What will be addressed?

• Does the raw material supply threaten the ramp-up of a competitive battery production in Europe?
• Where are the greatest risks?
• How can the European battery industry secure its supply of raw materials?

In this Battery Live Talk, we are happy to welcome Torsten Brandenburg, Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Michael Schmidt, German Mineral Resources Agency (DERA), and Nikolas Oehl-Schalla, VDI/VDE-IT, on the panel to discuss how Europe can secure its supply with raw materials for the ramp-up of its announced battery cell gigafactories.

The supply chains for battery cell production are complex, widely ramified and extend across the entire globe. Many of the important battery raw materials are not mined or processed in Europe, or only to a limited extent.

While prices for lithium-ion batteries have been falling the past years, the sharp rise in raw material and energy costs this year has led to an increase in battery cell prices for the first time. Raw material costs account for a large proportion of the total cost of a battery cell. At the same time, important battery raw materials like lithium, cobalt, fluorspar, graphite, phosphorus, and silicon have been classified as critical for the European economy. Under the impression of increasing geopolitical tensions and trade barriers, questions arise how Europe can ensure resilient battery supply chains. What framework conditions need to be met in order to diversify raw material supply and increase investment in battery precursors in Europe?

Join us to discuss the impacts of critical supply chains in an environment of strongly increasing demand due to gigafactories emerging worldwide. What are the risks? What opportunities arise for new collaboration and technologies? Listen to insightful presentations and participate in our interactive panel discussion.