The Biden-Harris administration announced Friday that it was granting over $3 billion for electric vehicle (EV) battery projects as a part of a broader effort to boost domestic production as China continues to dominate the market.
The award will go toward 25 different battery manufacturing projects across 14 states and is intended to boost the domestic production of batteries and battery materials needed for EVs and other products essential to President Joe Biden’s green agenda, according to an announcement from the U.S. Department of Energy. The Biden-Harris administration is looking to increase domestic production as the EV supply chain is largely dependent upon China since they are currently responsible for two-thirds of EV battery cell production worldwide.
“Since Day One of this Administration, President Biden and Vice President Harris have acknowledged that taking action on climate change and rebuilding our domestic manufacturing capacity are mutually reinforcing goals,” White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi said in the DOE’s announcement. “Nowhere is that more true than in the supply chain for a clean energy economy — whether that’s batteries for electric vehicles, energy storage, or a range of other applications.”
The funding is part of a larger initiative from the Biden administration to transition the country to using EVs, with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in March introducing strict tailpipe emission standards for light-duty vehicles that many have criticized as an eventual EV mandate.
The Biden administration has also previously given federal funding toward the goal of building half a million EV charging stations across the nation by 2030, but the initiative has been marred in various slowdowns.
China controls a large portion of the minerals necessary to produce lithium batteries, previously placing restrictions on critical resources like graphite in October 2023. China also announced in August a plan to enact export restrictions on antimony, a mineral that is critical for constructing certain weapons.
The over $3 billion going towards battery manufacturing is a part of the broader “Investing in America” agenda, which the Biden-Harris administration is claiming will produce $16 billion in investment for battery recycling and manufacturing as well as produce 8,000 construction jobs and more than 4,000 operating jobs. Manufacturing jobs have continued to decline under the Biden administration, despite a huge amount of subsidies that the administration claimed would give the industry a boost.
“The portfolio of selected projects, once fully contracted, are projected to support over 8,000 construction jobs and over 4,000 operating jobs,” the DOE said. “Batteries are critical to strengthening the U.S. grid, powering American homes and businesses, and supporting the electrification of the transportation sector.”
The DOE did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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