electromobility

Electric vehicle battery prices are being dragged down by the falling value of key metals such as lithium and cobalt, but also by cheap Chinese production, which now dominates global markets. At the same time, China dominates the value chain of key materials and is interested in maintaining this dominance, says Filip Křenek, project coordinator and analyst at EUROPEUM Institute, in an interview with Ekonomický deník.

The report "Battery Circularity in the Automotive Industry as an Opportunity for the Czech Republic" addresses key issues in the development of the battery industry in the Czech Republic, with an emphasis on the circular economy, recycling and reuse of batteries. The study, which was produced in cooperation between EUROPEUM think tank and experts in the field of batteries and electromobility, shows that although the Czech market is still lagging behind in the development of battery production and recycling, its potential is huge - from raw material extraction to component production to battery recycling, which would significantly strengthen the resilience and environmental sustainability of the Czech economy.

The Green Deal for Europe is an ambitious strategy to ensure that Europe becomes the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. Most of the parties running for the European Parliament want to change this strategy, despite the fact that the car companies are already anticipating the transition. EUROPEUM Institute researcher Kateřina Davidová commented on the topic in an article for iRozhlas.cz.

The EU's proactive stance, introduced in the Critical Raw Material Strategy and later Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), drives the EU approach to secure the supply of European/domestic critical raw materials for EV battery production. The Cinovec project has a large economic potential as it enhances the ability to secure domestic and regional supply of lithium, which is otherwise very geographically concentrated outside of Europe. Europe relies on a handful of countries, particularly China, for the import of lithium for the production of EV batteries.

There is no time to wait in retraining the employees of car manufacturers if we do not want our car industry to fossilize and disappear. Writes Rebeka Hengalová, research fellow at EUROPEUM Institute.

Our project manager Tatiana Mindeková commented on the growing misinformation about combustion engines and the Green Deal in the CT24 Newsroom.

The future of cars with exhausts is stirring Europe. That is why Czech Transport Minister Martin Kupka (ODS) went to Strasbourg to discuss the promotion of "realistic" rules. He is partly right. However, in the fight for synthetic fuels, which has been launched by the Germans, realism is clearly on the side of a proposal that has long been on the table. And whose future is now being threatened by Kupka and co. The commentary was written by our senior researcher Vít Havelka.

Our senior researcher Kateřina Davidová commented for ČRo Plus on the postponement of the vote to end the sale of new cars with internal combustion engines, which is to apply from 2035. Its final approval was not supported at the last minute by Germany, which is concerned that the proposal does not include an exemption for vehicles that would burn synthetic fuels.

Electric cars that do not emit dangerous emissions should slowly replace cars with combustion engines. An environmentally friendly replacement. But what about the production of their batteries? According to the EU, the entire life cycle of these batteries should be environmentally friendly, from production to use to disposal. What measures will be introduced, how will the sale of batteries be regulated and how will this affect their price? Our research fellow Michal Hrubý comments on the topic.

On the occasion of the conference on the topic "How did the Czech Republic turn green during the European Presidency?" spoke our senior researcher Kateřina Davidová. She mentioned that the Czech Republic has promoted a unified approach of the EU countries in the energy sector during the Presidency, for example by having a higher than the standard number of ministerial councils for this issue. She also commented on the ban on selling cars with internal combustion engines after 2035. She says that it will be essential that at least part of the supply chain for electric cars is in the Czech Republic.

On Thursday 8 September 2022, a briefing was held under the leadership of the European Climate Foundation and with the support of EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy, entitled: "Do we have enough minerals and metals to achieve energy transition and electromobility?". The briefing also produced a short background study on Minerals and Metals for Energy Transition.

On the occasion of the conference E-mobility: the Opportunity for Central Eastern Europe, a podcast has been created with our senior researcher Kateřina Davidová and researcher Michal Hrubý as guests. For example, they answer the following questions: Where does Europe stand with the development of electromobility today? Where to find the money for electrification?