Database for a secure EV battery supply chain
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Connecting state and local government leaders
A new database aims to advance the adoption of zero-emission vehicles by providing information and data that inform the production of EV batteries and development of a secure domestic battery supply chain.
To ensure lithium-ion batteries are available for electric vehicles and energy storage, the Department of Energy has published a new database that features information about federal and state battery supply chain policies and incentives.
Developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the Battery Policies and Incentives database aims to help advance the adoption of zero-emission vehicles by providing information that informs the production of EV batteries and development of a secure domestic battery supply chain.
It provides federal and state information related to electric vehicle or energy storage financing for battery development, including grants, tax credits and research funding. It also includes battery policies and regulations as well as battery safety standards. Federal, state and local policymakers can search the database by keyword and filter results by federal agency or state, battery chemistry, policy status and topic – from aviation and defense to ultracapacitors and the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
As batteries play a critical role in electrification of the transportation sector, decarbonizing the economy, improving resilience of homes and businesses and expanding national grid storage, demand is only expected to grow. That means ready access to relevant federal, state and local laws, regulations, policies and incentives is essential.
NREL’s ability to maintain comprehensive, national datasets was key in the development of the database, Software Developer Matt Rahill said in a press statement. With the database, “users in one state can learn about what other states are doing, learn from each other and share information related to current battery laws and incentives,” he said.
Stakeholders at each level of the supply chain can use the database to gain an understanding of existing regulations “for all aspects of the battery life cycle and supply chain including production, distribution, use and recycling," NREL's Ted Sears, an advanced vehicle and fuels regulations senior project leader, said.
"By using the database to host all policies and incentives in one place, it allows users to easily find the information they are looking for. The database will help propel work relevant to the battery supply chain, stationary energy storage, federal fleet electrification, as well as work with automobile manufacturers on production of EVs," he said.
Collecting information for the database “was like the Wild West because not many pieces of previous legislation have focused on critical supply chain for batteries," said Carrie Giles, director of transportation at ICF, the consultant that worked with NREL. Built before the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the tool has been used by state legislators to guide EV and battery policy and as a resource for members of the growing battery industry.
The database “allows stakeholders in the private and public sectors to identify what is still needed, and it will ultimately create more opportunity for private sector investment in all parts of the battery life cycle," Sears said. "The breadth of information provided by the database in all aspects of battery supply is really helping to build a responsible, sustainable circular economy within the United States for these batteries."
The new batteries database will expand as new topic areas, program details and websites emerge, Giles said.