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Advanced Batteries and Electric-Drive Vehicles of the Future

Oct/Nov 09
In early August, President Obama announced 48 new advanced battery and electric-drive projects in more than 20 states that will receive $2.4 billion in funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The projects were selected through a highly competitive process by the Department of Energy (DOE) and will accelerate the development of U.S. manufacturing capacity for batteries and electric-drive components as well as the deployment of electric-drive vehicles, helping to establish American leadership in creating the next generation of advanced vehicles, while creating tens of thousands of new jobs, according to the DOE.

Map of Federal Award Recipients for Advanced Battery and Electric-Drive Vehicles
The map indicates companies receiving awards under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for battery and electric drive manufacturing - including cell and battery pack manufacturers, suppliers and recyclers, and component and subcomponent makers - as well as those receiving awards for the manufacturer of advanced vehicles, transportation electrification projects, and educational institutions that are furthering this development.
Map Key
marker Advanced Battery Supplier
      Manufacturing
marker Electric-Drive Subcomponents
marker Advanced Battery Recycling
marker Cell and Battery Pack
      Manufacturing
marker Transportation Sector
      Electrification
marker Advanced Electric-Drive Education
marker Advanced Vehicle Electrification
marker Electric-Drive Components

"If we want to reduce our dependence on oil, put Americans back to work, and reassert our manufacturing sector as one of the greatest in the world, we must produce the advanced, efficient vehicles of the future," said President Obama.

Energy Secretary Steven Chu said, "These are incredibly effective investments that will come back to us many times over - by creating jobs, reducing our dependence on foreign oil, cleaning up the air we breathe, and combating climate change. They will help achieve the President's goal of putting one million plug-in hybrid vehicles on the road by 2015. And, most importantly, they will launch an advanced battery industry in America and make our auto industry cleaner and more competitive."

The announcement marks the single largest investment in advanced battery technology for hybrid and electric-drive vehicles ever made. Industry officials expect that this $2.4 billion investment, coupled with another $2.4 billion in cost share from the award winners, will result directly in the creation of tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs in the U.S. battery and auto industries.

The new awards cover the following areas:

• $1.5 billion in grants to U.S. based manufacturers to produce batteries and their components and to expand battery-recycling capacity;

• $500 million in grants to U.S. based manufacturers to produce electric drive components for vehicles, including electric motors, power electronics, and other drive-train components; and

• $400 million in grants to purchase thousands of plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicles for test demonstrations in several dozen locations; to deploy them and evaluate their performance; to install electric charging infrastructure; and to provide education and work force training to support the transition to advanced electric transportation systems.

President Obama announced the funding initiative at Navistar International Corp. in Elkhart, Indiana. Navistar will receive a $39 million grant to manufacture electric trucks that the company reports will ultimately create or save hundreds of jobs. Overall, seven projects in Indiana will receive grants totaling more than $400 million.

Vice President Joe Biden and four Cabinet members also visited other sites throughout the country in August to discuss the advanced battery and electric-drive projects. Specifically, Vice President Biden went to Detroit to announce over $1 billion in grants to companies and universities based in Michigan, which is to receive the largest share of grant funding of any state. Two companies, A123 and Johnson Controls, will receive a total of approximately $550 million to establish a manufacturing base in the state for advanced batteries, and two others, Compact Power and Dow Kokam, will receive a total of over $300 million for manufacturing battery cells and materials. Large automakers based in Michigan, including GM, Chrysler, and Ford, will receive a total of more than $400 million to manufacture thousands of advanced hybrid and electric vehicles as well as batteries and electric drive components.  

Note: This information was supplied by the Department of Energy.

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