U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced that the Department of Energy has awarded a total of up to $38.6 million to two companies in Western New York through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) for battery and electric vehicle manufacturing and development.
“This investment will help create and sustain jobs at two western New York manufacturing firms. We need new sources of energy that reduce reliance on foreign fossil fuels and lithium ion batteries are one of the most popular types of batteries for consumers and for our military,” said Schumer. “These funds will enable the production of this valuable technology and create jobs in the process.”
“This is the right investment for Western New York,” Senator Gillibrand said. “These federal dollars will help create new jobs, develop new technology to power our cars and our factories, and help rebuild our economy. I will continue working with Senator Schumer and the entire Congressional Delegation to make sure New York gets its fair share from the federal government.”
The funding from the Department of Energy is aimed at supporting the next generation of batteries and electric vehicles manufacturing and development throughout the country. These funds include a total of $1.5 billion for advanced battery manufacturing, $500 million for electric drive vehicle components manufacturing, and $400 million for transport electrification, including electric vehicle deployment and charging infrastructure and education and workforce training programs.
The funding for Western New York will be distributed as follows:
- Honeywell International, Inc in Buffalo will receive a share of $27.3 million for production of electrolyte salt (lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6)) for lithium-ion batteries.
- Pyrotek, Inc. in Sanborn will receive $11.3 million for production of carbon powder anode material for lithium-ion batteries.
Honeywell International is a diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and industry; automotive products; turbochargers; and specialty materials.
Pyrotek is an international company supplying aluminum, foundry, glass, zinc, steel, sound and hearth customers with performance improving technical products, integrated processing systems and consulting services worldwide.
Lithium ion batteries are common in consumer electronics. They are one of the most popular types of battery for portable electronics, with one of the best energy-to-weight ratios, no memory effect, and a slow loss of charge when not in use. In addition to uses for consumer electronics, lithium-ion batteries are growing in popularity for defense, automotive, and aerospace applications due to their high energy density.