Europe now has projects to build 38 gigafactories with a combined annual output of 1,000 gigawatt hours and an estimated cost of 40 billion euros , according to a June report by Transport & Environment, a non-government organisation.
"They will also have to ensure access to materials for the electrodes , which will determine the batteries' price and availability," he added. Automakers, which are under pressure to transition out of fossil fuel vehicles, are putting money into battery production.AFP/File | RONNY HARTMANNStellantis, which owns brands such as Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Citroen, Dodge and Fiat, is working on two of its own, while electric pioneer Tesla wants to make its future gigafactory near Berlin one of the biggest in the world with 250 GWh of capacity by 2030.
Montique targets 2040 for the establishment of"an entirely closed loop supply chain where the vast majority of battery materials are extracted, refined, processed and produced into battery cells on the continent."
RSA could have been playing a leading role in advancing battery technology. Unfortunately, in 1992, after supporting lithium battery research under Thackeray for about ten years, CSIR management decided to terminate its investment in this technology. Sad!