DOE announces $45M for more efficient electric vehicle batteries

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On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced it would make up to $45 million in funding available to support the domestic development of advanced electric vehicle batteries.

The department said it would launch the Electric Vehicles for American Low-Carbon Living (EVs4ALL) through its Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) program. That program will develop more affordable, convenient, efficient, and resilient batteries.

“Advanced batteries are the heartbeat of the electric vehicle industry, and investments to make them charge faster and last longer will be critical to accelerate the deployment of electric cars and trucks,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “The benefits of an electrified transportation sector in America will be felt for generations to come — from directly combatting climate change to growing domestic manufacturing jobs and strengthening our overall energy independence.”

The EVs4ALL funding addresses faster charging, increased efficiency, improved resilience, and dramatically increased domestic vehicle adoption.

In addition to the EVs4ALL program, the DOE announced $3.1 billion in funding to boost the production of advanced batteries critical to supporting the creation of new, retrofitted, and expanded commercial facilities that manufacture battery materials, cell components, and batteries, along with battery recycling. A separate $60 million will be available to support second-life applications for batteries once used to power electric vehicles and new processes for recycling materials back into the battery supply chain.