The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy is issuing, on behalf of the Vehicle Technologies Office, this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA). Projects awarded under this FOA will be funded, in whole or in part, with funds appropriated by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), Public Law 117- 58, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).
The BIL is a once-in-a-generation investment in infrastructure, which will grow a more sustainable, resilient, and equitable economy through enhancing U.S. competitiveness in the world, creating good jobs, ensuring stronger access to these economic benefits for disadvantaged communities. The BIL appropriates more than $62 billion to DOE to deliver a more equitable clean energy future for the American people.
The BIL will invest more than $7 billion in the batteries supply chain over the five year period encompassing fiscal years (FYs) 2022 through 2026. This includes sustainable sourcing of critical minerals from secondary and unconventional sources, reducing the need for new extraction and mining; sustainable processing of critical minerals; and the end-of-life battery collection and recycling. This FOA and any related activities support BIL section 40208. The sections are focused on Electric Drive Vehicle Battery Recycling and Second-Life Program which includes:

• second-life applications for electric drive vehicle batteries that have been used to power electric drive vehicles; and
• technologies and processes for final recycling and disposal of the [electric drive vehicle batteries].

It is critical that the projects not only contribute to the energy technology and climate goals, but also (1) support the BIL objectives to invest in America’s workforce
by including specific elements to accelerate job growth and job quality; and (2) advance DOE’s equity, environmental and energy justice priorities, including DOE’s
commitment to the Justice40 Initiative. The Justice40 Initiative establishes a goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments will flow to
disadvantaged communities (DACs), and that projects will have minimal negative impacts on communities with environmental justice concerns.