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BEYOND THE BLUEPRINT ","europe-beyond-the-blueprint","article/europe-beyond-the-blueprint",{"_uid":557,"date":558,"tags":559,"editor":563,"content":573,"excerpt":1314,"featured":50,"reporter":1315,"_editable":1319,"component":1320,"seo_title":553,"categories":1321,"visibility":1328,"author_company":49,"featured_image":1329,"seo_description":1314,"author_full_name":49,"author_job_title":49,"formattedDate":1334,"formattedArticleDate":1335},"51d36b3c-3fd5-47b0-9a06-cf087fcfbda4","2018-06-25 00:00",[560],{"slug":561,"name":562},"europe","Europe",[564],{"slug":565,"name":566,"content":567},"didi-bostock","Didi Bostock",{"job_title":568,"image":569,"bio":571,"linkedin":572},"Editor - Energy Transition & Economics",{"filename":570},"https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/512x512/2c5ca5c1a3/didi-bostock.jpeg","Didi is the Energy Transition & Economics Editor at Benchmark, covering a broad range of markets across the energy transition. His remit spans from downstream sectors such as BESS and EVs, through to midstream such as new technologies and battery production, to upstream critical minerals mining. He also leads on financial analysis across these supply chains, alongside in-depth policy analysis.\n","https://www.linkedin.com/in/didi-bostock-656342198/",{"type":574,"content":575},"doc",[576,583,588,597,602,607,612,617,622,627,642,647,652,657,662,667,674,679,684,693,698,703,708,713,718,723,728,735,740,745,750,755,760,765,770,775,780,785,792,797,802,807,812,817,822,827,832,837,842,847,852,857,862,867,872,877,882,887,892,897,902,907,912,923,928,933,938,943,948,955,960,965,970,975,980,985,990,995,1002,1007,1017,1023,1028,1033,1038,1046,1051,1056,1061,1066,1071,1076,1081,1086,1094,1099,1104,1109,1114,1119,1124,1129,1134,1139,1144,1149,1154,1159,1164,1171,1176,1181,1186,1191,1196,1201,1206,1211,1216,1223,1231,1236,1241,1247,1252,1257,1265,1270,1275,1282,1289,1294,1299,1304,1309],{"type":577,"attrs":578,"content":579},"paragraph",{"textAlign":49},[580],{"text":581,"type":582},"Europe is playing catch up. With no lithium carbonate or hydroxide production and very small battery manufacturing capacity, Europe’s lithium ion battery supply chain presence is limited.","text",{"type":577,"attrs":584,"content":585},{"textAlign":49},[586],{"text":587,"type":582},"Backed by a new EU alliance, a small band of lithium entrepreneurs, an ex-Tesla team, and two Korean battery producers, Europe is seeking to charter a new course that will turn it into a supply chain superpower for the energy storage revolution.",{"type":577,"attrs":589,"content":590},{"textAlign":49},[591,593,595],{"text":592,"type":582},"Here, ",{"text":594,"type":582},"Simon Moores ",{"text":596,"type":582},"looks at how Europe is changing as it moves beyond its electric vehicle blueprint.",{"type":577,"attrs":598,"content":599},{"textAlign":49},[600],{"text":601,"type":582},"If you were based in Europe and in the lithium industry at the start of 2014, it’s very likely you would have to get on a long-haul flight to have a business discussion with anyone relevant.",{"type":577,"attrs":603,"content":604},{"textAlign":49},[605],{"text":606,"type":582},"This is despite having one of the world’s strongest car industries – primarily thanks to the German auto powerhouse that has dominated the world.",{"type":577,"attrs":608,"content":609},{"textAlign":49},[610],{"text":611,"type":582},"A similar sentiment can be had about Europe’s chemical sector, nearly all of which had its origins in the UK through the break-up of ICI, in France or Germany.",{"type":577,"attrs":613,"content":614},{"textAlign":49},[615],{"text":616,"type":582},"Yet despite the presence of a strong and varied chemical industry, there was no significant capacity for lithium, cathode materials or battery cell manufacturing… the production clout lay in Asia.",{"type":577,"attrs":618,"content":619},{"textAlign":49},[620],{"text":621,"type":582},"How times are changing.",{"type":577,"attrs":623,"content":624},{"textAlign":49},[625],{"text":626,"type":582},"Where we stand in 2018 is on the back of 18 months of frenzied activity to get Europe’s lithium ion supply chain off the ground and in shape for 21st century demand.",{"type":577,"attrs":628,"content":629},{"textAlign":49},[630,632,640],{"text":631,"type":582},"Here we take off from the previous feature ",{"text":633,"type":582,"marks":634},"“Europe’s Lithium Pipeline”",[635],{"type":636,"attrs":637},"link",{"href":638,"uuid":49,"anchor":49,"target":49,"linktype":639},"https://source.benchmarkminerals.com/article/europes-lithium-pipeline","url",{"text":641,"type":582},"and look downstream of the lithium ion battery supply chain at cathodes, battery cell manufacturing, pack and electric vehicle build out, and the question: who is driving change in Europe?",{"type":577,"attrs":643,"content":644},{"textAlign":49},[645],{"text":646,"type":582},"Chemicals to cathodes",{"type":577,"attrs":648,"content":649},{"textAlign":49},[650],{"text":651,"type":582},"The investment community’s darling of the European cathode space is Umicore, a Belgian chemicals group that has focused on speciality chemicals in the auto and energy industries for many