Geostrategic analysis of post-lithium ion battery technologies: A European perspective

Electric vehicles (EVs) are regarded as a crucial solution for decarbonizing the transportation sector and mitigating climate change (Pulido-Sánchez et al. 2023). The EV market has experienced tremendous growth in recent years (Wang et al. 2023; IEA 2022). Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have played a pivotal role in accelerating EV adoption and market penetration, establishing their dominance in the current EV industry (Song et al. 2023; Hubble et al. 2022; Blázquez et al. 2023). Chinese companies have emerged as leaders in LIB technology, boasting an extensive patent portfolio, while the rest of the world lags behind (Altenburg et al. 2022). Policy support is identified as a primary success factor in promoting EV technology (Hoppe et al. 2023; IEA 2022). A geostrategic risk arises from the protective measures for the US market, while the European EV market remains open for foreign manufacturers (Allianz Research 2023). In addition, the European Union and the United Kingdom are now committed to banning the sale of internal combustion engine vehicles by 2035 (Hoppe et al. 2023; European Parliament 2023). Consequently, European technological sovereignty in the automotive sector, which is considered a key strategic industry for Europe, might be at risk (Lenort et al. 2023).

The pursuit of better performance, particularly higher energy density and/or lower cost, has stimulated research into post-lithium-ion battery (Post-LIB) technologies (Duffner et al. 2021). This technological opportunity aims to address the economic, environmental, technological, and geopolitical limitations associated with LIBs (Rudola et al. 2023; Liu et al. 2020; Pulido-Sánchez et al. 2022; Song et al. 2023; Hubble et al. 2022) and is about to trigger a technological revolution in the electric vehicle industry through advanced post-LIB technologies, leading to a realignment of geostrategic technology competition. While previous studies analysed the patent landscapes of lithium-ion battery technology for the electric vehicle industry, none has yet examined the technological race in post-LIB technologies from a geostrategic perspective. Our research aims to identify and evaluate promising technological pathways for the European battery sector to geostrategically compete for technology leadership in electric mobility in the post-LIB era.

Project team: Prof. Dr. Frank Tietze, André Hemmelder, Prof. Dr. Jens Leker

Project partners: In collaboration with the University of Muenster and Fraunhofer Research Institution for Battery Cell Production (FFB)