WASHINGTON (June 16, 2021) – This week, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced funding for “electric vehicles, batteries and connected vehicle projects.” The American Chemistry Council issued the following statement, which may be attributed to Joshua Baca, ACC’s vice president of plastics:
“We welcome DOE’s plans to allocate $200 million in funding to further the domestic electric vehicle (EV) supply chain over the next five years. Supporting the modernization and expansion of EV infrastructure will help build a more resilient and sustainable future for our country.
“America’s plastic makers support national and global efforts to achieve a lower carbon future. Furthering our domestic EV infrastructure is key to achieving a 50-52% reduction from 2005 levels in net U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and reaching our national climate goal of net zero emissions economy-wide by 2050.
“To meet burgeoning demand for more sustainable, low-carbon vehicles, automakers rely on plastics and composites, which help increase vehicle safety, efficiency, driving range and design. Plastics are critical ingredients in the creation of EV battery housings, closures, encasements, connectors and EV charging stations.
“We are pleased to see that part of DOE’s announced funding is open to its network of national laboratories through its Vehicle Technologies Office. Both the automotive and plastics industries rely on cutting edge research and development (R&D) that DOE’s National Labs provide as we continue to innovate and improve our EVs and infrastructure to become global leaders in this sector. Increased funding of R&D will provide solutions to all stakeholders to further technologies that advance the proliferation of EVs.
“We value our ongoing collaboration with DOE, which provided input into our Roadmap for Future Mobility and our Roadmap for Transitioning Toward a Circular Economy. We look forward to joining efforts dedicated to building a more resilient infrastructure and sustainable future for our country.”
