As electric and hybrid vehicles become standard, the EU is working to become self-sufficient in the batteries powering them by 2025.
According to Reuters, China currently is responsible for 80% of the world’s lithium-ion production. European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic would like to ensure Europe’s ability to be self-sufficient in the critical tech.
“I am confident that by 2025, the EU will be able to produce enough battery cells to meet the needs of the European automotive industry, and even to build our export capacity,” Sefcovic told the online European Conference on Batteries, according to Reuters. This would equal enough batteries to power 6 million electric vehicles.
The news comes on the heals of the VW Group’s announcement it will be increasing its investment in future tech, including electric vehicle technology, to $86 billion over the next five years. In addition, Bentley announced its entire lineup would be electric-only by 2030.
Being self-sufficient in electric batteries would help the EU and its automakers remain competitive as the industry adopts the new technology.