HOUGHTON, MI— Michigan Tech is getting more than $8.1 million dollars to develop ways to recycle electric vehicle batteries.
The money comes from the U.S. Department of Energy through last year’s bipartisan infrastructure law.
More than 1.2 million electric vehicles have been sold in the U.S. over the past two years. Officials say demand for EV battery minerals—such as lithium and graphite—is projected to increase by as much as 4,000 percent in the coming decades. But America currently does not produce enough of the minerals and battery materials needed to power clean energy technologies.
Officials say the funding will support efforts at MTU to strengthen the recycle and reuse segment of the domestic battery supply chain, which will enable accelerated battery production in the U.S. and help to mitigate battery supply chain disruptions.
