Independent electric transport news covering aviation, maritime, buses, trucks, rail and working machinery.
Volkswagen, PowerCo and Gotion plan lithium iron phosphate battery production sites in Spain, Slovakia and Morocco. The move is intended to strengthen Europe’s EV battery supply chain.
Volkswagen Group, PowerCo and Gotion High-tech said they are forming three joint ventures tied to LFP battery supply chains in Spain, Slovakia and Morocco. The planned projects point to expanded regional battery production capacity, but the input does not provide full project details.
BMW has opened a new €1 billion battery plant in Germany to supply Gen6 batteries for the new BMW i3. The plant is intended to support the model’s battery supply as BMW prepares the vehicle with up to 906 km of WLTP range and 400 kW charging, according to the source.
The US Department of War has awarded Amprius a $75 million grant to convert a civilian EV battery production line for military drone batteries. The move matters because it redirects battery manufacturing capacity from electric vehicles to defense use.
The article says Europe’s battery value chain has faced setbacks but does not start from scratch. It argues that the Industrial Accelerator Act should provide incentives to help materialise and scale projects.
BMW has begun battery output for the Neue Klasse at a plant in Bavaria. The faster-than-planned ramp-up suggests the program is moving quickly and will test BMW’s battery supply chain from the start.
Transport & Environment (T&E) said its analysis of the EU's planned local content requirements for batteries concluded that a sufficient number of 'Made in EU' battery cells will be available by 2030. The source says this contradicts current claims by the automotive industry.
ACEA has presented a study examining whether the European battery supply chain could meet the requirements of the draft Industrial Accelerator Act. The EU is debating the draft package, which aims to boost production and competitiveness within the Union.