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They are the backbone of the mobility and energy transition - and currently still their weakest link: batteries.

In the future, the energy storage systems should power cars, trucks and maybe even ships on a large scale and store the excess electricity from solar and wind power so that it can be delivered when it is needed.

High-performance batteries are considered to be one of the key technologies of the 21st century.

Because the green transformation will not work without it, lithium batteries are sometimes already referred to as “new gold”.

Because of the fight against climate change, the global market for batteries is expected to grow 14-fold in the coming years and be worth tens of billions of euros in just a few years.

So far this market has been dominated by manufacturers in China, but Europe now wants to secure a large part of it.

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This week, EU Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius will present his own plans for how Europe wants to catch up and possibly even become a technology leader.

The EU Commission wants to be the first to set binding standards in this area that other economic areas must copy if they want to do business with Europe.

Brussels is about making the batteries, which are so central to the green economy, more environmentally friendly and sustainable themselves.

So far, dirt and blood have stuck to the energy stores.

Extraction of raw materials under questionable conditions

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Battery production, especially battery cells, consumes a great deal of energy and heat.

The energy used in the production of batteries is currently responsible for 40 percent of all emissions that an electric car causes in the course of its life.

The raw materials that are used in the production of the battery cells are not only scarce and expensive, but are also often extracted under ecologically and socially questionable conditions;

for example in the Congo, where two thirds of the cobalt used worldwide comes from.

"In the future, batteries should carry a digital product passport," says EU Environment Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevicius

Source: POOL / AFP via Getty Images

That should change too, at least for batteries sold in the EU.

"We will stipulate that the raw materials for battery production are obtained responsibly, that clean energy is used in the production of the batteries, that the batteries are more energy-efficient and have a longer service life," announced Sinkevičius in an interview with WELT.

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The longer lifespan is intended to ensure that fewer batteries end up in the trash.

To this end, the powerful EU authority will propose a whole series of measures.

“In the future, batteries should have a digital product passport,” says Sinkevičius.

“The batteries should also show how much CO2 was generated during production.

In addition, a CO2 limit is to be prescribed at a later date.

We will incentivize producers to use more recycled materials in the batteries. "

In addition, a higher proportion of old batteries is to be collected and recycled across the EU.

There should be higher target values ​​for the recovery of raw materials such as cobalt, lithium, copper and nickel.

In principle, the rules should apply to all batteries, from button cells for hearing aids to energy storage devices for SUVs.

High environmental standards should bring advantages

However, there should also be different regulations in detail for different types of batteries.

However, the EU Commission is daring a major balancing act: The new, stricter requirements could make energy packages more expensive, while the high costs for batteries are one of the brake blocks in the energy and mobility transition.

The Environment Commissioner does not want to accept this objection: “The new rules for more sustainable batteries do not mean higher prices, on the contrary.

This will be ensured by higher efficiency, a longer service life and optimized value chains. "

The new, stricter rules that are to apply to all batteries sold in the EU could, however, help to make European battery production globally competitive.

Ultimately, producers in China and elsewhere would also have to adhere to the stricter requirements.

The high environmental standards could be exactly the competitive advantage that European producers need to keep up with cheaper competition from abroad in the long term.

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Germany and France in particular have been pushing for large European battery production for a long time in order to make Europe independent of the rest of the world in this future technology - especially from Chinese producers.

The EU has already invested billions in European battery production and another three billion are expected to flow in the coming years.

There is no survival without subsidies

Driven by these subsidies, 16 gigafactories are to be built in Europe in the coming years, which should have a production capacity of at least 131 gigawatt hours by 2023.

Sinkevičius, however, promises that European battery production can become profitable even without EU funding: "The European battery industry will be able to survive without subsidies," says the Lithuanian politician.

"Public investment is needed to kick-start this sector, but once producers are up and running, this industry will thrive."