A group of electric vehicle battery and materials manufacturers — under the leadership of former Energy Department officials — is launching a new lobbying coalition to angle for additional federal dollars under the Inflation Reduction Act, a move they argue is critical to competing with China.
The group, dubbed the “Battery Advocacy for Technology Transformation,” or BATT, represents domestic companies or those with U.S. subsidiaries. It’s being spearheaded by a group of industry leaders and former Energy Department officials.
A top priority in the coming year will be beefing up the amount of incentives companies can secure under portions of the Inflation Reduction Act, including ratcheting up credits for the cost of battery materials and components under the law’s 45X manufacturing production tax credit. One of the 2022 law’s main goals was to move manufacturing of batteries and other clean energy technology to the U.S. and its allies and reduce U.S. dependence on adversaries like China.
The group is also poised to push for the passage of a bipartisan bill by Senate Intelligence Chair Mark Warner (D-Va.) and ranking member Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) aimed at boosting diplomatic efforts to secure diverse critical mineral supplies.
