NAATBatt 2026 Recycling & Lifecycle Management Workshop

Registration for the Workshop is now OPEN! Click here for more information and to register. NAATBatt will hold its 9th annual workshop on lithium battery recycling and lifecycle management on July 7-8, 2026, at Michigan State University's MEC Center in Troy, Michigan. The workshop will examine the technologies, business models and economic challenges involved in recycling and reusing lithium batteries in North America. Building a secure supply chain of battery materials in North America may ultimately depend heavily on the "urban mining" of battery materials. Learn about the prospects for lithium battery recycling and reuse in North America and meet the companies and experts that are already doing business in this sector.

Affordable Power Conference & Expo: Innovative Energy Storage for Grids & Data Center

NAATBatt and NY-BEST are partnering on a new conference and expo focused on the energy storage and power generation needs of data centers and grid operators. Affordable Power Conference & Expo: Innovative Energy Storage for Grids & Data Centers will be held on November 3-5, 2026 at the On Center in Syracuse, New York. The Expo will be a free-to-attend event offering companies providing energy storage and energy generation products to data centers and other microgrids the opportunity to highlight their expertise and meet potential customers. The Expo will be co-located with a conference discussing the policy drivers, economics, and innovative new energy technologies shaping this rapidly growing market. Watch this newsletter for more information about this program and for a link to the exhibitor prospectus.

NAATBatt 2027 Annual Meeting & Conference

It is not too early to start planning for NAATBatt 2027. NAATBatt 2027, the 18th annual meeting of NAATBatt International, be held on February 8–11, 2027, at the Westin Rancho Mirage in Rancho Mirage, California, just outside Palm Springs. The NAATBatt annual meeting features presentations by leading consulting firms and market analysts about various sectors of the battery market, in-person meetings of all 18 NAATBatt communities, short Member Update Presentations by NAATBatt member firms, and simply the best networking available anywhere in the North American advanced battery industry. Mark your calendar and watch this newsletter for updates about NAATBatt 2027.

ALERT: UPDATED DATABASE RELEASED!

NAATBatt Lithium-Ion Battery Supply Chain Database

Since 2021, NAATBatt has retained the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) (formerly the National Renewable Energy Laboratory), to produce a comprehensive database of all companies in North America active in the lithium-ion battery supply chain. The database can be accessed by clicking here: NLR/NAATBatt Lithium-Ion Battery Supply Chain.

NAATBatt membership dues pay for the database. As a public service, NAATBatt makes the database available to all users. The database is a public resource intended to make doing business in the North American lithium-ion supply chain easier and more efficient. Thanks to all NAATBatt members for doing their part to make this available to everyone!

Under its contract with NAATBatt, NLR, with the assistance of Avicenne Energy, updates the database every six months. Updates identify new companies active in the lithium-ion market and reflect changes in the industry. NLR released the latest update on April 1, 2026.

The updated database now identifies more than 1,000 companies and more than 1,200 facilities involved in manufacturing, supplying, designing or supporting lithium-ion battery technology in North America. It includes companies involved in mining, material processing, electrode/cell/pack manufacturing, cell component production, recycling/repurposing, and supporting infrastructure such as equipment makers, R&D startups, services, consulting, product distributors, and professional services.

Access the database now to make use of this resource. If your company or facility is not listed but should be, complete the online questionnaire to be include in the next update. Companies are encouraged to review the database and send any corrections to LIB.SupplyChain@nlr.gov.

New NAATBatt Website

Check-out NAATBatt’s new website! Visit us at: www.naatbatt.org. Certain information and resources are available exclusively to members, and an account is required to access this content. Employees of all NAATBatt member firms should register to gain entry to the private member portal. The portal contains links to special resources and tools. For a guide on how to register and take advantage of this new NAATBatt member only resource, go to: https://www.naatbatt.org/blog/welcome-to-the-new-naatbatt-website

NAATBatt Communities

NAATBatt has 18 active subject matter committees/communities, offering NAATBatt members a way to hear about new developments in 18 different sectors of the advanced battery industry. And here's the kicker: It costs nothing to join a NAATBatt committee and participate in the community discussions. Just sign up here. NAATBatt subject matter communities are the new "water cooler" of the North American advanced battery industry: the place to hear the scuttlebutt about what is really going on. It makes no sense not to join.

Click here for a list of upcoming meetings.

