Europe promises all-out assault on batteries to counter China’s lithium-ion domination
- Reference: 1611746766
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2021/01/27/europe_battery_investment/
- Source link:
The goal of the project is to not only spur new innovations in battery technology as the world moves toward a more sustainable future and away from fossil fuels, but also shield Europe from an over reliance on China, which currently dominates the market. Europe hopes to be self-sufficient in batteries as soon as possible.
[1]
The program is called the European Battery Innovation project and follows the launch of the European Battery Alliance in 2017. The big news – apart from the hard cash – is that 42 companies, including Tesla and BMW, have already signed up. Others include Fiat Chrysler, Arkema, Borealis, Enel X, Solvay and Sunlight Systems.
Funding has come from 12 of the 27 EU countries, most importantly Germany and France, and the EU said it hopes the clear financial commitment will attract private money, saying it hopes to bring in €9bn – more than three times what the nation states are fronting.
[2]
Watt's next for batteries? It'll be more of the same, not longer life, because physics and chemistry are hard [3]READ MORE
The EU held a [4]news conference and put its Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager on stage to put a spotlight on the plan.
“For those massive innovation challenges for the European economy, the risks can be too big for just one member state or one company to take alone,” Vestager said. “So, it makes good sense for European governments to come together to support industry in developing more innovative and sustainable batteries.”
“We now have the historic chance to build a greener, more digital and resilient Europe,” she said. “To tackle climate change, we have to transform how we power our world, how we heat our homes – and how we travel and move between places.”
Renewable energy storage
Electric vehicles are the main focus of the battery program, especially as they are seen as a relatively easy way to reduce carbon emissions, especially given the growing number of high-quality cars now on the market.
The batteries in such vehicles, however, accounts for roughly a third of the vehicle’s cost. Future innovations are likely to push those vehicles into the same price and performance bracket as traditional petrol cars.
As well as electric cars, the EU also noted that batteries are increasingly important for the storage of renewable energy, particularly solar and wind energy. Tesla has scored a [5]notable success deploying massive battery farms in Australia to make power grids work more effectively.
[6]
Despite a significant number of European countries already having their own batteries programs, the idea behind the European Battery Innovation project is to offer pan-European economies of scale for battery companies by pooling resources. To do so required some special state aid rules to be approved, the EU said. ®
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[3] https://www.theregister.com/2020/12/30/beyond_lithium_ion_batteries/
[4] https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/STATEMENT_21_229
[5] https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a31350880/elon-musk-battery-farm/
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[7] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Hmmmm
Cornwall. In Europe, just not in the EU.
Meanwhile, we're going to have to duplicate all this in the UK if we want to export UK-built EVs to the EU. IiRC HMG has already promised we'd be the leading place in the world for this which means that we don't stand a chance.
Re: Hmmmm
we're going to have to duplicate all this in the UK if we want to export UK-built EVs to the EU
I wondered how long before the first ill-informed Brexit whinge would appear. Read the withdrawal agreement: UK EVs will not face additional tariffs as long as they meet the right %age of EU parts, just like any EU manufacturer. Using an EU battery would obviously be OK, and Nissan is considering building a UK battery plant anyway.
This initiative is being described as a "new Airbus", so expect US and Chinese trade sanctions any day now :)
Re: Hmmmm
Under the UK-EU trade deal, UK made EVs will be able to be sold tariff and quota-free to EU consumers, provided enough of the car is of UK or EU origin. The problem is that the UK government tried and failed to get batteries included in the diagonal recognition of origins. This means that a battery imported from Japan and included in a UK-assembled Nissan would tip the contents of that Nissan over the threshold and so that Nissan is no longer sufficiently of UK/EU origin.
This will be the reason why Nissan has now announced it is creating a battery factory in the UK and why the government is so busy supporting UK based battery production. If the UK doesn't start producing batteries on this island, the UK EV industry is f*cked.
This is a good read regarding the challenges: [1]Brexit, batteries and the fate of the British car industry
So, if you have somewhat of a business plan for battery production and went to school with/lived next door to a cabinet minister you can expect to pick up millions in government funding to solve this issue.
[1] https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2021/01/25/brexit-batteries-and-the-fate-of-the-british-car-industry/
Re: Hmmmm
This means that a battery imported from Japan and included in a UK-assembled Nissan would tip the contents of that Nissan over the threshold and so that Nissan is no longer sufficiently of UK/EU origin.
