EU aims to become the second largest battery manufacturer after China by 2025
The European Union wants to regain lost ground in the battery sector. By 2025, the EU will be able to produce battery cells for at least seven million electric vehicles annually, Federal Economy Minister Peter Altmeier, his French counterpart Bruno Le Maire and EU Commission Vice President Maros Sefkovic write in Guest article for Handelsblatt.
“When we founded the European Battery Alliance three years ago, the battery industry in the EU was not even close to establishing itself in global competition. Since then, we have made remarkable strides. ”
Recently, "giant steps" have been taken in the development of the industry. The EU "is able to strengthen economic sovereignty and independence in a strategically important sector." Shefkovic and other leading EU politicians formed the European Battery Alliance in 2017 to reduce the domestic auto industry's dependence on Asian battery cell manufacturers.
The Alliance currently supports nearly 70 industrial projects, with 3 to 4 million jobs expected to be created in this sector by 2025.
“By 2025, we intend to become the second largest battery cell manufacturer in the world after China. Moreover, about 30 announced projects should largely satisfy the EU's demand for batteries for electric vehicles, ”Shefkovic said.
According to him, 2020 was the year of electric vehicles in Europe, as the market reached historic highs - in particular, more than 1 million electric vehicles were registered, which effectively doubled their number on EU roads.