China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in June finalised revised guidelines for the country’s lithium-ion battery industry, which set higher standards for energy intensity, power density, cycle life and other battery specifications.
China’s largest lithium mining company has transformed itself into a battery manufacturer, and is now the very first company to announce mass production of revolutionary solid-state batteries.
The partners said the plant will be located in Zaragoza and start producing lithium iron phosphate batteries by the end of 2026. The joint venture represents an investment of 4.1 billion euros ($4.3 billion), they said in a statement.
Industry bodies estimate that there are roughly 50 Chinese EV battery groups producing in the world’s largest car market, leading to a survival game that is set to intensify as they face fierce competition for technology and stricter government regulations.
CATL and other Chinese battery makers are far ahead in the critical area of producing batteries for electric vehicles. Northvolt, Europe’s great hope for catching up, filed for bankruptcy last month. Stellantis includes the Chrysler, Citroen, Dodge, Jeep, Peugeot, Fiat, Opel and Alfa Romeo brands, among others.
Regarding knowledge development and exchange (F2 and F3), Chinese battery enterprises have increased their R&D expenditure, leading to several technological breakthroughs as well as increasing domesticalization of the key technologies in the four core battery components (anodes, cathodes, electrolytes, and separators) (Gov.cn, 2020).