06/26/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/26/2024 13:19
In 2023, EV sales hit a record, surpassing one million cars sold
Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley joined 12 of their colleagues in urging the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to bolster and diversify the nation's domestic supply of electric vehicle (EV) batteries, including promoting EV battery recycling.
Congress has taken bipartisan steps to support EV battery recycling. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) allocated more than $6 billion for advanced battery manufacturing, research, and development. This work has already supported 15 projects across the country to further the transition to a zero-emission transportation sector, strengthen energy security, and bolster American manufacturing.
The senators wrote in a letter to DOE Secretary Jennifer Granholm, "As the adoption of EVs accelerates, so too will the consumption of the critical minerals and materials needed to construct new batteries: projections indicate that, by 2034, the U.S. will consume roughly 500,000 metric tons of lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese, and graphite, combined. The global supply of these minerals is currently dominated by China, which accounts for 60% of production and 85% of processing capacity."
The senators continued, "EV battery recycling can help bridge the gap in our domestic supply chain and reduce our dependence on foreign imports . . . For example, some early entrants into the recycling field have salvaged up to 95% of the critical minerals from an EV battery. These high-efficiency yields will allow the U.S. to build a more resilient battery supply chain."
Specifically, the senators urged DOE to:
In addition to Wyden and Merkley, the letter led by U.S. Senators Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) was signed by U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.).
The letter is endorsed by Ford, Stellantis, General Motors, Plug In America, Sierra Club, Battery Minerals and Technology Coalition, Umicore, the Rocky Mountain Institute, MEMA: The Vehicle Suppliers Association, Alliance for Automotive Innovation, Electric Drive Transportation Association, NRDC, LiCycle, Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, American Council for an Energy Efficiency Economy (ACEEE), CALSTART, Clean Energy for America, Climate and Community Project, Conservation Law Foundation, Dream.ORG, Earthjustice, Earthworks, Ecology Center, Elders Climate Action, Electric Vehicle Association, Environmental Defense Fund, Environmental Law and Policy Center, GreenLatinos, Interfaith Power and Light, League of Conservation Voters, Public Citizen, Southern Environmental Law Center, ZETA, and Advanced Energy United.
The full letter is here.
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