New Members

NAATBatt welcomes Silver member Hanwha Advanced Materials America, a Hanwha Group subsidiary. The company provides materials for ESS, xEV, and automotive applications, including StrongLite GMT, supporting protection, lightweighting, and thermal management. Its solutions are lightweight, structurally and thermally robust, and design-flexible. It collaborates with ESS integrators, automotive OEMs, and Tier 1 suppliers to reduce system weight, lower ownership cost, and improve battery thermal stability. The company has manufacturing sites in Alabama and Texas. Learn more at http://www.hanwhaus.com/.

Member Press Releases

ZincFive has surpassed 2 gigawatts (GW) in power delivered or contracted globally, reinforcing the growing adoption of nickel-zinc as a preferred alternative to legacy battery technologies in data center infrastructure.

Click here for the full news release.

NAATBatt members interested in publishing press releases about developments at their companies in this section of the newsletter should send their releases by e-mail to Vivian Yu at NAATBatt by Thursday of each week.

Community Pulse

Unlocking What’s Next: Key Events and Funding Opportunities in Military Energy

The April Military Batteries Community meeting highlighted continued momentum across policy, innovation, and collaboration within the military energy ecosystem. During the session, the role of the Military Power Sources Consortium (MPSC) was emphasized in connecting industry with the Department of War, advancing domestic manufacturing, and aligning stakeholders through white papers, events, and technical initiatives.

Key policy updates included progress on Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer reauthorization, evolving compliance considerations tied to global supply chains, and increased focus on National Defense Authorization Act requirements shaping drone and defense energy priorities. The group also reinforced the importance of strengthening a unified voice for U.S. cell manufacturing.

Featured presentations underscored both near- and long-term innovation opportunities. The NSF Energy Storage Engine shared updates on its $160 million regional initiative to accelerate battery innovation, support startups, and expand collaboration across industry, academia, and government. New “Mega Boost” grants – ranging from $500,000 to $1 million – will support larger-scale, high-impact projects, particularly in safety, advanced manufacturing, and AI-driven energy solutions.

Additionally, Nano One highlighted advancements in lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathode production, including its “one-pot” process designed to reduce costs, energy use, and reliance on foreign supply chains while enabling scalable, North American manufacturing.

Looking ahead, members were encouraged to engage in upcoming events such as the Power Sources Technical Working Group coming up in Tuscaloosa, AL, the Defense Power and Energy Conference in Falls Church, VA, June 23-25, 2026, and to take advantage of emerging funding and partnership opportunities across the battery ecosystem.

Want a seat at the table? Join the Military Batteries Community by completing the participation form here.

Li-Bridge Corner

Li-Bridge Spring Update — Monday, May 11, 1 PM ET

The Li-Bridge Spring Update will take place on May 11, 2026. We invite all interested participants to join representatives from the Federal Consortium for Advanced Batteries (FCAB) for the latest updates on advanced battery supply chain programs and policies across federal agencies.

As always, the session will include dedicated time for Q&A to address industry questions and feedback. If there are specific topics you would like covered, or if you would like to be added to the invitation list, please contact Dave at David.Roberts@libridge.org.

Advanced Battery Industry News

Amazon has increased its planned investment in Mississippi data centers to a total of $25 billion and will create 2,000 jobs. The expansion includes an additional $11 billion in Madison County and $1 billion in Hinds County to transform a former Delphi manufacturing plant. (Source: Amazon News)

CATL announced its board has approved a proposal to establish a 30 billion yuan ($4.4 billion) subsidiary, Time Resource Group (Xiamen), that will serve as the company’s platform for investment, operation, and management in the new energy minerals sector. (Source: Gasgoo)

POSCO Future M (subsidiary of POSCO Group) has selected Song Cong II Industrial Park in the northern province of Thai Nguyen to build its battery materials plant in Vietnam. With total investment exceeding $400 million, construction is expected to begin in 2H26 with operations slated for 2028. Once completed, the plant will have a designed capacity of 55,000 tonnes per year. (Source: Bac Ninh)

Rivian and Redwood Materials have formed a partnership to deploy energy storage at Rivian’s Illinois manufacturing facility. Using over 100 2nd-life Rivian battery packs, the companies will initially provide 10 megawatt-hours (MWh) of dispatchable energy to reduce cost and grid load during peak demand periods.