years.",{"type":577,"attrs":653,"content":654},{"textAlign":49},[655],{"text":656,"type":582},"Umicore is the world’s largest manufacturer of cathode materials for lithium ion batteries thanks to an expansion it is undertaking at its plants in South Korea and China to increase capacity by six-fold.",{"type":577,"attrs":658,"content":659},{"textAlign":49},[660],{"text":661,"type":582},"It is investing over €460m ($566m) between 2017 and 2019 to meet these production goals and increase to an estimated 50,000 tpa of both NCM and lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) cathodes.",{"type":577,"attrs":663,"content":664},{"textAlign":49},[665],{"text":666,"type":582},"“NMC is the preferred cathode material technology for rechargeable batteries used in vehicle electrification and global demand is increasing fast,” Umicore explained.",{"type":577,"attrs":668,"content":669},{"textAlign":49},[670,672],{"text":671,"type":582},"“The demand for our NMC materials is outpacing the market by a significant margin and the increased capacity will enable Umicore to cater for a surge in customer orders. The",{"text":673,"type":582},"investment will also enable Umicore to meet growing demand for its proprietary high-energy LCO (lithium cobalt oxide) cathode materials used in high-end consumer electronics.”",{"type":577,"attrs":675,"content":676},{"textAlign":49},[677],{"text":678,"type":582},"Umicore has also made significant progress on recovering minerals from its battery recycling program which is based in Belgium.",{"type":577,"attrs":680,"content":681},{"textAlign":49},[682],{"text":683,"type":582},"The group can now recover lithium and, most crucially, cobalt in the hundreds and low thousands of tonnes from small laptop and cell phone batteries with an LCO chemistry.",{"type":577,"attrs":685,"content":686},{"textAlign":49},[687,689,691],{"text":688,"type":582},"But challenges still remain as recycling expert, Hans Eric Melin of Creation Inn explained in an interview with ",{"text":690,"type":582},"Benchmark",{"text":692,"type":582},".",{"type":577,"attrs":694,"content":695},{"textAlign":49},[696],{"text":697,"type":582},"“As the leading manufacturer of NMC cathode material, and one of the largest recyclers in the world, Umicore should be in a great position to use recycled material in their products. But their cathode production is located in Asia and their process, in which they melt waste batteries and other cobalt containing materials, requires additional treatment steps in order to separate the key metals,” he said.",{"type":577,"attrs":699,"content":700},{"textAlign":49},[701],{"text":702,"type":582},"“For that to make sense they need a scale and volumes which currently aren’t available due to our lack of batteries,”.",{"type":577,"attrs":704,"content":705},{"textAlign":49},[706],{"text":707,"type":582},"Yet this availability of used battery supply is not just a Umicore or Europe problem but an industry-wide one.",{"type":577,"attrs":709,"content":710},{"textAlign":49},[711],{"text":712,"type":582},"“The recycling industry in Europe is suffering from two problems that limits its growth. First of all there is a lack of batteries to recycle. Although more than 25,000 tonnes of lithium-ion batteries are reaching end-of-life in Europe annually, most of this is lost to Asia,” Melin explained.",{"type":577,"attrs":714,"content":715},{"textAlign":49},[716],{"text":717,"type":582},"The second major challenge for recyclers of batteries is the quality of the product that comes out. While recyclers can extract lithium, it is either not possible or too expensive to convert this into high-purity battery-grade material.",{"type":577,"attrs":719,"content":720},{"textAlign":49},[721],{"text":722,"type":582},"The recycled lithium is therefore either entering the supply chain into other applications such as ceramics and glass or not re-entering the supply chain at all.",{"type":577,"attrs":724,"content":725},{"textAlign":49},[726],{"text":727,"type":582},"Melin commented: “…there is really no maker of active [cathode] materials here to buy what comes out of [the recycling process]”.",{"type":577,"attrs":729,"content":730},{"textAlign":49},[731,733],{"text":732,"type":582},"Yet progress is being made with lithium players such as China’s Ganfeng Lithium which expects between 1,500 and 2,500 tonnes of recycled lithium to be recovered from spent",{"text":734,"type":582},"batteries in 2018. It is a similar story in Japan and Korea with more lithium ion supply chain players looking to establish recycling operations.",{"type":577,"attrs":736,"content":737},{"textAlign":49},[738],{"text":739,"type":582},"Melin said: “Strong demand from their own manufacturing enables them to pay higher prices for waste materials and to both develop and scale more advanced technology. If we don’t produce cathode material in Europe I highly doubt that we will see a strong recycling industry here.”",{"type":577,"attrs":741,"content":742},{"textAlign":49},[743],{"text":744,"type":582},"Melin sees Umicore as the key to cracking Europe’s recycling conundrum.",{"type":577,"attrs":746,"content":747},{"textAlign":49},[748],{"text":749,"type":582},"“As Umicore is planning a cathode plant in Europe and is also