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🌍 Director KU Leuven Institute for Sustainable Metals and Minerals (SIM2) 🎬 Documentary presenter ✒ Opinion maker

LFP-based #electricvehicles, made-in-China, are winning the race against Europe's (more expensive) NMC-based e-cars. BYD, MG et al are beating European electric vehicles, despite the attempt to prevent a further downfall by triggering import tariffs for Chinese EVs. The latter decision by the European Commission - which I fully endorse - is of course completely at odds with the fact that Germany - Europe's (e-)car powerhouse - has allowed BYD to become the main sponsor of the (on-going) Euro 2024 football championship. Adding further insult to the unrelenting BYD adverts during European football matches - long live made-in-Europe EVs! - European OEMs are now also starting to produce EVs with (made-in-China or owned-by-China) LFP batteries. That's the main reason for a new article in the Wallonian Financial Times, L'Echo. Kicking of with the following paragraph, Europe's predicament is nicely summarized: ""Cheaper, LFP technology is becoming an important component of the economic equation for affordable electric vehicles and their democratization in Europe.” This quote from the press release of Ampere, the subsidiary of the Renault group dedicated to electric vehicles, aptly summarizes the current developments in the battery world. Europe, which is trying to catch up with Asia in the battery sector, is being shaken by a low-cost battery technology: lithium iron phosphate (LFP) technology. These batteries have a lower density than NMC (nickel manganese cobalt) batteries. But they are much cheaper, as the materials they are made of are also cheaper." Full article by Benjamin Everaert: https://lnkd.in/eSyuUDSd As I have explained in a previous interview in L'Echo, in the long run, LFP batteries - which are notoriously difficult to recycle in a cost-effective way - are not good news for Europe nor for European industry (ask Umicore) or European motorists. [See https://lnkd.in/eb_AAEJS] These developments show how difficult it is for Europe to compete with China. Unlike China, Europe lacks an integrated mine-to-battery/EV value chain approach. In such an approach we optimize the entire supply chain, using a holistic & long-term view, combining economic, environmental and geopolitical perspectives. Instead, the various units of the complex industrial EV ecosystem (miners, refiners, pCAM plants, CAM plants, battery plants, e-motor manufacturers, EV assembly plants...) all make their own disconnected calculations and decisions. In the new post-neoliberal world order, this inevitably leads to an inferior approach when compared with the Chinese juggernaut that targets the success of the entire supply chain. A new European Commission needs to act soon, putting a holistic Green Industrial Deal in the center of its policy work. BATTERY 2030+ Euromines Eurometaux (European Metals Association) EIT RawMaterials SIM2 KU Leuven

Comment les batteries low cost LFP séduisent de plus en plus les constructeurs européens

Comment les batteries low cost LFP séduisent de plus en plus les constructeurs européens

lecho.be

Nikolay Kuznetsov

Production Planning Manager | Sales Technical Support – Norilsk Nickel Harjavalta Oy

5mo

But in fact there is no sign that EU understands it. As we can see on BASF's case in Finland. They have built the factory to produce pCAM based on NMC and can not start the operation due to long permit procedure. Gentelmen it takes 6 years to get a permit. It's insane. Business doesn't trust to any statement until the real action and support is made. It will be much more useful and concrete, that instead of running from one conference to another, politicians, Business communities, influencers come to Finland and ask how to make the factory running NOW. For now, only what we do great is press "Like" in articles and keep living in real life...Asia is digging, building and sale, while EU is talking...

Philippe HENRY

Board Member Jean Goldschmidt Intl/Hydrometal

5mo

The cost of the LFP recycling will never be supported by the intrinsic value of valuable elements or metals contained in a spent LFP battery. So who will bear this huge cost at the end?

Interesting to repeatedly read outrage and surprise when China produces something cheaper. Isn't this what's been going on for 50 or more years now? We have seen entire industries disappear in the EU because of it. We've not been able to find a solution for all these other industries so why do we think we will find one now? Free international trade in combination with the usual race to the bottom and cheapest production are the main reason and as long as we don't find viable alternatives, this race to the bottom continues.

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Oliver Gunasekara

CEO of Impossible Metals, 4x Founder, 2x CEO, Investor & Advisor in DeepTech / ClimateTech, early employee at ARM (~$150B Mkt Cap)

5mo

Responsible deep sea minerals can lower the cost of NMC cells allowing them to be competitive with LFP on cost, with the added advantage of 33% more range.

Ross Douglas

Founder & CEO | Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com.)

5mo

Peter Tom Jones, we need cheap batteries at scale for vehicles and BESS. Since LFPs last 20 years, you have time to figure out the recycling. You cannot win on all fronts. If you want a fast energy transition, you need scale and that is driven by price

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Giorgio Betteto

Administrator at Vemplast Sas - R&D CTO at Gees Recycling Srl - Ind. development Enecolab srl

5mo

Plus : check the amount of state funds to BYD .

Dr. Ivana Veljkovic Your expertise seems required here considering incorrect quotes about recycling of LFP batteries …. Science Police 🚨

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