Which is exactly why this story is about the EU creating a battery initiative to build batteries in the EU , and therefore why it doesn't mater to the UK, which will be able to use either EU- or UK-sourced batteries & still meet the UK/EU quota.
It would only be a problem for the UK EV industry if the batteries still had to be imported from outside the EU/UK.
Re: Hmmmm
Spain, apparently:
https://www.spglobal.com/_division_assets/images/articles/lithium-supply-is-set-to-triple-by-2025.-will-it-be-enough/lithium-mines.jpg
Re: Hmmmm
also Portugal
[1]https://www.savannahresources.com/assets/mina-do-barroso/
[1] https://www.savannahresources.com/assets/mina-do-barroso/
Re: Hmmmm
Seawater would probably do. Doesn't alter the fact that this is barely disguised handout to the car industry.
Northvolt
I was surprised to see them missing from the press release but fortunately they are involved too.
Northvolt are on my ones-to-watch list as they are doing some very interesting things ( [1]Battery gigafactory energises the frozen north and [2]Europe’s Tesla rival is fixing the huge battery recycling mess ) and have the investment to back it up ( [3]Northvolt: $3 Billion For 2 Battery Gigafactories In Europe ).
I would love if it El Reg sent a reporter to see how they are getting on.
[1] https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2020/12/26/battery-gigafactory-energises-frozen-north/
[2] https://www.wired.co.uk/article/electric-car-battery-recycling
[3] https://cleantechnica.com/2020/08/06/northvolt-3-billion-for-2-battery-gigafactories-in-europe/
state aid program to build a full production chain for battery tech
I'm not anti-EU, but I can see the project developing thus: 2022: €2.9bn has been spent, another 3 - 5bn pumped in. 2022 - onward: no news of any kind on the project (keep pumping). Year 2047: on page 34646 of the yearly report on "projects temporarily suspended": state aid program to build a full production chain for battery tech
I WOULD like to be an optimist. Not that it matters, eh, brexit means brexit, and the above can be easily replicated to indicate, I dunno, that 6th generation British-developed fighter jet? Or that London-north fast rail connection? Or Heathrow expansion plan take 36? Obviously, our expenditure would not match the size of what the EU is willing to spend, but... not for lack of trying!
Re: state aid program to build a full production chain for battery tech
Small nitpick, this is not EU funding. These are a bunch of countries, all EU members, that have joined forces and put their own money in a pot to accelerate these developments. The only role for the European Commission has been to give a seal of approval that the project has been designed to not fall foul of EU state aid rules. Apparently it doesn't have a market-distorting effect, probably because joining the project was open to every company and every member state.
The giveaway should be that it lists which countries are involved, you would not see that for an EU project. The fact that it's such a merry band of countries (and some notable countries missing) also shows that these are all countries that have some businesses in this field already and that they would like to support without falling foul of state aid rules. Countries that don't have a foothold in this sector already have clearly passed on the opportunity.
"To do so required some special state aid rules to be approved, the EU said."
Oh-ho! Betcha we get in trouble for doing the same thing here!
Two threads needed
Lithium based batteries for vehicles and sodium or maybe sulphur based batteries for grid applications
Grid applications? ROFLMAO!
The Oz battery was a vanity project by Elon Musk. It's useless as storage for the grid for any reasonable length of time. What it does do, and I think this may have been unexpected, is provide second-by-second frequency control. Apparently the installation makes good money doing that.
Battery tech isn't going to get more energy dense or even much more energy-cheap in a big step, so energy storage on the scale of even Dinorwig is not going to happen soon. And Dinorwig only works for 6 hours or so at full chat.
The car industry doesn't need more state aid
Most of the beneficiaries, espeically Tesla, have virtually zero costs when raising new capital so this money will either end up as dividends or share buy backs.
This money would be far more effective if spent on research for the catalytic creation of hydrocarbons and fuel cells. Unlike the physics around energy density of Lithum batteries, which set some firm limits, the chemistry (and biochemistry) around creating hydrocarbons using renewable energy does look like it can be done below cost. This would give us a safe, efficient and fungible way to store excess renewable energy, which would be carbon neutral at minimum. If we can then develop fuel cells that can use what's produced we can create more efficient vehicles and reduce our dependency on energy imports.
But this is just another example of politicians chasing the lamplight…
Re: Hydrocarbon synthesis with renewable energy
They could build the first plant close to a fusion power station. The synergies.will save them lots of money.
Hmmmm
Where are we going to get the Lithium from in Europe?