The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced more than $192 million in new funding for recycling batteries from consumer products; launching an advanced battery research and development (R&D) consortium; and the continuation of the Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Prize, which began in 2019.

With the demand for electric vehicles (EVs) and stationary energy storage projected to increase the lithium battery market by as much as ten-fold by 2030, DOE says it is essential to invest in sustainable, reduced-cost recycling of consumer batteries in support of a secure, resilient, and circular domestic supply chain for critical materials.

Consumer Electronics Battery Recycling Funding Opportunity. DOE’s $125-million Consumer Electronics Battery Recycling, Reprocessing, and Battery Collection funding opportunity (DE-FOA-0002897) is an essential part of the $7 billion authorized by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to grow and secure America’s battery supply chain. Topic areas funded through this opportunity will:

• Develop and implement education and/or behavior change campaigns to increase participation by consumers in existing battery recycling programs;

• Improve the economics of recycling consumer electronics batteries to spur greater market demand for battery recycling;

• Assist states and local governments in establishing or enhancing battery collection, recycling, and reprocessing programs;

• Help retailers implement programs to collect, sort, store, and transport consumer electronics batteries.

Advanced Battery R&D Consortium. The rapid growth of EV manufacturing and adoption across vehicle classes will require new solutions for challenges associated with raw materials and critical minerals. Substantial R&D is required for new or alternative battery chemistries that can achieve lower cost and use more abundant materials.

The Advanced Battery R&D Consortium funding opportunity (DE-FOA-0002965) will provide up to $60 million to convene major manufacturers of electric drive vehicles in the US, universities, National Laboratory partners, mineral and material suppliers, and other key battery stakeholders to address critical battery needs for the next phase of widescale EV commercialization.

The consortium seeks to advance battery R&D that is relevant and responsive to the needs of EV manufacturers, and to further develop a domestic battery supply chain and recycling capabilities that are essential to meeting the rapidly growing demand for EV batteries. The consortium will be integral to DOE’s efforts to develop advanced transportation technologies that will help decarbonize the transportation sector and significantly reduce US dependence on foreign oil.

The Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Prize. First launched in January 2019, the Battery Recycling Prize has to date awarded $5.5 million for innovative solutions to collecting, sorting, storing, and transporting spent and discarded lithium-ion batteries. In recognition of its ongoing importance in informing larger battery recycling efforts, DOE is announcing $7.4 million to fund a new Breakthrough Contest, as well as Phase IV of the Prize.

The Breakthrough Contest will incentivize the development of solutions that meet the overall Battery Recycling Prize goal. The Breakthrough Contest is open to industry entrepreneurs—including new or former Prize participants—and will bolster participation from new competitors while providing additional support to Phase III winning teams.

Phase IV: Demonstration of Impact will challenge participants to prove how effectively their solutions contribute to moving spent or discarded batteries from consumers to recyclers across all commercial uses.

The Battery Recycling Prize incentivizes American entrepreneurs to develop and demonstrate technologies that, when scaled, have the potential to capture 90% of all discarded or spent lithium-based batteries in the United States profitably for recovery of key materials for re-introduction into the US supply chain.