Sec. 220. Pilot program to facilitate the development of electric vehicle battery technologies for warfighters
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The Secretary of Defense may establish and carry out a pilot program to assess the feasibility and advisability of providing support to domestic battery producers, particularly those producing lithium-ion cells and battery packs— to facilitate the research and development of safe and secure battery technologies for existing as well as new or novel battery chemistry configurations; to assess existing commercial battery offerings within the marketplace for viability and utility for warfighter applications; and to transition such technologies, including technologies developed from pilot programs, prototype projects, or other research and development programs, from the prototyping phase to production.
The pilot program established under paragraph
(1)shall be known as the Warfighter Electric Battery Transition Project (referred to in this section as the Project ). The Secretary may carry out the Project through the award of support, as described in subsection (a)(1), in the form of grants to, or contracts or other agreements with, battery producers, particularly those producing lithium-ion cells and battery packs. A recipient of a grant, contract, or other agreement under the Project may use the amount of the grant, contract, or other agreement to carry out the following: Conducting research and development to validate new or novel battery chemistry configurations, including through experimentation, prototyping, testing, integration or manufacturing feasibility assessment. Providing commercially available technologies to each Secretary of a military department and the commanders of combatant commands to support utility assessments or other testing by warfighters. Building and strengthening relationships of the Department of Defense with nontraditional defense contractors in the technology industry that may have unused or underused solutions to the specific operational challenges of the Department. In awarding grants, contracts, or other agreements under the Project, the Secretary shall give preference to technology producers that— manufacture battery cells, packs, and modules in the United States; manufacture battery cells, packs, and modules in the national technology industrial base (NTIB); provide modularity to support diverse applications; facilitate safety in tactical and combat applications by using chemistries that reduce thermal runaway and minimize oxygen liberation; facilitate optimal use in light- medium- and heavy-duty applications by providing a minimum of 400 Wh/L of volumetric energy density; demonstrate new or novel battery chemistry configurations, safety characteristics, or form-factor configurations; facilitate the domestic supply chain for raw materials; and offer commercial products or commercial services and maintains customers with verified purchase orders. The Secretary may not commence the Project until the Secretary has completed a plan for the implementation of the Project, including— collecting, analyzing, and retaining Project data; developing and sharing best practices for achieving the objectives of the Project; identification of any policy or regulatory impediments inhibiting the execution of the program; and sharing results from the program across the Department, and with elements of the Federal Government, including the legislative branch of the Federal Government. The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering shall administer the Project. The Project shall terminate on December 31, 2028.