WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) today announced $36 million for 13 projects to accelerate development of enabling technologies and solutions to catalyze the transition from a linear to a circular supply chain for domestic electric vehicle (EV) batteries. These projects will be managed under the agency’s Catalyzing Innovative Research for Circular Use of Long-lived Advanced Rechargeables (CIRCULAR) program and will pursue solutions that extend battery life and facilitate repair and reuse to reduce waste.  

“ARPA-E turns bold ideas into transformative breakthroughs,” said ARPA-E Director Evelyn N. Wang. “We identified the need for more effective alternatives to the current battery recycling paradigm. I look forward to seeing how these CIRCULAR projects develop regeneration, repair, reuse, and remanufacture technologies to create a sustainable EV battery supply chain.”

The percentage of passenger vehicles on the road that are EVs is expected to rise to 28% by 2030 and 58% by 2040, globally. The existing supply chain for EV batteries relies mostly on recycling to close the loop to recover critical minerals such as cobalt, nickel, or copper. However, conventional battery recycling methods are energy-intensive, produce significant quantities of greenhouse gases, and lead to large volumes of waste deposited in landfills. CIRCULAR projects will advance methods to prolong battery cell life, develop modular battery packs that can be easily repaired, reused, and remanufactured; and build systems to enable rapid state of health diagnostics and autonomous robotic disassembly of battery packs to inform lifecycle extension tactics and increase recycling throughput cost-effectively.

Projects selected to develop these technologies include: 

• OnTo Technology (Bend, OR) will develop battery rejuvenation techniques for battery cells with different shape factors to simultaneously double the lifetime and reduce the cost of energy delivered. Battery rejuvenation is a process that involves sequentially removing electrolyte, cleansing electrodes, and replenishing the electrolyte. Cell design will need to be modified to facilitate the rejuvenation process. Unique features of the technology developed in the project include flexibility in terms of battery chemistry and potential for low capital and operating costs. ($3,565,804)
• Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN) will develop a first-of-its-kind, integrated software tool capable of analyzing the economic, environmental, and circularity performance of innovative technologies developed by other CIRCULAR teams to achieve a circular electric vehicle battery supply chain. The project brings together complementary expertise in the areas of technoeconomic analysis, life cycle assessment, circularity analysis, battery technologies, and critical material recycling. The tool is envisioned to be an open-source desktop application based on the high-level programming language Python, with an intuitive graphical user interface. ($2,500,000)
• SeaLion Energy (Pittsburgh, PA) will develop a low-cost and low-greenhouse gas coating technology that significantly extends battery cycle life. The nanoscale polymer coatings protect electrode particles from electrolyte reactions and particle cracking. In addition, the technology can dynamically activate through heating, regenerating degraded cells by repairing cracked particles. Key advantages include compatibility with multiple battery chemistries, minimal additional material use, and application via a scalable process used in semiconductor manufacturing. ($1,623,752) 
   

Access complete project descriptions for each of the projects set to receive funding through CIRCULAR here.

ARPA-E advances high-potential, high-impact clean energy technologies across a wide range of technical areas that are strategic to America's energy security. Learn more about these efforts and ARPA-E's commitment to ensuring the United States continues to lead the world in developing and deploying advanced clean energy technologies.  
 

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