involved in the Terra E project I think they are the likely game changers. That will enable them to fully close the loop and adapt their recycling process to their own material production,” he said.",{"type":577,"attrs":751,"content":752},{"textAlign":49},[753],{"text":754,"type":582},"Yet despite the distances, Melin expects European battery recyclers will still face competition for waste materials from China and Korea.",{"type":577,"attrs":756,"content":757},{"textAlign":49},[758],{"text":759,"type":582},"BASF is another European chemical group in the battery spotlight after it revealed plans to build out new global cathode capacity not only in Europe but also in the US.",{"type":577,"attrs":761,"content":762},{"textAlign":49},[763],{"text":764,"type":582},"The most recent development at the end of Q1 was BASF establishing a new business, BASF Toda America, LLC to produce and market high energy NCM and Nickel Cobalt Aluminum Oxide (NCA) cathode materials for EVs.",{"type":577,"attrs":766,"content":767},{"textAlign":49},[768],{"text":769,"type":582},"The business will operate cathode plants in Elyria, Ohio and Battle Creek, Michigan, and mirrors earlier plans for Europe as BASF seeks to build a global footprint and a foothold in the EV battery industry.",{"type":577,"attrs":771,"content":772},{"textAlign":49},[773],{"text":774,"type":582},"The group plans to build a €400m ($488m) plant in Europe, most probably Germany, to produce the same line up of cathode materials as in the US. Construction on all of these plants is expected to begin H2 2018.",{"type":577,"attrs":776,"content":777},{"textAlign":49},[778],{"text":779,"type":582},"“We are the largest chemical supplier to the automotive industry, and this is the biggest opportunity that we see in that space today,” Ken Lane, BASF’s global head of catalysts, said in Q1.",{"type":577,"attrs":781,"content":782},{"textAlign":49},[783],{"text":784,"type":582},"“Asia has been the growth story until now and will continue to grow, but Europe is also going to be growing very fast over the next decade,” he added.",{"type":577,"attrs":786,"content":787},{"textAlign":49},[788,790],{"text":789,"type":582},"But even though BASF are very strong in supplying auto customers with a range of chemicals such as catalysts and coatings, it",{"text":791,"type":582},"does not have a strong position in supplying EV cathode materials.",{"type":577,"attrs":793,"content":794},{"textAlign":49},[795],{"text":796,"type":582},"In fact, BASF does not even feature in the top 5 producers and has a fraction of the production clout of the market leaders — Japan’s Sumitomo, Belgium’s Umicore and China’s Shanshan Technology.",{"type":577,"attrs":798,"content":799},{"textAlign":49},[800],{"text":801,"type":582},"BASF’s ace up its sleeve to break into and dominate the EV market is what it calls a high-energy nickel cobalt manganese (HE NCM) cathode with manganese being the dominant element rather than the nickel.",{"type":577,"attrs":803,"content":804},{"textAlign":49},[805],{"text":806,"type":582},"It believes HE NCM 217 and 307 – in other words very high manganese content instead of nickel – is showing “strong potential” to be the next evolutionary step after the industry’s perceived lithium ion cathode holy grail of 811.",{"type":577,"attrs":808,"content":809},{"textAlign":49},[810],{"text":811,"type":582},"The main benefit of this chemistry is to drive the cost of lithium ion batteries down even further which, at the moment, is being negatively impacted by the cost of cobalt and lithium. The fear for a future industry which is driving towards 811 high nickel cathodes, is that producers will then be exposed to any nickel price spikes.",{"type":577,"attrs":813,"content":814},{"textAlign":49},[815],{"text":816,"type":582},"The reality for BASF is its high manganese cathodes offer a unique selling point and a way into to an industry that is already surging ahead.",{"type":577,"attrs":818,"content":819},{"textAlign":49},[820],{"text":821,"type":582},"The company has also signed a JV with Russia’s Norilsk Nickel (Nornickel) to lock in future supply of battery grade nickel. Both groups signed a memorandum of understanding in June 2017 to “cooperate on the supply of raw materials for future battery materials production for lithium-ion batteries in Europe”.",{"type":577,"attrs":823,"content":824},{"textAlign":49},[825],{"text":826,"type":582},"The move was an ideal way for Norilsk to enter the nickel sulphate market for lithium ion batteries, an industry it has very little business in at the moment.",{"type":577,"attrs":828,"content":829},{"textAlign":49},[830],{"text":831,"type":582},"“For Nornickel this project is an opportunity to increase our exposure to the high-potential and fast-growing rechargeable battery materials market,” said Sergey Batekhin, Head of Sales, Commerce and Logistics at Nornickel.",{"type":577,"attrs":833,"content":834},{"textAlign":49},[835],{"text":836,"type":582},"“We are interested in supporting this target market with our nickel and cobalt products. The electric vehicle industry is set to contribute to a sustainable development… An expanded cooperation with BASF will enable us to strengthen our position as a leading nickel producer