Lithium Battery Site Cabinet Report

Establishing a domestic supply chain for lithium-based batteries requires a national commitment to both solving breakthrough scientific challenges for new materials and developing a manufacturing base that meets the demands of the growing electric vehicle (EV) and electrical grid storage markets.

Given the reliance on batteries, the electrified transportation and stationary grid storage sectors are dependent on critical materials; today's lithium-ion batteries include several critical materials, including lithium, cobalt, nickel, and graphite.13 Strategic vulnerabilities in these sources are being recognized.

Benchmark Mineral Intelligence forecasts U.S. lithium-ion battery production capacity of 148 GWh by 2028,29 less than 50% of projected demand. These projections show there is a real threat that U.S. companies will not be able to benefit from domestic and global market growth, potentially impacting their long-term financial viability.

This National Blueprint for Lithium Batteries, developed by the Federal Consortium for Advanced Batteries will help guide investments to develop a domestic lithium-battery manufacturing value chain that creates equitable clean-energy manufacturing jobs in America while helping to mitigate climate change impacts.

The U.S. should develop a federal policy framework that supports manufacturing electrodes, cells, and packs domestically and encourages demand growth for lithium-ion batteries. Special attention will be needed to ensure access to clean-energy jobs and a more equitable and durable supply chain that works for all Americans.

The worldwide lithium-battery market is expected to grow by a factor of 5 to 10 in the next decade.2 The U.S. industrial base must be positioned to respond to this vast increase in market demand that otherwise will likely benefit well-resourced and supported competitors in Asia and Europe.