The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced a $43 million funding opportunity for advanced battery research and development projects. This initiative, part of the Fiscal Year 2024 Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) Batteries Funding Opportunity Announcement, aims to drive innovation in electric vehicle (EV) battery technology, improve safety, reduce costs, and strengthen the domestic battery supply chain.
The funding aligns with the U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization, an interagency framework to eliminate all emissions from the transportation sector by 2050 through advancing battery technologies for safe and efficient zero-emission EVs.
The VTO has identified five key funding areas:
- Improving 12V lead-acid batteries for safety-critical EV applications ($10 million)
- Developing strategies to reduce cascading effects of thermal issues leading to EV fires ($3.9 million)
- Reducing manufacturing costs for battery electrodes, cells, and packs by at least 30% and increasing throughput by at least 50% compared to the state-of-the-art ($12.5 million)
- Advancing silicon-based anodes for lithium-ion batteries that meet EV performance requirements ($12.5 million)
- Developing high energy density cathodes containing metal chalcogenide, oxide, or halide materials that surpass the energy density of state-of-the-art nickel cathodes ($4.05 million)
Key dates for the funding opportunity include:
- FOA Issue Date: August 8, 2024
- Concept Papers Submission Deadline: September 9, 2024
- Full Applications Submission Deadline: October 30, 2024
- Expected Selection Notifications: March 2025
- Expected Award Negotiations: March-June 2025
This initiative follows a November 2023 DOE funding round of $3.5 billion for domestic battery production and a $710 million loan program to boost component manufacturing, including battery production. The current opportunity encourages participation from underserved communities and underrepresented groups in STEM fields.
Interested parties can access the full funding opportunity details on the EERE Exchange website. For specific inquiries, applicants can contact DE-FOA-0003383@netl.doe.gov.
Source: Energy.gov
