German government to get “Research factory for batteries” off the ground

The German government intends to realign its funding for battery technology and invest a further 500 million euros in the next four years. Anja Karliczek, Minister for Education and Research, stated at the “Batterieforum Deutschland” in Berlin that today, batteries are not being produced in Germany or even Europe. “We can only change that together,” she pointed out. Germany, with its strong automotive industry, should not be “unduly dependent on battery production in Asia and other regions of the world.”

Matthias Machnig, InnoEnergy Head of Industrial Strategy, added a more holistic approach to this during his speech at the Batterieforum event. The German government must advocate a “coalition of the willing” with other European countries for battery cell production. Germany, together with France, Poland, Sweden and Finland, should set up a “European project of common interest”, which should include not only battery cell production but also raw materials and recycling.