EV Manufacturing Boom in the US to Create Greater Testing Demand

A combination of new laws and policies implemented by the Biden administration – including the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the CHIPS and Science Act – have created an electric vehicle manufacturing boom in the United States.

In addition to providing direct incentives to US manufacturers and attempting to ease critical supply chain issues, these policies also aim to create more consumer demand for EVs by significantly expanding the nation’s network of EV charging stations and making US-made EVs more affordable. In response to these acts, major companies such as Honda, Toyota, Ford, Panasonic, and GM have already announced large investments in electric vehicle manufacturing, EV charger manufacturing, battery materials processing, and related industrial production.

Increased need for US testing services

This increase in US manufacturing will also naturally increase the demand for domestic product testing services. While this positive development will drive further investment and create jobs in product testing, EV batteries and EV chargers are highly specialized products that require extensive testing to ensure safety and durability. Testing technicians and engineers require deep scientific and regulatory expertise to ensure tests are performed accurately. OEMs will require US-based testing partners with EV-specific facilities, equipment, and expertise. Companies that have only just begun to enter the EV and battery testing markets will be at a disadvantage as they adapt to meet this need.

Element’s investment in the future

Informed by a 100-year history in automotive testing, Element has long anticipated the industry’s shift away from internal combustion engines and toward electric power. As the testing partner of choice for several leading automotive manufacturers, we recognized the sea change in the types of vehicles and components submitted for testing and began expanding our hybrid and electric vehicle capabilities years ago to meet customer needs and prepare for the future of automotive testing. Most recently, Element acquired the battery testing lab group Energy Assurance and expanded our Detroit testing facility to a footprint of over 60,000 square feet.

With a robust nationwide network of facilities designed for battery, EV systems, and full vehicle testing, Element already has the capacity to respond to the first wave of new EV manufacturing in the US with expert advisory and testing services. Element is continuing to invest in additional domestic battery and vehicle testing capabilities, with the expectation that electric vehicles will only increase in popularity and that manufacturing in the US will continue to grow in the coming years.

Beyond EV testing

In addition to testing the vehicle systems unique to EVs, Element has some of the broadest automotive testing capabilities in the US, with services ranging from polymer testing to full vehicle durability testing. Because EV batteries change the weight, thermal management needs, and functionality of many other vehicle components, Element has developed testing services that are specially adapted to all components in an electric vehicle, such as EV-specific fluids systems.

Element is proud to be a part of the global movement toward a green future, both as a testing partner for eco-friendly technologies like EVs and through our own environmental commitments. To learn more about our capabilities, expertise, locations, and testing methods, contact us or browse our capabilities pages. To learn more about how new policy changes impact US manufacturing, the full text of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the CHIPS and Science Act are available online.