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"We thank President Trump and Congressional leaders for recognizing that America’s battery future must be built by American companies in the U.S., not by foreign adversaries. From cars and delivery trucks to ambulances and tanks, everything that moves in America depends on critical minerals. Maintaining the Section 45X tax credit for domestic manufacturing of battery components is crucial for enabling U.S. companies to invest in long-term domestic mineral processing, recycling, and recovery infrastructure, thereby reducing our reliance on unreliable foreign sources for materials essential to our national and economic security.

Responsible Battery Coalition Executive Director Steve Christensen told The Epoch Times that while the battery business is a tough one to be in, the wider issue has more to do with what China is doing “to restrict access to the materials than it has to do with any single company or groups of companies that might fail.”

Christensen of the Responsible Battery Coalition said policymakers should treat the issue as one of national security, arguing that Western countries had become “overly reliant on a single geopolitical adversary for minerals foundational to both national defense and civilian life.” “For the U.S., the path forward must include onshoring processing capacity, scaling domestic recycling, and building strategic mineral alliances with trusted partners. Otherwise, this crisis will repeat itself again and again,” he added. Some baby steps towards building an antimony supply chain outside of China are being taken. Clarios, owned by global investment firm Brookfield, said last month it was scouting locations for an up to $1 billion critical minerals processing and recovery plant in the U.S. that will extract antimony among other minerals.

Join CQ Roll Call and the Responsible Battery Coalition (RBC) for a timely breakfast discussion on safeguarding America’s critical minerals supply chain and strengthening U.S. battery innovation. As global tensions rise and supply chains face disruption, this summit will focus on the urgent need to protect the foundational technologies that power our economy and defend our nation.

Importantly, Backhaul Alaska also shows that the private sector is ready and willing to help. For example, the program has collected more than 500,000 pounds of lead-acid car, truck, snow machine, ATV, boat, tractor and other heavy equipment batteries since 2018. These batteries are shipped south for recycling, supported in part by the Responsible Battery Coalition, which helps facilitate the packing, shipping and recycling of the majority of those batteries, and has returned more than $50,000 back to the program as payment for the battery cores. Backhaul Alaska uses this money to defray program costs, extending the funding the program receives from other sources.

Initially, automakers will likely try to absorb any increase in the cost of their batteries without raising vehicle prices, but that may not be sustainable if China’s restrictions remain in place, Christensen said. A 25% tariff Trump put on all imported automobiles and auto parts cars already was expected to increase costs, although the president hinted this week that he might give the industry a temporary reprieve.

"As the demand for batteries continues to grow, so must our ability to create a closed-loop system for sourcing, using, recycling, and recovering battery materials,” Christensen says. “Without a closed-loop system, we remain dependent on foreign sources for battery materials, making the system essential to our economic and national security

It was certainly not a coincidence that the President announced his interest in Greenland right after a November discovery of antimony on Greenland. Antimony is used in starter batteries in every vehicle in America. No antimony means no starter batteries, and no starter batteries means no modern economy.

To unleash America’s energy dominance, we must secure our battery independence.

The event received support from Ferrari Beverly Hills, Avants, Tesla, and the Responsible Battery Coalition through car displays and donations. Waymo contributed by offering 1,000 free rides to attendees traveling to and from the event.

“It is a privilege to join the Petersen Automotive Museum in supporting the heroic LA County first responders,” said Adam Muellerweiss, RBC president and VP of corporate affairs at Clarios. “It is an inspiration to see the car community come together to honor the dedication and bravery of those who are truly the best of America.”

Mr. Trump and the new Republican Congress must ensure that this system stays up and running. Republicans are eager to slash government spending, but they need to be sure not to drive up the cost of American battery manufacturing. If battery prices rise too high or too fast, then we could face the real threat of China dumping cheap, poorly made batteries into our market in an attempt to bankrupt our companies. China has run this playbook before with other strategically significant industries like steel, and China will do it again if we let it.

