Federal officials at the Department of Energy (DoE) may soon have to explain the government’s “illicit transfer of a $15 million, taxpayer-funded advanced battery technology” developed by a U.S. laboratory to a Chinese firm.
Teri Donaldson, the department’s inspector general, confirmed to senators John Barrasso (R-Wyoming) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) in an October 5 letter that “the apparent transfer of vanadium redox battery technology to China” authorized by DoE officials is being investigated.
Vanadium redox batteries—originally developed in 2006 by the U.S. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory—are rechargeable, hold energy longer, and could soon replace lithium ion batteries, according to the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)….