Domestic, circular supply chain for EV batteries

The use of passenger electric vehicles (EVs) is expected to rise to 28% by 2030 and 58% by 2040, globally. The existing supply chain for EV batteries relies mostly on recycling to close the loop to recover critical minerals such as cobalt, nickel, or copper. However, conventional battery recycling methods are energy-intensive, produce significant quantities of greenhouse gases, and lead to large volumes of waste deposited in landfills.

To catalyze the transition from a linear to a circular supply chain for domestic EV batteries, the U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects - Energy (ARPA-E) has announced $36 million for 13 projects to accelerate technologies and pursue solutions to extend battery life and facilitate repair and reuse to reduce waste.

SeaLion Energy, a startup company founded by Reeja Jayan, professor of mechanical engineering and fellow of the Scott Institute for Energy Innovation, was selected to receive $1.6 million to develop a low-cost and low-greenhouse gas coating technology that significantly extends battery cycle life. SeaLion Energy’s project, known as TARDIS-J (Tunable Activation & Regeneration in Devices using In-Situ Jamming), will also reduce waste by regenerating “dead” battery cells.

Redefining the future of energy storage, SeaLion Energy’s patented innovation also reduces charging times and improves operating safety.

“We need to rethink the way batteries are manufactured from the ground up so that every element can be carefully designed, taking into consideration not just cost and performance but also what happens to the battery at end of life,” said Jayan. “When an EV driver wants to upgrade their vehicle, the battery should live on at a grid storage facility to power peoples’ homes; it shouldn’t sit in a landfill.”

Each of the 13 ARPA-E funded projects will be managed under the Catalyzing Innovative Research for Circular Use of Long Lived Advanced Rechargeables (CIRCULAR) program.

“ARPA-E turns bold ideas into transformative breakthroughs,” said ARPA-E Director Evelyn N. Wang. “We identified the need for more effective alternatives to the current battery recycling paradigm. I look forward to seeing how these CIRCULAR projects develop regeneration, repair, reuse, and remanufacture technologies to create a sustainable EV battery supply chain.”

U.S. Congresswoman Summer Lee celebrated SeaLion’s achievement, “With projects like this, Pittsburgh is proving itself as a national leader in clean technology and sustainable innovation. Federal investments in transformative projects like SeaLion’s TARDIS-J are critical not only to supporting local talent and job creation but also to advancing a sustainable future. This is what it means to invest in our communities—solutions that benefit the people and the planet.”

We need to focus on innovations that lead to cost-effective, scalable solutions that prolong battery life and reduce waste.

Reeja Jayan, Professor, Mechanical Engineering

With funding and comprehensive support from the Scott Institute for Energy Innovation, The Manufacturing Futures Institute, The Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship, and The Center for Technology Transfer and Enterprise Creation, Jayan credits CMU for helping to accelerate the spin-out of her startup company.

“I am very grateful for this support,” she said. “I hope SeaLion Energy’s story can serve as a blueprint for the entrepreneurial pursuits of CMU students and faculty.”

With climate change no longer just a possibility, but a reality, Jayan believes that everyone who is capable of doing something to mitigate it, should.

“Instead of mining entire ecosystems out of existence to collect very limited minerals, we need to focus on innovations that lead to cost-effective, scalable solutions that prolong battery life and reduce waste. By doing so, we can realize a fully circular and domestic EV battery supply chain for the USA.”