Germany and France want to move up a gear in the race between Europeans and their international competitors, particularly in Asia, for the sustainable production of industrial batteries as part of the electrical transition in the automotive sector.
In a joint declaration adopted on Tuesday 18 December in Paris, French and German Economics Ministers Bruno Le Maire and Peter Altmaier pledged to "identify credible consortia" in this fast-growing field, "which include car manufacturers" and potentially manufacturers from other Member States, “with a view to taking a decision before the end of the first quarter of 2019".
It will then be up to the Commission to decide, "in the first half of 2019", whether these consortia will be eligible for public financial support as an Important project of common European interest (IPCEI).
If this timetable is respected, European car manufacturers will be able to order third generation European batteries starting end of 2019 to support the rise in electric cars by 2022.
Referring to the first validation of an IPCEI on the same day by the European Commission in the field of microelectronics (see other news), a French source considered that an "identical" IPCEI could emerge for the European production of sustainable batteries, with a macro-project divided into several interconnected industrial sub-projects.
The advantage of the IPCEI is that it facilitates the "first industrialisation" of an innovative product in compliance with European state aid rules, she added.
Battery storage cells must be efficient, affordable and produced in accordance with high social and environmental standards from the extraction of raw materials to their marketing.
Germany has mobilised €1 billion until 2022 to support the production of electric batteries in Germany. Accelerating its range of hybrid vehicles, the German manufacturer Daimler recently announced its intention to mobilise €20 billion to develop technologies in this field.
France also wants to support projects on its territory, but has yet to announce any figures at this stage. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)