globally and offer customers the best product in the most suitable form,” the company said.",{"type":577,"attrs":838,"content":839},{"textAlign":49},[840],{"text":841,"type":582},"Johnson Matthey, a UK based chemicals major that also produces LFP and NCM cathodes in Asia as well as “battery solutions” which includes pack engineering and development.",{"type":577,"attrs":843,"content":844},{"textAlign":49},[845],{"text":846,"type":582},"Its cathode business was boosted by the acquisition of A123 System’s cathode materials manufacturing facility in 2014. The plant, in Changzhou, China produces LFP cathode.",{"type":577,"attrs":848,"content":849},{"textAlign":49},[850],{"text":851,"type":582},"The group went one step further than BASF and invested cash into future lithium supply when it agreed a deal with Canada’s Nemaska Lithium, one of the industry’s most advanced new developers.",{"type":577,"attrs":853,"content":854},{"textAlign":49},[855],{"text":856,"type":582},"The move was significant for the lithium market as, for the first time, it showed that cathode manufacturers were willing to strike raw material deals for supply security.",{"type":577,"attrs":858,"content":859},{"textAlign":49},[860],{"text":861,"type":582},"In 2015, Johnson Matthey Battery Materials’ (JMBM) division agreed to invest C$12m up front in exchange for “services and product” to the same value from Nemaska’s Phase 1 output of lithium hydroxide at its Quebec-based mine and chemical plant.",{"type":577,"attrs":863,"content":864},{"textAlign":49},[865],{"text":866,"type":582},"In May 2017, JMBM received and approved the first shipment of lithium hydroxide from Nemaska’s plant which unlocked C$2m of the final C$3m.",{"type":577,"attrs":868,"content":869},{"textAlign":49},[870],{"text":871,"type":582},"The investment is part of a wider Johnson Matthey program to target battery materials",{"type":577,"attrs":873,"content":874},{"textAlign":49},[875],{"text":876,"type":582},"with a £200m investment as it targets a 10,000 tpa cathode output by 2021.",{"type":577,"attrs":878,"content":879},{"textAlign":49},[880],{"text":881,"type":582},"Battery cells",{"type":577,"attrs":883,"content":884},{"textAlign":49},[885],{"text":886,"type":582},"Hungary and Poland are fast becoming the hubs for future new production of lithium ion batteries on the continent.",{"type":577,"attrs":888,"content":889},{"textAlign":49},[890],{"text":891,"type":582},"As of Q1 2018, Europe’s only lithium ion cell facility, operated by Litarion GmbH which is owned by Canada-based Electrovaya, stopped operations in Kamenz, Germany as the company entered insolvency proceedings, however.",{"type":577,"attrs":893,"content":894},{"textAlign":49},[895],{"text":896,"type":582},"Litarion failed to build its customer base for its battery cells and systems and was struggling to compete with the increasing quality and lower cost of cells coming from Asia.",{"type":577,"attrs":898,"content":899},{"textAlign":49},[900],{"text":901,"type":582},"It is a warning for Europe that dominance in the lithium ion battery market will not come easy.",{"type":577,"attrs":903,"content":904},{"textAlign":49},[905],{"text":906,"type":582},"The Kamenz plant, which had less than a 500MWh cell capacity producing NMC pouch cells, was Europe’s only significant active lithium ion battery manufacturing capacity.",{"type":577,"attrs":908,"content":909},{"textAlign":49},[910],{"text":911,"type":582},"The misfortunes of Litarion, however, are not a harbinger of things to come for the continent and could well be a result of something bigger on the horizon.",{"type":577,"attrs":913,"content":914},{"textAlign":49},[915,917,919,921],{"text":916,"type":582},"Litarion’s downturn coincides with",{"text":918,"type":582},"opening of LG Chem’s battery megafactory in Kobierzyce, Poland – a super battery plant that will begin operations imminently with what ",{"text":920,"type":582},"Benchmark ",{"text":922,"type":582},"estimates to be 5GWh capacity, making it one of the top five largest battery plants in the world.",{"type":577,"attrs":924,"content":925},{"textAlign":49},[926],{"text":927,"type":582},"The Korean battery major is investing $389m between now and 2020 to establish the plant under the new entity, LG Chem Wroclaw Energy sp. z o.o, and is expected to make battery cells and packs in Poland for 100,000 vehicles averaging 50kWH battery capacity each.",{"type":577,"attrs":929,"content":930},{"textAlign":49},[931],{"text":932,"type":582},"“We will turn the Poland EV battery plant into a mecca of battery production for electric vehicles around the world,” said UB Lee, the President of Energy Solution Company, LG Chem.",{"type":577,"attrs":934,"content":935},{"textAlign":49},[936],{"text":937,"type":582},"“As LG Chem’s Poland EV battery plant is the first large-scale automotive lithium battery production plant in Europe, it will play the role of vitalizing the electric vehicle industry across the whole Europe. We will put all our efforts into making the plant into a main production hub for EV batteries,” he added.",{"type":577,"attrs":939,"content":940},{"textAlign":49},[941],{"text":942,"type":582},"LG Chem is reported to be speaking with no fewer than 28 end users for