Dear President Trump,
At the end of March, you sent an ambitious roadmap for American innovation to Michael Kratsios, your Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Your plan would support what you called “the uniquely successful American partnership of Government, industry, and academia that built the greatest and most productive nation in human history.”
Today, Battery Council International (BCI) writes to reiterate our long-standing commitment and support for such powerful partnerships. For more than 100 years, BCI’s members have proudly been at the forefront of American ingenuity and product innovation to power this nation’s cars, trucks, material handling equipment, data centers and the U.S. military.
Across that century of success, BCI and its members have regularly partnered with the U.S. National Laboratories – and their world-leading scientific prowess and expertise – to advance domestic technological leadership and to build America’s manufacturing power.
U.S. low-voltage and industrial battery manufacturing is a critical part of domestic supply chains. American manufacturers provide the batteries in F-150 pickups and U.S. military helicopters, submarines, police cruisers, farm equipment, semi-trucks and forklifts – keeping America’s economy moving and our military powered.
Beyond these essential applications, domestically manufactured batteries also protect our national security by providing data center and telecom backup power in emergencies and provide the “black start” energy reserves that keep our energy grid operational 24/7.
Today, the U.S. low-voltage and industrial battery industry directly provides more than 30,000 blue-collar manufacturing jobs across the nation, creating $10 trillion in downstream domestic economic output and supporting over 54 million onshore jobs in total. Under your plan to support continued growth and innovation, particularly through public-private partnerships, we know that impact will be even greater in the years to come.
U.S. National Labs use government scale to accelerate private sector growth
BCI’s 140 members include the largest domestic battery manufacturers, component suppliers, recyclers, and retailers. Some of these companies have operated for more than 125 years, supporting good-paying jobs across America’s heartland.
Our U.S. companies have thrived for more than a century because of their history of growth, innovation and a strong domestic manufacturing footprint. That includes successful public-private partnerships dating back decades.
In recent years, BCI and its members have participated in a number of forward-thinking R&D efforts in collaboration with the experts and scientists at U.S. National Labs. DOE-run facilities such as Argonne National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory represent the gold standard in scientific resources. BCI has seen firsthand that when these labs partner with innovative engineers in the battery industry, we can accomplish great things together.
Over the past decade, we have leveraged programs at National Labs that have been fully funded by private industry using cooperative research, and we have worked with the Department of Energy on key pre-competitive research programs with joint federal and private funding.
Our focus on real-world applications, rapid innovation, and tangible results make BCI and its members a great example of how national lab partnerships should work.
Support for domestic supply chains and fighting unfair competition from China
The American private sector can and does innovate independently. But the brutal reality is that many of our economic adversaries, most notably China, are not interested in a fair fight right now.
These rival nations pour trillions of dollars into R&D in a desperate bid to match the might of the U.S. economy and our national excellence in battery technology and energy storage innovation. At the same time, the last few years featured U.S. legislation and regulation that has put the domestic battery industry at a disadvantage.
We strongly believe U.S. manufacturers will always win in a fair fight and a level playing field. That means the responsible and targeted use of research facilities at our National Labs to support commercially focused energy storage R&D.
President Trump, we thank your administration for its commitment to leveraging the scientific prowess of the National Labs to support deeper investments in American innovation and economic growth. We agree with you that those investments will pay dividends for generations.
We look forward to continuing our partnership with the White House, the U.S. Department of Energy, and U.S. National Laboratories as we continue to pursue American greatness together.
In partnership,
Battery Council International
About BCI
Battery Council International (BCI) is the leading trade association representing the global battery industry and is the premier authority on energy storage solutions. Founded in 1924, BCI advocates and educates on behalf of battery manufacturers and recyclers, marketers and retailers, suppliers of raw materials and equipment, and battery distributors. With a unified voice, BCI conveys an industry-wide commitment to sustainability, safety and science. The organization continues to unite members within the battery industry to successfully communicate and protect through education, science and advocacy efforts the most successful circular economy on the planet. For more information, visit www.batterycouncil.org.
