We will initiate a battery cell production in Germany – economy minister

Germany will initiate a domestic battery cell production in the framework of the federal government’s upcoming industrial strategy, said economy minister Peter Altmaier at a press conference after a meeting with Maros Sefcovic, the European Commission vice president and EU energy chief. "The details cannot be revealed today, but we are in full preparation.  […] We will have a round table in Berlin in November where we can start the entire process,” he said. The German initiative can be seen as part of the European Battery Alliance, launched in October 2017. The aim is to provide initial support to help European companies compete in the international market. “The political support will help them overcome the problems in the starting phase,” said Altmaier.

W/Minister @peteraltmaier @BMWi_Bund on ways to take the #EUBatteryAlliance further. Decisive steps are being taken by #Germany's govt & industry. @EU_Commission set to support cross-border coop, next generation technologies as well as regions active in the #battery value chain. pic.twitter.com/pTCro2qXd9

— Maroš Šefčovič (@MarosSefcovic) September 18, 2018

Find a video of the press conference in English here.

For background, read the CLEW article Chinese-German battery cell deal key step for mobility transition.