its EV batteries.",{"type":577,"attrs":944,"content":945},{"textAlign":49},[946],{"text":947,"type":582},"The Poland plant will be one of four cell manufacturing plants the company is investing in adding to its largest operation in South Korea, its newest facility in Nanjing, China and the established cell and pack plant in the US.",{"type":577,"attrs":949,"content":950},{"textAlign":49},[951,953],{"text":952,"type":582},"LG Chem’s progress in Europe appears to have inspired its competitor, SK Innovation, to follow a similar path and build a 7.5GWh plant",{"text":954,"type":582},"to supply a number of EV producers including Mercedes Benz.",{"type":577,"attrs":956,"content":957},{"textAlign":49},[958],{"text":959,"type":582},"SK Innovation began construction in Q1 and the plant will produce cells based on NCM chemistry and appears to have replaced similar plans in China.",{"type":577,"attrs":961,"content":962},{"textAlign":49},[963],{"text":964,"type":582},"Hungary is fast becoming a European hub for Asia’s major lithium ion battery producers as it offers the most generous incentives, it is well located for central Europe, and has some of the highest skilled and lowest paid workers in Europe.",{"type":577,"attrs":966,"content":967},{"textAlign":49},[968],{"text":969,"type":582},"Europe’s activity and profile in the lithium ion battery space increased in Q4 2017 with significant announcements from the likes of Volkswagen Group (VW) and BMW. This was bolstered by raw material summits hosted by VW to secure long-term lithium and cobalt supplies.",{"type":577,"attrs":971,"content":972},{"textAlign":49},[973],{"text":974,"type":582},"Despite the discussions increasing in number and magnitude, investment to build out battery capacity in Europe is yet to be made. The sentiment is also yet to translate to firm plans, pushing expectation into 2018 that a major announcement on the tens of gigawatts of scale could be on the cards.",{"type":577,"attrs":976,"content":977},{"textAlign":49},[978],{"text":979,"type":582},"The preferred location of Europe’s future battery plants was underlined by Chinese battery major, CATL in Q1 which is focusing on Germany, Hungary and Poland as locations for its first ever plant on the continent.",{"type":577,"attrs":981,"content":982},{"textAlign":49},[983],{"text":984,"type":582},"“We see a big opportunity in Europe,” CATL Chairman Zeng Yuqun said at the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Beijing in Q1.",{"type":577,"attrs":986,"content":987},{"textAlign":49},[988],{"text":989,"type":582},"“Korean companies, using a low-price strategy to compete with us, haven’t made much technological progress in the past two years, while we have managed to grow fast and surpass them,” he added.",{"type":577,"attrs":991,"content":992},{"textAlign":49},[993],{"text":994,"type":582},"CATL’s goal is to become one of the highest quality EV battery producers with the most significant manufacturing clout.",{"type":577,"attrs":996,"content":997},{"textAlign":49},[998,1000,1001],{"text":999,"type":582},"“A few years ago, it was a given that the Chinese battery companies couldn’t compete on quality with Korea and Japan,” Sam Jaffe, Managing Director of Cairn Energy Research Advisors told ",{"text":690,"type":582},{"text":692,"type":582},{"type":577,"attrs":1003,"content":1004},{"textAlign":49},[1005],{"text":1006,"type":582},"“That’s not true anymore. CATL still has to prove that its batteries can beat the Japanese and Koreans on quality and durability, not just price. But with their resources and capital, they have a decent shot to do so,” he added.",{"type":577,"attrs":1008,"content":1009},{"textAlign":49},[1010,1012,1014,1015],{"text":1011,"type":582},"The Chinese producer of lithium ion cells is pushing forward with a $2bn IPO to fund",{"text":1013,"type":582},"its push to become the world’s biggest manufacturer by more than quadrupling its capacity to 50GWh by 2021. Initial plans were to expand capacity to a mammoth 100GWh in this timeframe, but ",{"text":920,"type":582},{"text":1016,"type":582},"understands this has now been pushed back to 2025.",{"type":577,"attrs":1018,"content":1019},{"textAlign":49},[1020,1021],{"text":920,"type":582},{"text":1022,"type":582},"estimates that any European CATL plant would have a starting capacity of at least 15GWh to supply all the major auto manufacturers.",{"type":577,"attrs":1024,"content":1025},{"textAlign":49},[1026],{"text":1027,"type":582},"“We are collaborating closely with our partners,” CATL’s European President, Matthias Zentgraf explained.",{"type":577,"attrs":1029,"content":1030},{"textAlign":49},[1031],{"text":1032,"type":582},"“Automotive partners such as VW, BMW, and Daimler as well as others are important to us… as they know what car buyers are looking for,” Zentgraf said.",{"type":577,"attrs":1034,"content":1035},{"textAlign":49},[1036],{"text":1037,"type":582},"“We are the first Chinese battery company that supplies to the global industry chain,” Zeng boasted, “… and have our unique competitive advantage as a Chinese company since we started earlier than western peers”.",{"type":577,"attrs":1039,"content":1040},{"textAlign":49},[1041,1043,1044],{"text":1042,"type":582},"It is estimated