Angela Merkel | www.bestmag.co.uk

Merkel ‘sad’ at lack of battery cell production

German chancellor Angela Merkel has pledged to “whip up” the development of a made-in-Europe battery cells industry— but she held out the possibility of cooperation with international partners.

Merkel, who studied physics, said it was “unbelievably sad… that we cannot produce battery cells in the land of the founding fathers of electrochemistry (or) even the whole of Europe”.

Angela Merkel

germany

battery cells

asia

europe

Mennekes

Berlin urges EU to relax state-aid rules for battery investment

Angela Merkel: Photo: Bundesregierung/Kugler

Germany has started hush-hush talks with EU leaders aimed at relaxing state-aid rules so the government can pump cash into launching of a national battery cell production programme, BEST Battery Briefing has learned.

BBB understands Germany wants to set a faster pace of progress for Europe’s ‘Batteries Alliance’— with Berlin in the driving seat.

BMW batteries deal with CAT short-circuits EU

BMW has placed a “billion euro” order for electric vehicle batteries from China— because the firm ‘can’t wait’ for Europe to build a battery cells industry, according to its chairman.

Harald Krüger’s (pictured) announcement of a deal with Chinese lithium battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) is the clearest signal yet that Germany could break ranks with the EU over plans to create a European Batteries Alliance to compete with Asia.

bmw

Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL)

EU Batteries Alliance