Battery Manufacturing Powers Up: Transatlantic Catch-Up and Cooperation

The global transition to electric vehicles (EVs) is accelerating. Aggressive targets and outright bans on internal combustion vehicles have been announced recently in the United States and Europe. As this reality sinks in, a challenge arises: Asia, and especially China, dominates EV supply chains, particularly for batteries, the most crucial EV component. The response to this challenge has been fragmented at best on both sides of the Atlantic. The United States has largely left it to the states. The United Kingdom is scrambling to gain a foothold during Brexit. The European Union has adopted an ambitious plan, but questions remain about follow-through. Little attention has been given to transatlantic cooperation.

ITIF hosted a transatlantic discussion of EV battery policy and how cooperation and competition might best be balanced for this “industry of the future” that’s already here.