trades82: 

'Wild idea...do you think that the reason they've been building the ATM is actually to build run way to aquire a lithium chemical manufacturer? Or at least a sizeable stake in one? Using shares and dollars to get that done? In theory, that'd allow them to vertically integrate battery production at TP. It'd also mean that they wouldn't need just one partner, like Tesla, but could be more akin to Panasonic...so you'd have an LAC battery instead of a Panasonic battery in your Tesla, VW, Ford, etc?"i fdfsff

You need to go a long way to get to batteries.  Keep in mind that "lithium chemicals" only gets us to lithium hydroxide or lithium carbonate.   To make batteries, you also need (particularly) anode tech and production capability (a very tricky business.  See my prior links to Nano One (NNO) materials, or Panasonics supplier Sumitomo).   You also need battery production tech and production capability (like Panasonic).    I think LAC already has the technology to get to lithium chemicals.   I wouldn't be surprised to see them partner with an anode manufacturer as well as a battery manufacturer.   They might be able to buy out NNO with a market cap of 178M.  I don't know what battery manufacturers might be an outright buy target.   I think partnerships are more likely, at least initially.