Feds Give UT Dallas $30 Million to Help the US Beat China on Battery Tech
The US Department of Defense is looking to improve America's battery technology expertise, and it's giving the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) $30 million to figure out how to do that.
UTD will create a new campus dedicated to energy storage systems. This could include vehicle batteries as well as household power, though the DoD did not specify.
Researchers will focus on optimizing existing lithium ion batteries as well as exploring alternatives. China currently leads the world on battery tech, frequently making headlines for next-generation batteries with ultra fast charging and high range.
The DoD also seeks to reduce dependence on "scarce critical minerals" used in the batteries, most of which are mined abroad. Finally, the program includes workforce development to create jobs and support the broader industry in the long-term.
"The US battery manufacturing workforce will need to increase by at least 100,000, and we need to educate young generations of engineering students to be properly prepared," says Dr. Kyeongjai Cho, a professor of materials science and engineering, who will lead the project.
The funds were awarded through the Scaling Capacity and Accelerating Local Enterprises (SCALE) initiative, a DoD program aimed at growing technologies considered "essential to national security."
UTD won the grant through an application process, and this is the largest the university has ever received from a federal agency. “This initiative is a tremendous opportunity to showcase UTD’s mission of research, service and teaching in the context of accelerating workforce development and next-generation solutions that are critical to our nation’s economy and defense readiness,” says UTD President Richard C. Benson.
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