DOE Launches BattMan to Shore Up Battery Supply — SkimNews
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- BattMan launched by DOE to speed development and deployment of advanced battery technologies, with PNNL leading and Argonne National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the National Laboratory of the Rockies participating alongside five university partners; PNNL says the consortium will use cost-focused R&D, digital twins and AI-enabled manufacturing tools, and platform technologies applicable to all energy storage chemistries.
- Bloomberg NEF analysis cited by DOE projects U.S. battery demand across transportation and grid management rising from 179 GWh in 2025 to 707 GWh in 2035.
- Benchmark Mineral Intelligence forecasts data centers could account for one-quarter of total U.S. battery demand by 2030, a projection DOE cited in its "A National Strategy for American Leadership in Batteries" white paper.
- China controls between 60% and 100% of global production capacity across several critical stages of battery materials and components — "a serious vulnerability for American industry and national security," Audrey Robertson said — while China and other Asian countries host nearly all global cathode, anode and separator manufacturing and nearly 93% of electrolyte manufacturing.
- DOE says recent U.S. investments in battery cell and pack manufacturing have not been matched by investments in precursor components, creating gaps in the domestic supply chain.
- DOE announced $500 million in August for seven projects expanding critical minerals and materials processing, battery manufacturing and recycling, including a pilot of ultra-thin lithium-metal films and "prelithiated" material that Robertson said could enable higher-energy, faster-charging batteries.
- BattMan carries three strategic objectives: establish a "mine-to-market" domestic supply chain by 2030, develop batteries that are more affordable, longer lasting, higher performing and less reliant on critical minerals, and scale deployment in sectors critical to national security.
Why it matters: DOE's own accounting shows the gap is upstream: U.S. cell and pack investment has outpaced precursor-component production, while China controls 60% to 100% of capacity at several critical stages. With data centers projected to account for a quarter of U.S. battery demand by 2030, BattMan's mine-to-market goal goes after the thinnest link.
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