Prospect of state support reignites German companies’ interest in battery production
Handelsblatt
The German government’s decision to subsidise domestic battery cell production has encouraged formerly wary German companies to rethink their stance on this industry segment, Klaus Stratmann, Kathrin Witsch, Stefan Menzel, and Martin-W. Buchenau write in Handelsblatt. Battery manufacturer VARTA has announced that it will enter battery cell mass production in cooperation with research institute Fraunhofer. Also, carmaker VW, which formerly said it would rely on Asian producers for its e-car batteries, now seems to have changed its view and announced that it will start its own battery cell production in cooperation with South Korea’s SK Innovation. A so-called giga factory for battery cells costs between four and five billion euros, the authors say.
Find the article in German here (paywall).
For background, read the article Chinese-German battery cell deal key step for mobility transition and the dossier Electricity storage is next feat for Germany’s energy transition.
