The United States is in a competition for the ownership of advanced energy technologies that will fuel the future—and batteries are central to its efforts. The hundreds of billions of dollars spent and pledged by governments and automakers on non-petroleum fuels have made a transition to electric vehicles and renewable sources of energy a certainty. Now, countries around the world are looking to win control over the entire value chain of batteries and their critical minerals-based components. But which batteries will prevail, and which companies and countries will win out in the race to electrify?
China’s Made in China 2025 strategy has allowed it to assert dominance in the fast-growing battery and battery materials market. The competition, however, is just beginning. While it is currently playing catch-up, the United States has a significant advantage over China as the world’s leading innovator, and new investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act are drawing battery makers to American shores like never before, while potentially isolating it from allies like the European Union and Canada.
Continued R&D in advanced battery technologies can provide a significant opportunity to leap-frog China and gain global authority in the EV battery space. Companies are already developing new chemistries that not only provide lower costs and improve battery performance, but also use more abundant and domestically produced materials. How can the United States balance leading the charge while working cooperatively with allies?
SAFE’s Center for Critical Minerals Strategy moderated a discussion with experts on how advanced battery technologies will bolster our national security and economic competitiveness, and what needs to be done to commercialize these technologies.
Panelists:
- Celina Mikolajczak, Chief Battery Technology Officer, Lyten
- Kurt Kelty, VP for Commercialization, Sila Nanotechnologies
- Mike Maten, Director for EV Policy and Regulatory Affairs, GM
- Jessica Durham Macholz, Material Scientist, DOE’s ReCell Center at Argonne National Lab
