Battery Council International has issued a rallying call for “long-overdue investment” in US supply chains for critical battery materials, saying North America’s economic future and national security depend on it.

BCI said on December 22 that, on balance, 2025 had been a year of progress for the North American energy storage industry, highlighting the recent US designation of lead as a critical mineral for the first time.

The trade body said this was an overdue recognition of lead’s foundational role in the American economy as the primary raw material in batteries that power nearly all cars and trucks on US roadways, among many other important applications.

BCI noted there had not been a new battery recycling center built in the US since 2009 — “in large part to permitting red tape and misconceptions about local impacts”.

At the same time, primary lead smelters as well as secondary lead recyclers have both declined, with a total of nine facility closures between 1990 and 2021.

However, BCI praised existing recyclers for doing their best to expand, despite current constraints and highlighted a recently-issued 10-year permit renewal for Ecobat’s City of Industry facility in California.

Additionally, Clarios has unveiled comprehensive supply chains upgrades that includes $6 billion in total US investments to increase domestic battery production and critical minerals recycling and processing.

“Increased capacity is in everyone’s interest,” BCI said, pointing to the trade body’s own data showing that the need for lead in battery production continues to increase at a 2% projected growth rate through 2027.

What’s more, AI and data center growth and the need for backup power will create exponential demand in the long term, building demand on top of the current projections.

“It all adds up to a battery materials supply chain under stress at a time of peak demand, and therefore an urgent need for investment and regulatory support.”