that CATL has just under 30% of the Chinese market share for lithium ion batteries and according to ",{"text":690,"type":582},{"text":1045,"type":582},"’s Battery Megafactories Tracker, CATL are on course to be the world’s biggest producer by 2023.",{"type":577,"attrs":1047,"content":1048},{"textAlign":49},[1049],{"text":1050,"type":582},"One new producer that is seeking to break this central and eastern Europe strangle hold on new production is Northvolt.",{"type":577,"attrs":1052,"content":1053},{"textAlign":49},[1054],{"text":1055,"type":582},"Northvolt is a new start-up company that is planning to construct a Tesla Gigafactory sized battery plant in Sweden.",{"type":577,"attrs":1057,"content":1058},{"textAlign":49},[1059],{"text":1060,"type":582},"On a $5bn budget – nearly all of which is yet to be raised – Northvolt is planning a 32GWh plant by 2025 in northern Sweden. In Q1 2018, the company received a $67m loan from the European Investment Bank to kick start the pilot plant.",{"type":577,"attrs":1062,"content":1063},{"textAlign":49},[1064],{"text":1065,"type":582},"“Europe is moving rapidly towards electrification,” Peter Carlsson, CEO of Northvolt said.",{"type":577,"attrs":1067,"content":1068},{"textAlign":49},[1069],{"text":1070,"type":582},"“Northvolt’s objective is to build the world’s greenest battery to enable the transition. With the support from the European Investment Bank and the European Union, we are now one step closer to establishing a competitive European battery manufacturing value chain,” he added.",{"type":577,"attrs":1072,"content":1073},{"textAlign":49},[1074],{"text":1075,"type":582},"Northvolt are one of the major battery projects spearheading the European Union Battery Alliance (see Panel: EU’s entry into the global battery industry).",{"type":577,"attrs":1077,"content":1078},{"textAlign":49},[1079],{"text":1080,"type":582},"What is quite interesting about the plant that sets it apart is a toll processing concept whereby EV producers with different capacity requirements and needs can request specific chemistries and sizes of battery.",{"type":577,"attrs":1082,"content":1083},{"textAlign":49},[1084],{"text":1085,"type":582},"Therefore, as of Q1 2018, the types of batteries Northvolt would make – whether pouch, cylindrical or prismatic – was undefined, as was the chemistry, widely anticipated to be NCA or NCM.",{"type":577,"attrs":1087,"content":1088},{"textAlign":49},[1089,1091,1092],{"text":1090,"type":582},"The Northvolt project is presently on course to be the second largest single battery plant in 2025 behind Tesla’s Gigafactory 1 in Nevada which ",{"text":920,"type":582},{"text":1093,"type":582},"expects to be over 60GWh by the same time.",{"type":577,"attrs":1095,"content":1096},{"textAlign":49},[1097],{"text":1098,"type":582},"Battery Packs",{"type":577,"attrs":1100,"content":1101},{"textAlign":49},[1102],{"text":1103,"type":582},"Europe is further down the line in developing its battery pack capacity.",{"type":577,"attrs":1105,"content":1106},{"textAlign":49},[1107],{"text":1108,"type":582},"While there is much confusion over a battery cell and battery pack facility, the continent has seven battery pack facilities either in production or under construction.",{"type":577,"attrs":1110,"content":1111},{"textAlign":49},[1112],{"text":1113,"type":582},"BMZ Group has the largest pack capacity with three plants equating to 6GWh – two in Germany and one in Gliwice, Poland.",{"type":577,"attrs":1115,"content":1116},{"textAlign":49},[1117],{"text":1118,"type":582},"BMZ will be one of the most important links in Europe’s lithium ion supply chain, not just through developing battery pack capacity but from its crucial knowhow to get better performance from today’s lithium ion cells.",{"type":577,"attrs":1120,"content":1121},{"textAlign":49},[1122],{"text":1123,"type":582},"“[To get the] production of lithium ion cells up and running as quickly as possible in Germany is of vital importance …[to deliver] complete battery packs to e-bike manufacturers. [Especially] now that the demand for mobile products and with that for batteries is exploding,” Sven Bauer, CEO & Founder of the BMZ said on the announcement of its latest deal in Q1 2018.",{"type":577,"attrs":1125,"content":1126},{"textAlign":49},[1127],{"text":1128,"type":582},"BMZ have agreed a €150m battery pack supply agreement with Eurabus GmbH to produce over 1,000 battery systems for electric buses (e-bus).",{"type":577,"attrs":1130,"content":1131},{"textAlign":49},[1132],{"text":1133,"type":582},"The e-bus trend is beginning to pick up pace in the western world with Proterra gaining momentum in the US, and London now using LFP-based e-buses manufactured by BYD on its streets.",{"type":577,"attrs":1135,"content":1136},{"textAlign":49},[1137],{"text":1138,"type":582},"BMZ’s Eurabus agreement is for battery packs as large as 790kWh which can drive an astonishing 650km on a single charge.",{"type":577,"attrs":1140,"content":1141},{"textAlign":49},[1142],{"text":1143,"type":582},"Bauer said: “The agreement between BMZ and Eurabus is a milestone for the E-bus industry. European demand for E-buses is growing – there’s a real boom going on in local public