European Union

The European Union is pledging to throw additional cash at projects that support plans for an EU-wide battery cell manufacturing industry to compete with Asia.

The move comes one-year after the launch of the EU Batteries Alliance initiative— which has been heavily criticised for favouring investments in lithium-based technologies for future electric vehicles while attacking the bloc’s lead-acid industry.

Now EU energy chief and European Commission vice-president, Maroš Šefčovič, has said around €1 million of new funding could be made available under a newly-launched ‘Interregional Partnership for Batteries’ (IPB)— “to promote European cooperation across public authorities, research, and industry” in support of the Batteries Alliance.