Batteries
Opel battery cell plant to get $500m German grant
Opel will receive a €437 million government grant for its battery cell factory in Kaiserslautern, Germany's economy ministry said on Thursday (2 September), as part of a wider European initiative to create a homegrown battery industry.
‘Game-changer’ for geothermal energy as UK plant unlocks vast supply of lithium
A geothermal power plant in the UK has discovered the highest concentration of lithium ever found in geothermal fluid, opening the door to a new business model for the renewable energy source.
EU signals end of internal combustion engine by 2035
Sales of new cars and vans that produce carbon emissions will be banned as of 2035, proposals tabled by the European Commission revealed on Wednesday (14 July), a move which all but guarantees that the era of the internal combustion engine (ICE) is drawing to a close in the EU.
EU, Ukraine sign ‘strategic partnership’ on raw materials
Kyiv will be invited on Tuesday (13 July) to join EU industrial alliances on batteries and raw materials, with a view to develop an entire value chain of the extraction, refining and recycling of minerals in Ukraine to supply the EU market for electric cars and digital equipment.
VW, Daimler, Volvo team up to build truck chargers
The truck manufacturing units of Volkswagen, Daimler and Volvo announced Monday (5 July) they will team up to build a network of 1,700 charging points for heavy-duty vehicles in Europe using green electricity.
Europe powers up electric car battery drive
As electric car sales soar, Europe has started to build up its capacity to produce batteries on the continent but it remains far from reducing its dependence on Asia.
Rare earth metals at the heart of China’s rivalry with US, Europe
What if China were to cut off the United States and Europe from access to rare minerals that are essential to electric vehicles, wind turbines and drones?
Brussels in balancing act to gain EU support for battery regulation
The European Commission’s proposed battery regulation was alternatively branded too ambitious or too restricting at a meeting of EU environment ministers Thursday (11 June), highlighting the gap between the 27 member states on the issue.
Five steps the EU can take to create a circular economy for cars
While vehicles provide economic and societal benefits, they come with a sizeable carbon footprint. The European Green Deal is a chance for car manufacturers to make their processes more circular, write Maya Ben Dror and Tilmann Vahle.
France wants faster implementation of EU batteries regulation
France is eager “to get results quickly” on the EU's proposed battery regulation and would even like the implementation schedule to be brought forward by a year, which would take it to 2024, France’s ecological transition ministry told EURACTIV France.
Brussels promises new EU legislation for end-of-life vehicles in 2022
The European Commission will come forward at the end of 2022 with a proposal to remove the most polluting end-of-life vehicles from EU roads, European Green Deal Commissioner Frans Timmermans said on Thursday (10 June).
Mining is wreaking havoc – better recovery of battery metals will help
The EU’s proposed new standards for sustainable batteries are an opportunity to move away from destructive mining. The right policy measures can make the system more circular and avoid the mistakes of the past, write Benjamin Hitchcock Auciello and Alex Keynes.
Recycling firms urge EU to raise used battery collection goal
Leading companies in the waste management sector have called on EU lawmakers to revise a draft regulation on sustainable batteries to increase the target for used battery collection and to make it mandatory for battery producers to use recycled content in their production cycles.
Commission’s ‘ambitious’ green battery proposal criticised during Council debate
EU countries expressed concern Thursday (18 March) that the European Commission’s sustainable battery proposal sets unworkable targets and deadlines and would increase bureaucratic costs for battery producers, raising the prospect that the legislation will require significant changes before entering into law.
Europe has overtaken China on electric cars. Three roadblocks stand in the way
Europe had a strong head start in electric cars in 2020, but the roadblocks of weak regulation, road cap-and-trade system and – above all – detour into e-fuels all stand in the way of Europe's ambition on zero emissions mobility, writes Julia Poliscanova.
Company fleets can drive shift to electric mobility, study says
With almost two out of three new cars in Europe bought for corporate purposes, companies have the power to shape the direction of the market, according to a new report due to be published next week (17 February).
Sales of electric vehicles jump above 10% for first time in Europe
The proportion of electric vehicles sold in the EU more than trebled to 10.5% in 2020 new figures reveal, a sign that EU and national incentives to stimulate demand for zero-emission vehicles are bearing fruit.
Hybrid-electric cars should lose ‘green’ status, campaigners say
Green activists have renewed calls for EU lawmakers to scrap subsidies for plug-in hybrid vehicles following revelations that emissions from hybrids are up to 89% higher than advertised.
Brussels approves €2.9 billion investment into battery innovation
Twelve EU countries will jointly invest almost three billion euros into innovation in battery cell technology for electric vehicles and energy storage, cementing the EU as a “global hotspot” for battery innovation, the European Commission announced on Tuesday (26 January).
Nissan to source more UK batteries as part of Brexit deal ‘opportunity’
Nissan will source more batteries from Britain to avoid tariffs on electric cars after the UK's trade deal with the EU, which a senior executive said has turned Brexit from a risk into an opportunity for its factory in northeast England.
Electric vehicles granted grace period to avoid Brexit tariffs
Electric vehicles traded between the EU and the UK have been given a grace period to prevent trade being slammed with tariffs, but battery producers need to start preparing now to meet the deadline, industry sources say.
Denmark leads EU on deployment of zero-emission buses: report
Denmark has the most zero-emission urban buses on the roads in Europe, with electric buses making up 78% of its new vehicles, according to the latest data from Transport and Environment (T&E), a green NGO.
Plane power set for a defining decade
Aviation technology is due to reach new heights over the course of the next decade, as efficiency improvements, advancements in fuel development and even new forms of propulsion take to the skies. It could usher in a new age of flight.