US Department of Energy launches BattMan Accelerator for battery manufacturing

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has launched the Battery Manufacturing (BattMan) Accelerator, a national consortium led by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). The initiative aims to accelerate the transition of energy storage innovations from laboratory discovery to domestic commercial manufacturing.

BattMan focuses on lowering manufacturing costs, speeding up development, and boosting US leadership in energy storage. The accelerator will also work to support critical mineral supply chains to reduce reliance on foreign sources. The program intends to use advanced manufacturing capabilities and data to identify production challenges early in the development process.

The DOE's broader national battery strategy includes goals to build a fully integrated domestic supply chain by 2030 and achieve US leadership in battery technology by 2035. This comes as US battery demand for transportation and energy storage is projected to increase from 179 GWh in 2025 to 707 GWh by 2035.