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					</table><p>The U.S. Department of Energy (<a href="https://www.energy.gov/nnsa/national-nuclear-security-administration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DOE</a>) announced the closing of a $2.5 billion loan to <a href="https://www.ultiumcell.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ultium Cells</a>, a joint venture between General Motors (<a href="https://www.gm.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GM</a>) and <a href="https://www.lgensol.com/en/index" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LG Energy Solutions</a>, to construct three new lithium-ion battery manufacturing units in Ohio, Tennessee, and Michigan.</p>
<p>The battery cells will meet the requirements of electric vehicles (EVs) amidst a growing demand in the country.</p>
<p>The funding will directly support the goal of having EVs cover over half of all new vehicle sales by 2030 while bolstering net zero targets by 2050.</p>
<p>It is the first loan closed by the Loan Programs Office (LPO) – an affiliate of DOE &#8212;  which is exclusively for a battery cell manufacturing project under the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) program</p>
<p>In July this year, LPO issued a conditional commitment for the loan to Ultium Cells to produce large format, pouch-type cells that use uncommon chemistry to fetch more range at a lower price. These cells can be arranged in various combinations to provide clean and reliable energy for all vehicles running on the road currently.</p>
<p>Ultium Cells aims to use the expertise of GM to mitigate 100% of tailpipe emissions from its new U.S. light-duty vehicles by 2035. GM will also use loans to upgrade its capacity to produce over a million EVs annually in North America by 2040 while making all its products carbon-free.</p>
<p>The project is expected to create over 11,000 jobs, including 6,000 construction jobs and 5,100 jobs in operations across the three facilities and over 700 United Auto Worker jobs in the newly organized Warren, Ohio facility.</p>
<p>U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “This loan will jumpstart the domestic battery cell production needed to reduce our reliance on other countries to meet increased demand and support President Biden’s goals of widespread EV adoption and cutting carbon pollution produced by gas-powered vehicles.”</p>
<p>The loan closing comes after the launch of the American Battery Materials initiative by President Biden in October this year. To help build out the battery mineral and material supply chain in the U.S., the President also declared $2.8 billion in grants from DOE.</p>
<p>Until October, the DOE said it had received 98 applications for projects across America totaling more than $104 billion in requested loans and loan guarantees.</p>
<p>The Inflation Reduction Act <a href="https://mercomindia.com/inflation-reduction-act-a-gamechanger-solar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed</a> in August makes additional investments in ATVM by appropriating $3 billion for the costs of direct loans, which will be available through September 2028.</p>
<p>Earlier this year, the DOE <a href="https://mercomindia.com/us-seeks-public-weigh-in-for-lithium-ion-battery-recycling-program/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued</a> a Request for Information to help guide the implementation of $335 million investments from the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for lithium-ion battery recycling programs.</p>


