AMERICAN BATTERY TECHNOLOGY Co: Form 10-Q for the period ended Dec 31, 2023

Cash Flows

For the six months ended December 31:

Cash from Operating Activities.

During the six months ended December 31, 2023, the Company used $7.4 million of cash for operating activities, which was in line with the $7.4 million cash used during the six months ended December 31, 2022. The increase included cash costs for engineering, research and development as well as increased exploration expenses. Increased research and development costs were to support the development of the Company’s process for the recycling of lithium-ion batteries and for the extraction of lithium from the Company’s lithium claystone mining claims. The Company has also seen a steady increase in exploration activity expenses as it works to continue upgrading the geological category of its claims in the Tonopah, Nevada region.

Cash from Investing Activities

During the six months ended December 31, 2023, the Company used cash in investing activities of $10.9 million, consisting primarily of $10.0 million related to property and equipment for its recycling facilities. This is in comparison to cash used in investing activities of $10.2 million for the six months ended December 31, 2022, consisting primarily of $8.0 million for mineral rights.

Cash from Financing Activities

During the six months ended December 31, 2023, the Company had net cash provided by financing activities of $23.6 million. This represents the need for capital while the Company ramps up the recycling plant, develops its lithium ore pilot plant, and upgrades the geological category of its Tonopah claims through additional studies and assessments.

During the six months ended December 31, 2023, the Company issued 3,106,225 shares of common stock pursuant to purchase agreements for net proceeds of $15.8 million, of which, $1.5 million was received after December 31, 2023.

Working Capital

For the six months ended September 30:

Future Financing

We will continue to rely on sales of our common shares, debt, or other financing to fund our business operations as needed beyond any revenue generated from internal operations and the government grants that offset research & development expenses, and capital expenditures. Issuances of additional shares will result in dilution to existing stockholders. There is no assurance that we will achieve any additional sales of the securities or arrange for debt or other financing to fund planned operating activities, acquisitions and exploration activities.

Critical Accounting Estimates

Our condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of the condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the condensed consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting periods. We evaluate our estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis using historical experience and other factors and adjust those estimates and assumptions when facts and circumstances dictate. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates and assumptions.

While our significant accounting policies are more fully described in Note 2, “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” in the notes to our condensed consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, the following accounting policies involve a greater degree of judgment and complexity. Accordingly, these are the accounting policies we believe are the most critical to aid in fully understanding and evaluating our financial condition and results of operations.

Derivative Financial Instruments

The Company evaluates its financial instruments to determine if such instruments are derivatives or contain features that qualify as embedded derivatives in accordance with ASC 815, “Derivatives and Hedging”. For derivative financial instruments that are accounted for as liabilities, the derivative instrument is initially recorded at its fair value on the issuance date and is then re-valued at each reporting date, with changes in the fair value reported in the statements of operations.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under the ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurements”, equals or approximates the carrying amounts represented in the balance sheets.

Convertible Notes

The Company evaluates all conversion, repurchase and redemption features contained in a debt instrument to determine if there are any embedded features that require bifurcation as a derivative. The Company accounts for its convertible notes as a long-term liability, with the current portion reclassified to a short-term liability, equal to the proceeds received from issuance, including any embedded conversion features, net of the unamortized debt discount and offering costs in the accompanying unaudited consolidated balance sheets. The debt issuance and offering costs are amortized over the term of the convertible notes, using the effective interest method, as interest expense in the accompanying unaudited consolidated statements of operations.

Long-Lived Assets

Long-lived assets, such as property, plant and equipment, mineral properties, and purchased intangibles, are evaluated for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the asset may not be recoverable in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) topic 360, Property, Plant, and Equipment. Circumstances which could trigger a review include, but are not limited to: significant decreases in the market price of the asset; significant adverse changes in the business climate or legal factors; accumulation of costs significantly in excess of the amount originally expected for the acquisition or construction of the asset; current period cash flow or operating losses combined with a history of losses or a forecast of continuing losses associated with the use of the asset; and current expectation that the asset will more likely than not be sold or disposed significantly before the end of its estimated useful life. The Company’s long-lived assets consist of buildings, vehicles, equipment, and land. Buildings, vehicles and equipment are depreciated on a straight-line basis over their estimated value lives ranging between three and thirty years.

The recoverability of assets is measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset to estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to be generated by an asset. If the carrying amount of an asset exceeds its estimated future cash flows, an impairment charge is recognized as the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the estimated fair value of the asset. Any impairment in value is recognized as an expense in the period when the impairment occurs.

Expenses for major repairs and maintenance which extend the useful lives of property, plant and equipment are capitalized. All other maintenance expenses, including planned major maintenance activities, are expensed as incurred. Gains or losses from property disposals are included in income or loss from operations.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

As of December 31, 2023, we had no significant off-balance sheet arrangements that have or are reasonably likely to have a current or future effect on our financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenses or capital resources that are material to stockholders.

Controls and Procedures

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

We maintain disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act. Disclosure controls and procedures are controls and other procedures designed to ensure that the information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and our principal financial officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable and not absolute assurance of achieving the desired control objectives, and management necessarily applies its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures.

The Company’s management, with the participation of the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Company, carried out an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)) as of December 31, 2023, the end of the period covered by this report. Based on such evaluation, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that, as of December 31, 2023, the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures are not effective, based on the material weakness described below, to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the required time periods and are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in its reports is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management, including the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Material Weakness in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

We did not maintain appropriate segregation of duties related to accounting processes. This material weakness creates a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement to the financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis, and we concluded that the deficiency represents a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting and our internal control over financial reporting was not effective as of December 31, 2023.

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act). Internal control over financial reporting is a process designed under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including the individuals serving as our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

A material weakness is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal controls over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.

Management assessed the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting based on the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission in Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013 Framework). Based on this assessment, management concluded that, as of December 31, 2023, our internal control over financial reporting was deemed not to be effective, based on the criteria therein. The material weakness presiding over our internal controls as it relates to financial reporting is described below.

There were no material changes from the risk factors set forth under Part I, Business; Item 1A, Risk Factors in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023, as filed with the SEC on September 28, 2023.