The DOE has announced that a total of $2.8 billion in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has been awarded to 20 companies across 12 states for extracting and processing lithium and graphite, battery manufacturing and the demonstration of new approaches.

The DOE says the projects awarded are aimed at materials and building and expanding facilities. Funded project goals include developing enough lithium to supply about 2 million EVs per year, enough graphite for 1.2 million EVs per year and enough nickel for 400,000 EVs per year.

Projects include: setting up the first commercial lithium electrolyte salt production facility in the US; building the first commercial-scale silicon oxide production facilities in the US to provide anode material for about 600,000 EV batteries per year; establishing the first lithium iron phosphate cathode facility in the US; and opening an electrode binder facility to meet 45% of the expected demand for EV battery binders in 2030.

“The federal investment will be matched by recipients to leverage a total of more than $9 billion to boost American production of clean energy technology, create good-paying jobs, and support President Biden’s national goals for electric vehicles to make up half of all new vehicle sales by 2030 and to transition to a net-zero emissions economy by 2050,” says the DOE.

Source: DOE via Green Car Congress