The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the selection of 13 projects through a Battery Manufacturing Lab Call with combined funding of almost $15 million over three years. The call sought proposals from National Laboratories to establish public-private partnerships that address engineering challenges for advanced battery materials and devices, with a focus on de-risking, scaling, and accelerating adoption of new technologies.
“Manufacturing competitiveness is a priority for the Trump Administration,” said Daniel R Simmons, Assistant Secretary for DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). “DOE’s investments under this opportunity will help accelerate the scientific breakthroughs needed to strengthen U.S. economic leadership in battery manufacturing.”
DOE selected the following projects:
Lead Organization | Industry Partner (Location) | Title |
|---|---|---|
Argonne National Laboratory | Albemarle/Ameridia (North Carolina) | Advanced Brine Processing to Enable U.S. Lithium Independence |
Argonne National Laboratory | Hunt Energy Enterprises (Texas) | Hydrothermal Production of Single Crystal Ni-rich Cathodes with Extreme Rate Capability |
Argonne National Laboratory | Koura Global (Massachusetts) | Continuous Flow Reactor Synthesis of Advanced Electrolyte Components for Lithium-Ion Batteries |
Argonne National Laboratory | PolyPlus (California) | Continuous high yield production of defect-free, ultrathin sulfide glass electrolytes for next generation solid state lithium metal batteries |
Argonne National Laboratory | SafeLi LLC (Wisconsin) | Scale-up Production of Graphene Monoxide for Next-Generation LIB Anodes |
Argonne National Laboratory | Saint-Gobain Ceramics & Plastics (Pennsylvania) | Scaling halide-type solid electrolytes for solid state batteries |
Brookhaven National Laboratory | C4V & Primet (New York) | Commercially Viable Process for Surface Conditioning of High-Nickel Low-Cobalt Cathodes |
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory | Saint-Gobain Research North America (Pennsylvania) | Scale-Up of Novel Li-Conducting Halide Solid State Battery Electrolyte |
National Renewable Energy Laboratory | Clarios, Amplitude, Feasible (New York) | High-Throughput Laser Processing and Acoustic Diagnostics for Enhanced Battery Performance and Manufacturing |
Oak Ridge National Laboratory | PPG (Pennsylvania) | High-Energy and High-Power NMP-Free Designer Electrodes with Ultra-Thick Architectures Processed by Multilayer Slot-Die Coating and Electrophoretic Deposition |
Oak Ridge National Laboratory | Soteria (South Carolina) | Multilayer Electrode with Metalized Polymer Current Collector for High-Energy Lithium-Ion Batteries with Extreme-Fast-Charging Capability |
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory | Albemarle (North Carolina) | Scaling up of High-Performance Single Crystalline Ni-rich Cathode Materials with Advanced Lithium Salts |
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory | Ampcera Inc. (California) | Scaling-Up and Roll-to-Roll Processing of Highly Conductive Sulfide Solid-State Electrolytes |
The program will be jointly-funded by EERE’s Advanced Manufacturing Office and Vehicle Technologies Office with matching funds from the private sector and investor community. Funds will be awarded directly to the National Laboratories to support work with companies under Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs). A 50/50 cost-share will be required between DOE and the private partner, which can include an in-kind contribution.
This funding opportunity is part of the Energy Storage Grand Challenge, a DOE-wide effort to create and sustain global leadership in energy storage utilization and exports, with a secure domestic manufacturing supply chain that does not depend on foreign sources of critical materials. Visit the Energy Storage Grand Challenge website to learn more.