The Biden administration has announced an investment of $2.91bn to fund projects that boost domestic battery manufacturing and recycling to support the increasing demand for electric vehicles (EVs) and energy storage.
In this connection, the Department of Energy (DOE) has issued two notices of intent to provide funding to increase the production of the advanced batteries that are highly important to quickly emerging clean energy industries of the future.
The funding will be available from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to support battery materials refining and production, battery cell and pack manufacturing, and recycling of batteries.
The DOE expects the funding to be offered in the coming months to help the US produce batteries and the materials that are used for making them. According to the department, this will help boost energy independence, economic competitiveness, and national security.
Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, around $7bn has been assigned to be used for bolstering the battery supply chain of the country. This includes critical minerals’ production and recycling without involving new extraction or mining, and sourcing materials needed for domestic manufacturing.
US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said: “As electric cars and trucks continue to grow in popularity within the United States and around the world, we must seize the chance to make advanced batteries — the heart of this growing industry — right here at home.
“With funding from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we’re making it possible to establish a thriving battery supply chain in the United States.”
The first notice of intent from the DOE is aimed at backing companies set up new, retrofitted, and expanded domestic facilities for recycling of batteries as well as the production of materials needed to make batteries, components of cells, and manufacturing of batteries.
As per the second notice of intent, the funding will back research and development, demonstration of second-life applications for batteries that were used previously in EVs, and new processes for recycling, reclaiming, and re-introduction of materials into the battery supply chain.
Recently, the US government had announced close to $5bn in funding to help states build out a pan-US electric vehicle charging network.
