Fraunhofer ISI predicts that annual manufacturing capacity for batteries in Germany will reach almost 400 gigawatt hours by 2030, which would provide batteries for 6. 5 million cars at current levels.
Lithium is considered one of the key raw materials in the energy transition. Lithium is a soft metal and a key part of batteries for electric vehicles. Lithium-ion batteries are already widely used to store energy from renewable sources. Germany is extremely interested in these opportunities, as can be seen in its international partnerships.
Are battery cell production requirements sufficient for European vehicle production?
Following the qualitative analysis, a quantification of battery cell production in Germany and Europe was carried out. In doing so, the battery requirements for European vehicle production up to 2030 were compared with the current production announcements of the battery manufacturers in Europe. From 2024, the announcements will be sufficient.
Germany is signing international agreements to secure the prized raw material while at the same time searching for lithium sources at home. Lithium is considered one of the key raw materials in the energy transition. Lithium is a soft metal and a key part of batteries for electric vehicles.
In Germany, recyclers are most often small- and medium-sized companies. Investments into new, specialised recycling plants for lithium-ion batteries could easily exceed their financial possibilities.
A realisation of the German federal government's plans would imply more than one hundred thousand tons of spent lithium-ion traction batteries accumulating until 2025 (Hoyer et al. 2011b, p. 413).
What is a lithium ion battery?
Lithium-ion batteries have become the battery system of choice for many manufacturers of elec-tric vehicles. The term “lithium-ion battery” covers various types of LIB, which differ mainly in the chemical composition of the cathode (KLIB 2022).