President Joe Biden's administration's efforts to make sure components for electric vehicle manufacturing don't have to be imported are moving ahead, thanks to funding from last year's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg made that point when he took to social media last weekend, shortly after billions of dollars in loans were announced by the U.S. Department of Energy.
"It's time to make sure EV components are made right here in America - and this administration is doing just that," Butigieg said in a Dec. 17 Twitter post.
The Department of Energy announced the loans in a news release issued Dec. 12, saying the money was going to Ultium Cells LLC, a joint venture between General Motors and LG Energy Solutions, the latter based in South Korea. The venture between the two companies will make EV batteries, supporting General Motors' pledge to be all-electric by 2035, with plans to phase out production of conventional gas and diesel-powered engines during the intervening years.
The loan is intended to address growing demand for EVs in the United States, according to Energy's news release. Money for the three facilities is expected to create more than 11,000 jobs, including more than 700 United Auto Worker union jobs in the newly-organized facility in Warren, Ohio.
The Ultium Cells loan is Energy's first intended only for battery cell manufacturing and is intended to encourage Ultium Cells to manufacture large format, pouch-type cells that use state-of-the-art chemistry to deliver greater range for less energy, according to a DOE Loan Programs Office release. Ultium Cells is expected to supply General Motors lithium-ion battery cell for EV battery packs.
In October, the Biden administration committed $2.8 billion from last year's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to fund 20 manufacturing and processing projects in 12 states, a fact sheet issued by the White House reported.
"All projects will develop enough lithium to supply over two million electric vehicles annually and establish significant domestic production of graphite and nickel," the face sheet said.
