The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Battery Recycling, Reprocessing, and Battery Collection Funding Opportunity (DE-FOA-0002897) is a $125 million funding program to increase consumer participation in battery recycling programs, improve the economics of consumer battery recycling, and help establish State and local collection programs.
The funding opportunity was announced on June 12, 2023. On March 28, 2024, DOE announced the selection of 11 projects for areas of interest 1 and 2 for $54.5 million in funding, to be administered by the Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO), and selection of 6 projects for areas of interest 3 for $7 million in funding, to be administered by the Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC). On July 9, 2024, DOE announced selection of 2 projects for for area of interest 4 for $14 million in funding, to be administered by MESC.
Description
As directed by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, DOE is leading the buildout of a resilient battery supply chain for electric vehicles (EVs) and energy storage. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allocates nearly $7 billion to strengthen the U.S. battery supply chain, which includes producing and recycling critical minerals without new extraction or mining, and sourcing materials for domestic manufacturing.
Objectives
With the demand for EVs and stationary energy storage projected to increase the lithium battery market by as much as ten-fold by 2030, 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. Recycling spent batteries provides our domestic industry with additional sources of necessary materials to make new batteries or other products. Not only does recycling provide a diverse and robust material source, but the circularity of these materials builds a more sustainable manufacturing supply chain and reduces waste streams from manufacturing. These projects will increase consumer participation in consumer electronics battery recycling, improve the economics of battery recycling to spur greater market demand, and support collection programs at the State and local levels. Project objectives support the Federal Consortium for Advanced Batteries (FCAB) National Blueprint for Lithium Batteries goal of achieving 90% recycling of consumer content by 2030.
Topic Areas
Topic 1: Expanding Consumer Participation in Consumer Electronics Battery Recycling Programs
Number of projects: 4
Award Amount: $14,412,221
Selected projects will develop and implement an education and/or behavior change campaign to increase participation by consumers in existing battery recycling programs.
Topic 2: Improving the Economics of Recycling Consumer Electronics Batteries
Number of projects: 7
Award Amount: $40,130,899
Selected projects will improve the economics of recycling consumer electronics batteries sufficiently to generate a greater market demand for recycling these batteries.
Topic 3: State and Local Programs for Consumer Electronics Battery Collection, Recycling, and Reprocessing
Number of projects: 6
Award Amount: $7,215,393
The objective of this topic area is to establish programs that will assist States and units of local government in the establishment or enhancement of battery collection, recycling, and reprocessing.
Topic 4: Retailer Programs for Consumer Electronics Battery Collection and Transport
Number of projects: 2
Award Amount: $14,057,281
The objective of this topic area is to establish and/or implement programs with retailers that will provide battery collection.
Selectees
Note: Learn more about the selections under topic area 4 of the Department of Energy (DOE) Battery Recycling, Reprocessing, and Battery Collection Funding Opportunity (DE-FOA-0002897) here.