"Thank you, President-elect Donald Trump, for leading on this issue. Permitting reform is key to unleashing billions of dollars of investment critical to our energy independence. As a coalition of companies actively investing in America, we look forward to working with you, your team and Congress to strengthen, protect, and expand our essential U.S. battery supply chain. Americans' national, economic, and personal security depends on it. These are batteries critical in EVERYTHING that moves.” - Adam Muellerweiss, President of the Responsible Battery Coalition & CSO at Clarios.

RBC President Adam Muellerweiss has just been named a 2025 Wisconsin Titan 100, demonstrating his exemplary leadership in innovation and the global Circular Economy! A well-deserved honor.

The bipartisan resolution expresses concern about the elevated levels of lead in one-third of the world’s children and the global causes of lead exposure, and calling for the inclusion of lead exposure prevention in global health, education, and environment programs abroad.

“Disturbingly, lead poisoning remains a severe threat to children's health and welfare in low- and middle-income countries,” said Steve Christensen, executive director of RBC. “In some of those regions, 50 percent of children have dangerously high blood lead levels due to exposure from consumer goods, industrial contamination, and improper recycling methods. This simply cannot continue.”

How the strengths in aspects of electric vehicle development vary by nation.

“For the first time in more than a decade, demand for electricity is growing, driven in part by EVs and other moves toward electrification that are occurring, including large data centers, crypto mining and the advent of AI, to mention a few additional sources that are driving demand,” said Steve Christensen, executive director at the Responsible Battery Coalition.

Electrification and decarbonization of transportation are among the most pressing challenges facing the United States and international trucking and energy industries. Freight carriers worldwide are looking for ways to transition their fleets to electric vehicles, lower their overall carbon footprint, and become more fuel-efficient. Fortunately, the transportation sector offers one of the most readily available opportunities to make significant progress in advancing electrification while decreasing carbon emissions.

Steven Christensen has worked with former presidents, and now he's leading the Responsible Battery Coalition, an organization focused on the responsible management of today’s batteries--and those yet to be imagined. Listen to his story in this episode of the Asher Marketing Podcast.

By collecting and recycling e-waste, Backhaul Alaska has successfully removed over 300,000 lbs. of lead acid batteries from The Last Frontier. Their efforts ensure that this waste is responsibly recycled and returned to the World’s Circular Economy. Backhaul Alaska is also hoping to expand its services to include waste management for agencies, businesses, and development projects in Alaska. Reilly Kosinski, the Statewide Coordinator with the Backhaul Alaska Program joins Veronica Dudo to discuss. #IN AMERICA TODAY #trending #ewaste #pollution #environment #sustainability

Mindful of the fast pace that electric vehicles are replacing gas-powered engines, the Responsible Battery Coalition is poised to help shepherd the reuse, recycling and responsible disposal of these and other batteries in ways that meet environmental-protection and sustainability goals. Steve Christensen, the group's executive director, explains more about this mission and best practices for emerging battery technologies.

Addressing the challenge of providing charging options for multi-unit dwellings

“Depending where you live, you might be able to walk off the lot with an EV that’s similar in price to a hybrid or internal combustion vehicle,” said Steve Christensen, executive director of the Responsible Battery Coalition, a nonprofit coalition of companies committed to the responsible management of the batteries.

Advancements in battery technology are driven by many factors, including the need for a sustainable and efficient way to store energy in a safe way. As energy storage needs change, battery technology advances to meet them, says Steve Christensen, executive director of the Responsible Battery Coalition in an email interview. “For specific applications, such as electric vehicles (EVs), there's often a balance of how these needs are met.”

The results of a yearlong study by the Responsible Battery Coalition (RBC) comparing electric vehicle (EV) and internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle total cost of ownership (TCO) show that smaller vehicles of both types are cost-competitive while larger ones are more expensive.

