Author: US DOE EERE Staff Published: 9/20/2024 EERE Funding Opportunities
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced an intent to fund up to $70 million for projects that will improve the economics of electric drive vehicle battery recovery and re-use. Funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this investment supports research, development, and demonstration of second-life applications for batteries once used to power electric vehicles (EVs) and new technologies and processes for recycling and reclaiming critical materials back into the battery supply chain. With the demand for EVs and stationary storage projected to increase the size of the lithium battery market by five- to ten-fold by the end of the decade, it is essential that the United States invests in the capacity to accelerate the development of a resilient supply chain for high-capacity batteries, including non-lithium batteries.
This anticipated funding is the third phase of $200 million in total provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for electric drive vehicle battery recycling and second life applications. In the first phase, DOE awarded $74 million to 10 projects to advance technologies and processes for EV battery recycling and re-use. Funding for the second phase was announced in December 2023, and announcement of phase two project selections is pending.
Anticipated topics in the third phase of funding include:
- Improving the economics of recycling lithium iron phosphate (LFP)-based batteries.
- Improving the recovery and re-use of electrolyte components from Li-ion batteries.
- Upcycling and improving the value of recovered materials from electric drive vehicle batteries.
- Demonstrating and improving the state of health evaluation and safety for second-use applications of electric drive vehicle batteries.
This is a Notice of Intent (NOI) only. DOE may issue the described funding opportunity announcement (FOA), may issue a FOA that is significantly different than the described FOA, or DOE may not issue a FOA at all.
Learn more about other funding opportunities within DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.