The strategy for batteries must not be a one-off action, but on the contrary must be structural and long-term, otherwise the European automotive industry threatens to relocate its production centres as close as possible to the battery production areas, the vast majority of which are located in Asia. This is reflected in an opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), led by Colin Lustenhouwer, adopted at the July plenary session.
For Mr Lustenhouwer, the duration and intensity of the actions are crucial, given that the payback period for investments is particularly long (between 20 and 30 years). However, whatever the strategy, there is still one difficulty to overcome: the limited quantity of raw materials available in the European Union (lithium, nickel, manganese and cobalt), which would cover only about 15 to 20% of the total European demand. To do this, the EESC believes that the only solution would be to make a technological leap forward and specialise in so-called "solid" batteries (solid-state batteries).
In addition, according to the EESC, Europeans are generally against the opening of new mines, as they are mindful of "the social and environmental aspect". To overcome resistance, it is therefore crucial to involve local communities. The other way would be to develop an efficient battery recycling sector at European level. For the time being, the EESC notes that the recycling rate remains "low": approximately 57% of conventional batteries are not recycled and only 10% of used batteries are recovered.
The European Union has been mobilising for several months to develop a competitive European battery sector to regain the market share at world level (see EUROPE 12276/22), where its presence is trivial at present (less than 3%), whereas China, Japan and South Korea account for 85% of world production.
To read the opinion (in English): https://bit.ly/2KedvJH (Pascal Hansens)