Biden–Harris Administration Pronounces $62 Million to Decrease Battery Recycling Prices Throughout the Nation

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President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda Invests in Tasks That Will Scale back Prices for Shopper Battery Recycling, Making EVs Extra Reasonably priced and Boosting Our Home Provide Chains

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As a part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Division of Power (DOE) at this time introduced $62 million for 17 initiatives funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation to extend client participation in client electronics battery recycling and enhance the economics of battery recycling. Below the Biden–Harris Administration, electrical automobile (EV) gross sales have quadrupled, reaching document excessive ranges of greater than 1.4 million gross sales final yr. With demand for electrical automobiles (EVs) and stationary power storage projected to broaden the lithium battery market as a lot as ten-fold by 2030, investments in sustainable, reduced-cost recycling of client batteries are important to securing the home supplies provide chain to fulfill that demand. Recycling used batteries reduces demand for brand new supplies and permits our home business to provide at decrease prices, supporting the Biden-Harris Administration’s objectives of making a extra sustainable battery provide chain and having EVs make up half of all automobiles gross sales in America by 2030.

“Capturing the complete battery provide chain—from sourcing important supplies to manufacturing to recycling—places the U.S. within the driver’s seat as we construct our clear power financial system,” mentioned U.S. Secretary of Power Jennifer M. Granholm. “With the historic help in President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, we’re making a sustainable, round provide chain that lowers prices for customers and boosts our manufacturing international aggressive edge.”

The 17 initiatives chosen for DOE’s Shopper Electronics Battery Recycling, Reprocessing, and Battery Assortment funding alternative are an important a part of the $7 billion in whole licensed by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation to develop and safe America’s battery provide chain. At this time’s announcement consists of:

• Increasing Participation in Shopper Electronics Recycling: Growing assortment of end-of-life client electronics and stand-alone batteries for recycling is a key aspect in growing a sustainable home supply of battery-grade supplies. 4 initiatives have been chosen to do that via scholar schooling and outreach, together with e-waste assortment occasions, representing $14.4 million in funding.
• Bettering the Economics of Recycling Shopper Electronics Batteries: Producing higher market demand for recycling client electronics batteries via modern, cost-saving approaches to pre-processing and sorting. Seven initiatives have been chosen to do that via approaches together with synthetic intelligence and automatic sorting, representing $40.1 million in funding.
• Establishing Applications to Accumulate Shopper Electronics Batteries: Implementing initiatives that may help States and native governments within the initiation or enhancement of battery assortment, recycling, and reprocessing. Six initiatives have been chosen to do that via approaches together with battery assortment drop-off applications and deploying battery storage and sorting amenities, representing $7.2 million in funding.

Tasks chosen for this funding should advance variety, fairness, inclusion, and accessibility; contribute to power fairness; and spend money on America’s workforce. This funding – which will likely be administered by DOE’s Automobile Applied sciences Workplace (VTO) and Workplace of Manufacturing and Power Provide Chains (MESC) – helps objectives and targets detailed within the Federal Consortium for Superior Batteries’ (FCAB) Nationwide Blueprint for Lithium Batteries.

Persevering with to Construct Up a Home Battery Provide Chain

The funding introduced at this time builds on beforehand introduced investments from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation to strengthen the home battery provide chain by supporting upstream supplies processing to create the precursor supplies for batteries together with the greater than $74 million introduced up to now to advance EV battery recycling and second-life functions.

DOE is continuous to spend money on recycling in help of a safe, home provide chain for important supplies. MESC lately introduced as much as $16 million to spice up assortment on used (spent) client batteries at retailers. DOE is looking for initiatives led by retailers to create or broaden to gather, kind, retailer, and transport client electronics batteries and battery-containing units. Purposes are due on April 9, 2024, at 5 p.m. ET. DOE additionally lately introduced a brand new prize specializing in rising the manufacturing and use of important supplies recovered from digital scrap. The Electronics Scrap Recycling Development Prize (E-SCRAP) is a three-phase competitors that may award as much as $4 million to rivals. Discover out extra data about this prize alternative.

Be taught extra concerning the initiatives chosen for award negotiation right here, and be taught extra about VTO and MESC.

Choice for award negotiations shouldn’t be a dedication by DOE to challenge an award or present funding. Earlier than funding is issued, DOE and the candidates will bear a negotiation course of, and DOE might cancel award negotiations and rescind the choice for any motive throughout that point.