WASHINGTON—The U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO) is providing $2 million to fund research projects to boost recycling and reuse of lithium-ion batteries.
Batteries for electric vehicles are manufactured by connecting several cells and a bus bar to form a single module. Dozens of modules are then assembled into a battery pack.
According to an old saying, “what goes up must come down.” Unfortunately, that’s not true for either a helium-filled balloon or helium used in leak testing applications.
ETOWAH, TN—Piedmont Lithium is building a $600 million factory here that is scheduled to start production in 2026 and could produce enough lithium hydroxide to make 600,000 batteries annually.
The need to extend the range of electric vehicles is pushing automakers to adopt higher battery voltages. Most passenger EVs are powered by a 400-volt battery pack, while electric buses and trucks are powered by 600-volt battery packs.