Battery Live Talk: EU-Batteries and the World
How to level the Playing Field

In our next Battery Live Talk, we will discuss how Europe can strengthen its position in the global battery landscape. Together with Wolfgang Bernhart (Roland Berger GmbH), Stephan von Delft (University of Münster), and moderated by Mischa Bechberger (VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH), we will explore the challenges and opportunities for creating fair and competitive conditions for Europe’s battery industry in a rapidly evolving international market.

China continues to dominate global battery supply chains and increasingly leverages this position for political purposes. The latest example is the introduction of new export controls on lithium ion batteries as well as on key materials (such as CAM, AAM, etc.) and technologies. At the same time, China has built up massive overcapacity across the battery value chain — currently around four times the domestic demand, with further capacities under construction. As a result, plant utilisation and potential profitability remain low, making Chinese companies dependent on more profitable export markets like the European single market. Consequently, they are more and more pushing into international markets with aggressively priced products and direct investments. 

The Chinese government walks a fine line between economic success, political influence and maintaining power. Europe, by contrast, has established a battery ecosystem, but many companies have not yet achieved industrial scale — a process that inevitably takes time. In a worst-case scenario, limited alternatives to restricted Chinese imports could leave German and European industries struggling to secure sufficient battery supplies.

Join us to discuss how Europe can create investment conditions comparable to those in China — and, if this proves unfeasible, what measures may be required to protect the still highly attractive European single market.

What will be addressed? 

• How can Europe foster investment conditions that rival China’s?
• What actions might be necessary to safeguard the competitiveness of the European single market?
• What measures may be required to ensure a level playing field?