The University of Michigan Finds that EVs are competitive to ICEVs when considering energy costs, insurance and purchase incentives, among other factors

In 2017, Clarios founded the Responsible Battery Coalition and partnered with the World Economic Forum to form the Global Battery Alliance to expand and accelerate the circular economy for the batteries of today and tomorrow. These efforts have brought together governments, NGOs, leading companies and academics to advance the development of an increasingly sustainable and circular battery economy.

John Kyte, communications director for the Responsible Battery Coalition, a national organization supporting Backhaul Alaska, said lead acid batteries are 99% recyclable and the lead can be reused indefinitely.

Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said, “The Backhaul Alaska program deserves our support, and I’m pleased to see the Responsible Battery Coalition joining forces with Alaskans...

This is the first time both Clarios and FedEx have been recognized for this award. Clarios is one of only 8 honorees in the Automotive industry and FedEx is the only honoree in the Transportation/Trucking/Railroad industry for this year. In 2023, 135 honorees were recognized spanning 19 countries and 46 industries, according to Ethisphere. 

“Li-Cycle lives up to the RBC’s Green Principles by putting the circularity in the circular economy and creating a new life for the critical minerals in lithium-ion batteries,” said Steve Christensen, Executive Director of the Responsible Battery Coalition

The RBC issued the following statement on the public-private partnership Li-Bridge’s “Building a Robust and Resilient U.S. Lithium Battery Supply Chain” report.

Since last year's State of the Union Address, the federal government has taken major first steps to lay the groundwork for a closed-loop recycling system for next-generation EV Batteries. It is important that America continue to innovate to reduce our dependence on foreign sources of key battery materials and advance a cleaner economy

Whether it’s advanced batteries for EVs or for energy storage, foreign pressures on strategic resources and the global supply chain are at odds with our domestic energy policies and ambitions.

We would like to publicly thank Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy for his long-standing and passionate support for global lead pollution prevention in low- and middle-income countries.

The Responsible Battery Coalition (RBC) today announced the launch of a comprehensive research project with the University of Michigan Center for Sustainable Systems to compare the total cost of ownership of gas and electric vehicles (EVs).

The Inflation Reduction Act signed into law by President Biden this month contains $3 billion to help the U.S. Postal Service decarbonize its mail-delivery fleet and shift to electric vehicles. On the heels of the Aug. 16 bill-signing ceremony at the White House, a new University of Michigan study

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Responsible Battery Coalition (RBC), a coalition of leading battery industry and battery-use stakeholders, issued the following statement regarding the incentives to stimulate wider adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) contained in the Inflation Reduction Act signed into law by President Joe Biden today:

Backhaul Alaska removed 100,000 pounds of spent vehicles and equipment batteries from bush communities. On the phone to talk about this work today are Dr. Lynn Zender, who is the executive director of Zender Environmental, and John Kyte with the Responsible Battery Coalition, where he’s the director of communications and programs

Anchorage, AK — The Responsible Battery Coalition (RBC) today applauded Backhaul Alaska’s successful 2021 program, which retrieved and recycled approximately 100,000 pounds of spent lead acid batteries from more than three dozen remote Alaskan communities.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Responsible Battery Coalition (RBC) today applauded the release of new research on improving electric delivery vehicle charging strategies from the Center for Sustainable Systems at the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability. The study found that electrifying vehicles is an effective way to lower a delivery fleet’s greenhouse gas emissions and may also lower a delivery fleet’s cost over the lifetime of the vehicle. A link to the study can be found here.

California has done more than any other state to facilitate the widespread adoption of electric vehicles, and it recently announced new measures to do so again. This time, however, the state is pursuing an EV policy whose tradeoffs have not yet been sufficiently evaluated.

In this installment of the Five Questions, Five Answers podcast, Birgit Matthiesen, Antonio J. Rivera, and James Kim invite Steve Christensen, the executive director of the Responsible Battery Coalition, to discuss how the USMCA impacts the North American battery industry.