transportation.”",{"type":577,"attrs":1145,"content":1146},{"textAlign":49},[1147],{"text":1148,"type":582},"BMZ is not the only pack player in Europe, however.",{"type":577,"attrs":1150,"content":1151},{"textAlign":49},[1152],{"text":1153,"type":582},"In 2017, A123 Systems made its first entry into the European market with a battery pack facility in Ostrava, north-east Czech Republic that will have the ability to produce 600,000 units at capacity.",{"type":577,"attrs":1155,"content":1156},{"textAlign":49},[1157],{"text":1158,"type":582},"The plant produces its 12V lithium ion starter batteries used in micro hybrid vehicles that are designed to replace lead acid batteries. The designed has focused on cold cranking – starting the engine in cold temperatures. The term refers to the number of amps a “12-volt battery can deliver at 0°F for 30 seconds while maintaining a voltage of at least 7.2 volts”, according to AutoBatteries.",{"type":577,"attrs":1160,"content":1161},{"textAlign":49},[1162],{"text":1163,"type":582},"A123 also produces the 48V battery in Czech Republic which is designed to replace lead acid.",{"type":577,"attrs":1165,"content":1166},{"textAlign":49},[1167,1169],{"text":1168,"type":582},"The company was spun out of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2001 and was predominately supplying Black & Decker’s power tool lines with cells. Additional supply deals, especially with Chrysler, culminated with an IPO in 2009 on the NASDAQ exchange in New York. The",{"text":1170,"type":582},"momentum then continued, with Fisker Automotive and a JV with China’s SAIC Motor Corp, until the downward spiral began.",{"type":577,"attrs":1172,"content":1173},{"textAlign":49},[1174],{"text":1175,"type":582},"The slow progress with EV demand for batteries, together with a recall from Fisker, which cost the company $55m meant A123 was heading towards bankruptcy in 2012. While interest from Wanxiang was there before A123 went under, there was not enough time.",{"type":577,"attrs":1177,"content":1178},{"textAlign":49},[1179],{"text":1180,"type":582},"China’s Wanxiang Group brought the US company out of bankruptcy in 2013. The acquisition gave the Chinese group a way in to the US market and helped them expand from lithium iron phosphate (LFP) into lithium ion.",{"type":577,"attrs":1182,"content":1183},{"textAlign":49},[1184],{"text":1185,"type":582},"A123 has cell manufacturing facilities in Michigan and Changzhou, China, both of which predominately produce pouch based LFP and NMC cells. Yet it is A123’s European plant that many hope will mark a new era for the group.",{"type":577,"attrs":1187,"content":1188},{"textAlign":49},[1189],{"text":1190,"type":582},"The Chinese owners also see the plant as a politically positive move for the country.",{"type":577,"attrs":1192,"content":1193},{"textAlign":49},[1194],{"text":1195,"type":582},"“The [Czech Republic plant investment] celebrated today are a perfect European example of the One Belt, One Road initiative which is building the 21st century Silk Road between China and its global trading partners.” said H.E. Ma Keqing, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the Czech Republic.",{"type":577,"attrs":1197,"content":1198},{"textAlign":49},[1199],{"text":1200,"type":582},"South Korea’s efforts in Europe have also been key to developing the continent’s battery pack capacity.",{"type":577,"attrs":1202,"content":1203},{"textAlign":49},[1204],{"text":1205,"type":582},"Samsung SDI was one of the industry’s first movers when it acquired the battery pack manufacturer, Magna Steyr in 2015 for $120m. The downstream shift from Samsung SDI’s battery cell manufacturing into pack construction was the first step by a major battery maker towards the EV end market.",{"type":577,"attrs":1207,"content":1208},{"textAlign":49},[1209],{"text":1210,"type":582},"Namseong Cho, President and CEO of Samsung SDI said at the time: “[We] will integrate SDIBS’ capabilities in battery pack systems, with its superior cell technology to create world class automotive battery systems.",{"type":577,"attrs":1212,"content":1213},{"textAlign":49},[1214],{"text":1215,"type":582},"Five years before, Magna outlined a number of challenges with the battery supply chain which included the fact that “current suppliers are scattered all over the globe” and “North American investment in cell production has not been matched by necessary investment in supply chain”.",{"type":577,"attrs":1217,"content":1218},{"textAlign":49},[1219,1221],{"text":1220,"type":582},"Samsung SDI’s second move in Europe was in 2016 when it began to construct a $358m new pack facility in Goed, a town 30km north",{"text":1222,"type":582},"of Budapest, Hungary’s capital.",{"type":577,"attrs":1224,"content":1225},{"textAlign":49},[1226,1228,1229],{"text":1227,"type":582},"The 333,000 square-metre plant is now operational and can produce enough packs for 50,000 EVs with a 40kWh average battery pack size, according to ",{"text":920,"type":582},{"text":1230,"type":582},"estimates.",{"type":577,"attrs":1232,"content":1233},{"textAlign":49},[1234],{"text":1235,"type":582},"The Hungary plant gives the Korean major EV hubs in Europe, Ulsan, South Korea and Xian, China. On the plant, Samsung SDI explained: “State-of-the-art