SOUTHFIELD, Mich., May 13, 2020 – The United States Advanced Battery Consortium LLC (USABC), a subsidiary of the United States Council for Automotive Research LLC (USCAR), and a collaborative organization of FCA US LLC, Ford Motor Company and General Motors, has reissued a ‘Beyond Lithium-Ion’ request for proposal information (RFPI) for development of a lithium electrode based cell and manufacturing for automotive traction applications.
The RFPI was reopened due to a strong and continued interest in this area. The primary objective of this RFPI is to identify developers having lithium electrode technologies meeting the USABC goals for lithium-based cell and/or lithium electrode manufacturing set forth in the full USABC RFPI document: https://uscar.org/commands/files_download.php?files_id=509. Respondents may either reply towards the lithium-based cell goals, lithium electrode manufacturing goals or both. If a developer has a cell technology that is not based on lithium electrodes but can still meet the aforementioned goals, USABC would welcome proposals based on the developer’s technology.
USABC seeks industrial-scale development consistent with intended high-volume automotive usage, supported by a detailed cost model for the lithium-based cell and/or lithium electrode manufacturing, respectively.
All developers or development teams submitting proposals will be required to demonstrate that they have the potential to develop a commercially viable business, which can produce sufficient volumes, and provide engineering and testing support, to meet automotive requirements.
Research organizations with current, direct affiliations with businesses that derive a majority of their income from related product sales will also be considered.
At the time of submittal, all developers will be required to have demonstration hardware and test results available for USABC inspection. Resulting contracts will include a 50 percent minimum cost share.
The RFPI will remain active indefinitely to allow more submissions from individual developers as well as collaborative R&D/supplier teams.
For complete and detailed information on the RFPI for the “Development of Lithium Electrode Based Cell and Manufacturing for Automotive Traction Applications,” visit the USABC pages of the United States Council for Automotive Research LLC (USCAR) website at www.uscar.org/usabc. In addition, developers may contact Maureen LaHote, USABC business manager, at mlahote@uscar.org.
Enabled by a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy, USABC’s mission is to develop electrochemical energy storage technologies that support commercialization of hybrid, plug-in hybrid, electric and fuel cell vehicles. In support of its mission, USABC has developed mid- and long-term goals to guide its projects and measure its progress.
About DOE
The U.S. Department of Energy’s overarching mission is to advance the national, economic and energy security of the United States. DOE’s Vehicle Technologies Office works with industry, academia and national laboratories to develop advanced transportation technologies that can enable more affordable mobility, strengthen domestic energy security, reduce our dependence on foreign sources of critical materials and enhance U.S. economic growth. Electrochemical energy storage has been identified as a key enabling technology for advanced, fuel-efficient, light and heavy-duty vehicles.
About USCAR
USCAR is the collaborative automotive technology company for FCA US LLC, Ford Motor Company and General Motors. The goal of USCAR is to further strengthen the technology base of the domestic auto industry through cooperative research and development. For more information, visit www.uscar.org.
All USCAR Member companies have joined in becoming signatories of the Responsible Raw Materials Initiative (RRMI, now part of the Responsible Minerals Initiative, RMI) Declaration of Support.