along the EV battery supply chain, from raw materials to recycling, as it works to secure a supply chain for its electric vehicles.

GM is aiming to source more of its raw materials for electric vehicles from the U.S, to manage battery cell costs and decrease its reliance on imported materials.

GM Ventures has invested $10 million in materials science company Forge Nano, which makes Atomic Armor, an innovative EV battery technology.