(Source: Rivian & Redwood Materials)

IONNA (founded by BMW, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis and Toyota) announced a partnership with Circle K to expand access to electric vehicle (EV) charging across the United States. The objective of the collaboration is to expand to over 350 sites featuring Rechargeries @ Circle K with a plan to begin serving customers by the end of 2026. (Source: IONNA)

Stellantis and Microsoft announced a 5‑year collaboration aimed at accelerating Stellantis’ digital transformation through the co‑development of AI, cybersecurity and engineering capabilities. Stellantis is modernizing its infrastructure using Microsoft Azure, targeting a 60% reduction in datacenter footprint by 2029. (Source: Stellantis)

Lightshift Energy and the Blue Ridge Power Agency (BRPA) announced a partnership to deploy a portfolio of battery energy storage systems (BESS) projects across Virginia in collaboration with Central Virginia Electric Cooperative, Craig-Botetourt Electric Cooperative and the City of Salem Electric Department. The first 5 projects are currently under construction and are expected to be online in 2026. The initial project portfolio will save the BRPA utilities approximately $100 million over project lifetimes. (Source: Lightshift Energy)

CATL and SAIC-GM-Wuling (SGMW) have signed a partnership agreement to collaborate on fast-charging technology and battery swap businesses. Under the pact, the two will jointly develop a fast-charging solution that takes under 10 minutes to charge a battery to 80% (from 10%). As part of the tie-up, SGMW will select CATL as the core power battery partner for its lineup of over 15 EV models.(Source: CnEVPost)

TSR Group (part of the REMONDIS Group) and BASF announced an agreement to recycle EV batteries in Europe. The collaboration includes services such as the dismantling and discharging of end-of-life batteries and the processing of spent batteries into black mass. (Source: BASF)

Vertiv and CPower Energy announced a collaboration to help data centers in the United States accelerate speed-to-power and improve grid capacity by turning BESS and other behind-the-meter energy assets into grid resources. Vertiv has integrated its Vertiv™ EnergyCore Grid BESS with CPower’s VPP platform to help data centers use behind-the-meter storage and other energy assets for demand response and other grid services. (Source: CPower Energy)

Xcel Energy announced the expansion of its solar and battery energy storage at its Plant X site near Earth, Texas, and at the Cunningham Generating Station near Hobbs, New Mexico. The company is seeking to add a 150MW-plus surplus BESS. If approved by regulators, the BESS would be operational in 2027. (Source: Xcel Energy)

Navarre and Hithium have signed an agreement to advance in "the development, construction and operation" of the future gigafactory of BESS and cell. The factory involves an investment of around 400 million euros ($471 million). (Source: Hithium)

SINEXCEL has supplied twelve 1725kW (kilowatt) Power Conversion Systems for a Latvia wind farm energy storage project. The 20.64MWh BESS, co-located with the Tārgale wind farm, has commenced commercial operations. (Source: SINEXCEL)

BYD and Yum China Holdings (conglomerate that owns the KFC brand in China) have signed an agreement to install flash charging equipment at KFC drive-thru locations across the country. The "9-minute one-stop human and vehicle refueling" could bring an EV to 97% (from 10%) in 9 minutes. (Source: Yahoo Finance)

EV Realty announced the opening of its multi-fleet truck charging hub in San Bernardino with 76 high-power charging ports and 9 MW of capacity. The site is designed to serve all makes and models of medium- and heavy-duty trucks. Kempower supplied the charging hardware. (Source: EV Realty)

Apogee Power (Taiwan-based) has selected Liberal, Kansas as the location for its U.S. manufacturing plant. The facility will support the assembly, testing and distribution of the company’s lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery systems and related energy storage technologies. (Source: Kansas Dept of Commerce)

The Department of the Air Force (DAF) is planning to build and operate one or more advanced artificial intelligence data centers at three DAF installations (Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Eielson Air Force Base and Clear Space Force Station) in Alaska. (Source: DAF)

Eos Energy Enterprises (Eos) and TURBINE X Energy announced a Joint Development Agreement (JDA). Under the JDA, the companies will integrate Turbine-X/s gas-fired generation with Eos’ Indensity™ battery architecture to deliver reliable, on-site power at the speed and scale AI infrastructure demands. (Source: Eos)

The Vatican has selected Elli (Volkswagen Group’s energy and charging brand) as a mobility service partner for its EV fleet. (Source: Volkswagen Group)

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have uncovered a path to design superionic polymer electrolytes for solid-state batteries and other energy applications. The scientists demonstrated that by controlling the chemical composition of a lithium salt-based polymer, a material could be created that enables superfast transport of ions in batteries and other energy storage technologies. (Source: ORNL)

The DOE and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) along with GM, Stellantis and MathWorks will launch the EcoCAR Innovation Challenge. 20 universities have been selected. Managed by ANL, the event is the 15th installment of DOE's Advanced Vehicle Technology Competitions series, which challenges students to design and build intelligent mobility solutions using emerging technologies, such as AI for engineering tools, machine learning and exascale computing. (Source: ANL)

Ascend Elements has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. (Source: Reycling Today)

Source: CRU Group

Executive Director's Notes

Advertisements and Announcements