US Loans $2.5 Billion to Ultium Cells for Lithium-ion Battery Manufacturing


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					</table><p>Europe is expected to achieve a battery cell production capacity of 124 GWh during 2022, with significant Asian cell producers expanding operations in the region and extensive investments in many newly established European cell gigafactories.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.isi.fraunhofer.de/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research</a> (ISI) has forecast battery cell production will quadruple to over 500 GWh in the next three years and up to 1.5 TWh by 2030.</p>
<p>The latest numbers reveal that Europe will likely accommodate around a quarter of global battery cell production capacities by the end of the decade, with current announcements for the construction of battery cell factories covering at least 15 European nations.</p>
<p>Fraunhofer ISI predicts that until the end of the current decade, new cell-producing factories in Germany will contribute the largest share of 400 GWh battery cell production in Europe. The current global automotive sector is focused on battery-electric drives as it helps mitigate large amounts of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Even sustainable power storage solutions are based on battery cells.</p>
<p>Such a rise in demand for batteries calls for a rapid build-up of manufacturing facilities with capacities that would meet the needs of diverse sectors. Fraunhofer ISI&#8217;s researcher Lukas Weymann said, &#8220;The rapid development in Europe&#8217;s battery cell production is largely driven by European players such as <a href="https://northvolt.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Northvolt</a>, Volkswagen (<a href="https://www.vw.com/en.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">VW</a>), and Automotive Cells Company (<a href="https://www.acc-emotion.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ACC</a>). The three mentioned have jointly announced about a third of Europe&#8217;s cell production capacities.&#8221;</p>
<p>Northvolt has aggressively implemented its expansion <a href="https://mercomindia.com/northvolt-raises-2-75-billion/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">strategies</a> across the region with a target to achieve a maximum battery cell production capacity of 40 GWh from five factories once the construction is completed.</p>
<p>Overall, more than 40 cell producers have announced the establishment of battery factories in Europe, including non-European cell makers such as China&#8217;s CATL and Tesla with their planned German cell factories. With their Eastern European factories, South Korea-based cell producers LG Energy Solution and Samsung SDI will also establish a large share of European cell production.</p>
<p>Germany, France, and Italy are set to get battery cell facilities with the ACC&#8217;s announcement on the construction of gigafactories in the three countries. ACC benefits from the support provided by the Important Project of Common European Interest (<a href="https://www.ipcei-me.eu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IPCEI</a>) launched by the <a href="https://european-union.europa.eu/index_en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">European Union</a>. The car manufacturers Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis, and French battery producer Saft, are shareholders in ACC and would also share the investments in establishing the cell production factories.</p>
<p>India has also witnessed a drastic rise in demand for batteries with increased sales of electric vehicles. According to a joint report <a href="https://mercomindia.com/india-annual-battery-market-could-surpass/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">published</a> by NITI Aayog and the Rocky Mountain Institute, the country&#8217;s annual battery market is likely to surpass $15 billion (~₹1.12 trillion) by 2030, pushing the battery demand to 260 GWh in an &#8216;accelerated scenario&#8217;.</p>


Europe’s Battery Cell Production Capacity to Increase to 1.5 TWh by 2030

<p><a href="https://solidpowerbattery.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Solid Power</a>, an all-solid-state rechargeable battery cells manufacturer, reported a revenue of $2.2 million in the first quarter (Q1) 2022, a 358% year-over-year (YoY) increase compared to $480,000 in Q1 2021.</p>
<p>The company&#8217;s net loss increased to $10.3 million in Q1 2022, up 43% YoY from $7.2 million during the same period last year.</p>
<p>The company attributed the net loss to the increase in operating expenses driven by planned investments in product development and the scaling of operations.</p>
<p>Solid Power manufacturers all-solid-state rechargeable battery cells for electric vehicles and mobile power markets. It replaces the flammable liquid electrolyte in a conventional lithium-ion battery with a proprietary sulfide-based solid electrolyte. Solid Power&#8217;s all-solid-state battery cells are claimed to be safer and more stable across a broad temperature range, increased energy density compared to the other available rechargeable battery cells, and are compatible with traditional lithium-ion manufacturing processes.</p>
<p>The company&#8217;s pilot line is expected to begin producing EV-scale cells for internal testing during the third quarter.</p>
<p>Commenting on the financial results, Doug Campbell, Chief Executive Officer of Solid Power, said, &#8220;During the first quarter, we made meaningful progress towards delivering on the accelerated investment timeline we shared previously. We are now nearing completion of our EV cell pilot line, while other investments in our operating and development capabilities remain on track. We believe these ongoing investments are key to ensuring we meet the initial stages of automotive qualification while delivering long-term value.&#8221;</p>
<p>Last May, Solid Power <a href="https://mercomindia.com/funding-and-ma-roundup-solid-power/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">raised</a> $130 million in a Series B investment round led by the BMW Group, Ford Motor Company, and Volta Energy Technologies. Ford and the BMW Group had also expanded existing joint development agreements with Solid Power to secure all-solid-state batteries for future electric vehicles.</p>
<p>When asked about building partnerships with Ford and BMW during the quarterly earnings call, Campbell confirmed that the company is in talks with them.</p>
<p>Previously, Solid Power and Decarbonization Plus Acquisition Corporation III (DCRC), a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), <a href="https://mercomindia.com/battery-company-solid-power-to-go-public/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> a $1.2 billion worth definitive agreement for a business combination, resulting in Solid Power becoming a publicly listed company.</p>


Battery Company Solid Power Reports 358% YoY Increase in Revenue in Q1 2022

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