technology of Samsung SDI will be applied to batteries to be made in this plant in Hungary.”",{"type":577,"attrs":1237,"content":1238},{"textAlign":49},[1239],{"text":1240,"type":582},"“Batteries are one of the most important parts supplied to global car makers. I expect the plant to contribute much to the growth of the European electric vehicle market,” the company added.",{"type":577,"attrs":1242,"content":1243},{"textAlign":49},[1244,1245],{"text":920,"type":582},{"text":1246,"type":582},"estimates Samsung SDI’s European pack capacity at 4GWh.",{"type":577,"attrs":1248,"content":1249},{"textAlign":49},[1250],{"text":1251,"type":582},"While being one of the smaller pack plants, Accumotive in Kamenz is vitally important to the plans for its parent company, Daimler and to Germany’s EV self sufficiency goals.",{"type":577,"attrs":1253,"content":1254},{"textAlign":49},[1255],{"text":1256,"type":582},"The battery pack plant — the centre piece for the company’s first significant push on energy storage industry — is located just 45 minutes drive from Dresden in east Germany.",{"type":577,"attrs":1258,"content":1259},{"textAlign":49},[1260,1262,1263],{"text":1261,"type":582},"In 2017 when ",{"text":920,"type":582},{"text":1264,"type":582},"was given a private tour of the plant, the pack capacity was estimated at 500-700MWh. However, Accumotive is more than doubling this to at least 2GWh, a project that is being completed in mid-2018.",{"type":577,"attrs":1266,"content":1267},{"textAlign":49},[1268],{"text":1269,"type":582},"Dresden and nearby Chemnitz has been home to Europe’s microelectronics industry, but in recent years it has attracted business such as energy storage and software. It is one of eastern Germany’s few economic success stories since the reunification and the area now employs 50,000 people in the tech industry.",{"type":577,"attrs":1271,"content":1272},{"textAlign":49},[1273],{"text":1274,"type":582},"This is beginning to converge with the country’s powerful auto industry, including the likes of VW, Daimler and BMW, all of which are seeking a significant role in pure electric vehicles.",{"type":577,"attrs":1276,"content":1277},{"textAlign":49},[1278,1280],{"text":1279,"type":582},"Energy storage in both EVs and stationary storage devices is a big evolutionary step for Daimler, so much so that its star CEO was a",{"text":1281,"type":582},"high profile figure in the move.",{"type":577,"attrs":1283,"content":1284},{"textAlign":49},[1285,1287,1288],{"text":1286,"type":582},"“For the first time in Daimler’s history the [Mercedes Benz] CEO, Dieter Zetsche, was involved in the launch of a new product,” Andreas Rueckemann, head of European sales for Mercedes Benz Energy explained in a meeting with ",{"text":690,"type":582},{"text":692,"type":582},{"type":577,"attrs":1290,"content":1291},{"textAlign":49},[1292],{"text":1293,"type":582},"“To get the star on the brand is a paradigm shift for Daimler. We want to show that our batteries are extremely good in the field and are safe and secure,” he added.",{"type":577,"attrs":1295,"content":1296},{"textAlign":49},[1297],{"text":1298,"type":582},"In fact, the plant expansion and its implications was so important to Germany that its Chancellor, Angela Merkel, was involved.",{"type":577,"attrs":1300,"content":1301},{"textAlign":49},[1302],{"text":1303,"type":582},"“This is a significant investment in the future of electrically powered vehicles. A high-performance battery is of decisive importance for the further development of e-mobility,” said Chancellor Merkel.",{"type":577,"attrs":1305,"content":1306},{"textAlign":49},[1307],{"text":1308,"type":582},"And when political will converges with economic willingness, things begin to happen.",{"type":577,"attrs":1310,"content":1311},{"textAlign":49},[1312],{"text":1313,"type":582},"For Europe, the road to a fully integrated lithium ion battery supply chain is being built and it may take a decade to do so, but by that time electrification will not longer be a word less belonging to science-fiction and more in place with everyday reality.","Europe is playing catch up. With no lithium carbonate or hydroxide production and very small battery manufacturing capacity, Europe’s lithium ion battery supply chain presence is limited. Backed by a new EU alliance, a small band of lithium entrepreneurs, an ex-Tesla team, and two Korean battery producers, Europe is seeking to charter a new course […]",[1316],{"slug":565,"name":566,"content":1317},{"job_title":568,"image":1318,"bio":571,"linkedin":572},{"filename":570},"\u003C!--#storyblok#{\"name\": \"article\", \"space\": \"\", \"uid\": \"51d36b3c-3fd5-47b0-9a06-cf087fcfbda4\", \"id\": \"\"}-->","article",[1322,1325],{"slug":1323,"name":1324},"batteries","Batteries",{"slug":1326,"name":1327},"critical-minerals","Critical Minerals","private",{"id":49,"alt":1330,"name":1330,"focus":1330,"title":1330,"source":1330,"filename":1331,"copyright":1330,"fieldtype":1332,"meta_data":1333,"is_external_url":51},"","https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/04ea3c38ed/bm-screen-shot-2018-06-25-at-103833.png","asset",{"alt":1330,"title":1330,"source":1330,"copyright":1330},"Jun 25, 2018","25th June 2018",[],[],1792688598404]