In 2027, the electric vehicle batteries circulating in Europe will be “The greenest in the world”, according to new standards formulated by the European Commission on December 12.
From 2024, they will have to display their carbon footprint, far from being neutral: 30% of their cost comes from the energy needed to manufacture them. “The French industry hopes that its low CO emission rate2 during the manufacture of cells, 35% lower than in China thanks to its mainly nuclear carbon-free electricity, will work in its favor ”, says Jean-Luc Brossard, from the Plateforme automobile association. In addition, since batteries can reach 200 to 700 kg depending on the model, the CO2 issued for their transport (which must be secure and waterproof) pushes them to be manufactured near car factories.
China currently controls two-thirds of the world’s battery production, as well as 80% of the refining of the essential cobalt, extracted three-quarters in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where a fifth of the production involves children in undignified conditions.
Brussels will impose social and environmental criteria, as well as battery safety and sustainability standards. Very useful for evaluating their state of health on a used vehicle or redirecting them to a second career in the storage of wind and solar energy.
Save propulsion jobs
Europe, which produces only 3% of the world’s batteries, wants to break the Asian hold. “In France, 55,000 jobs are linked to the production of powertrains for cars”, indicates Jean-Luc Brossard. Electric motors have three to five times fewer parts than their thermal counterparts. However, according to the European Commission, in 2030, purely electric cars should reach 30 million vehicles, all the others being partially electrified, for the CO emissions limit to be respected.2 imposed in Europe in 2030. “The impact on employment is enormous, even if a number of vehicles will be hybrids also including a thermal engine. “
Europe will need around ten large factories capable of producing batteries with an overall annual capacity of 300 gigawatt hours (GWh) in 2030. This will provide a market of fifteen million vehicles sold per year, running either entirely on batteries ( 50 kWh on average per vehicle), for a third of them, either in plug-in hybrid (heat engine plus 15 kWh batteries), or in light hybrid (heat engine and small 1 kWh battery) for the others.
In Sweden, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Italy and Germany, factories are flourishing, led by the Swedish Northvolt, the Japanese Panasonic, the Chinese CATL and SVolt, the South Koreans LG Chem and SK Innovation or the American You’re here.
In France, ACC, a subsidiary of PSA (Peugeot, DS, Citroën, Opel, Vauxhall) and Saft (of the Total group), is investing in a pilot plant in Charente, in a research and development center in Bordeaux and in two factories in 24 GWh each at Douvrin (North) and Kaiserslautern (Germany), for Opel. The latter cost 3 billion and will employ 2,000 people each.
“The fact remains that the equivalent of two factories is still missing to cover the southern European market”, estimates Jean-Luc Brossard. In the chess game that will be played out for the next settlements, France has key pieces: PSA and its Italian-American ally Fiat-Chrysler, Renault and its Japanese ally Nissan, all of which have factories between Portugal and France. ‘Italy. The Chinese Envision, which has bought AESC, the battery subsidiary of Nissan, has announced that it wants to create a factory in France.
The recycling imperative
Europe, which represents a quarter of the electric car market (China capturing half), saw its sales increase by 44% in 2020. World record. Investments in battery factories follow: 60 billion in 2019 and 25 more this year. The European Commission estimates that within five years, the industrial battery chain will weigh 250 billion euros per year. It must be able to recycle its metals (lithium, graphite, cobalt, nickel, lead).
Europe, which lacks almost all these raw materials, will demand that 65% of batteries be recycled within five years, then 70% in 2030. A necessity given the expected growth. According to the American specialist in economic information IHS Markit, the automotive battery market should increase from 250 GWh this year to 1,700 GWh in 2030 and 5,000 GWh in 2050. That is to say a twenty-fold increase in thirty years.
However, the ramp-up in the volumes of batteries reaching the end of their life should make it possible, in 2030, to supply production from recycled metals up to 15% lithium, 7.5% nickel and 49% cobalt. . The European Commission ensures, for its part, that in 2040, 70% of the lithium needed for batteries will come from recycling. IHS Markit does not exclude that ultimately all needs will be met by recycled metals.
In Europe, partnerships are already being formed: the Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt has joined forces with the Belgian giant Umicore to guarantee BMW both the batteries and their recycling.
– .
