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All news, insights and events

EU Commission and U.S. Department of Energy support collaboration between the European Battery Alliance and U.S. Li-Bridge Alliance to strengthen supply chain

Batteries are critical to a clean energy economy. They help decarbonise the transport and energy sectors, by electrifying vehicles and providing stationary storage for the renewable-powered grid. Advancing the battery supply chain therefore requires an all-hands-on-deck, global approach.

On 14 March 2022, the Commission and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced support for a collaboration between the European Battery Alliance and the U.S. Li-Bridge alliance to accelerate development of robust supply chains for lithium-ion and next generation batteries, including the critical raw materials segments.

Bolstering the clean energy economy and strengthening the battery value chain is a top priority for the European Union and the United States. This is in step with their commitment to address the climate crisis and accelerate the transition to clean energy, through renewables, energy efficiency and necessary technologies like batteries.

With each passing year, the growing urgency of the climate crisis demands swifter action, smarter solutions, and more comprehensive collaboration. The European Battery Alliance and U.S. Li-Bridge Alliance are collectively assuring the resilience of battery supply chains by

  • developing sustainable industry capacity that can satisfy a growing demand for batteries in transportation and energy systems
  • researching next generation, high performing and sustainable battery technologies
  • ensuring sustainable and ethical sourcing of critical raw materials
  • accelerating battery recycling and reuse, including recovering critical raw materials
  • investing in the battery workforce
  • prioritising the environmental justice when supporting the broader transition to a clean energy economy

In the months ahead, EIT InnoEnergy and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) will lead efforts between the two alliances to build bridges across the battery ecosystems and conduct forums to carry out specific collaborative efforts to ensure resilient battery value chains.

We, at EIT InnoEnergy, are honored to see that our efforts to create a competitive and sustainable battery industry in Europe has been recognised by the US administration as a model to follow. Indeed, since the launch of the European Battery Alliance in 2017, EIT InnoEnergy has brought together a project-driven community of over 700 public and private actors, from mining to recycling, with the common objective to build a strong and competitive European battery industry.

In the margins of this announcement, an official visit takes place this week in the US to meet with several American actors in the field. Besides Vice President Maros Šefčovič, the delegation will comprise of Dagmara Koska (EU Delegation to the USA), Diego Pavia (CEO at EIT InnoEnergy), Benoit Lemaignan (CEO at Verkor), Mark Vasu (US Operations Manager at EIT InnoEnergy), and Ilka von Dalwigk (Policy Manager at EIT InnoEnergy).

The delegation will notably visit the Lawrence Berkeley National Labs (LNBL), the California Energy Commission, Cuberg, Quantumscape, and Stanford University. As part of the programme, EIT InnoEnergy will facilitate a CEO Roundtable on Thursday 17 March on the opportunity for exchange with entrepreneurs developing solutions in batteries and e-mobility and a discussion related to EU-US opportunities for collaboration.

Read the EU Commission article here: https://ec.europa.eu/growth/news/european-commission-and-us-department-energy-support-collaboration-between-european-battery-alliance-2022-03-14_en

Scroll down for a full itinerary on Thursday 17 March.

Itinerary for Thursday 17 March

1. Lawrence Berkeley National Labs (LBNL)
Visit two locations on campus in Berkeley (CA), who are conducting cutting edge battery research: The Advanced Light Source (ALS) and The Molecular Foundry.

2. CEO Roundtable Discussion
An opportunity for exchange with entrepreneurs developing solutions in batteries and e-mobility and a discussion related to EU-US opportunities for collaboration.

3. California Energy Commission
Hosted by David Hochschild, Chair, California Energy Commission and colleagues, who oversee California’s environmental goals for California, the world’s 5th largest economy.

4. Cuberg
A fully owned subsidiary of Northvolt that is commercializing an ultra-lightweight lithium metal battery technology to power electric flight, and Cuberg’s San Leandro HQ contains both R&D and pilot production capabilities.

5. Quantumscape
Executives attending the meeting: Jagdeep Singh (Founder & CEO), Fritz Prinz (Founder & Chief Scientific Advisor), Tim Holme (Chief Technical Officer), Celina Mikolajczak (Chief Manufacturing Officer), Jay Underwood (VP Head of Sales)

6. Stanford University
Brief stop on campus to meet with students and faculty.