The industry is scrambling to build millions of EVs, and battery producers are considering new processes and supply chains.
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Two of North America's biggest battery makers are looking to source more of their hard-to-find metals and materials locally as they tool up to deliver on the Biden administration's goal of making half of U.S. auto sales be zero-emission vehicles by 2030.General Motors and Panasonic Energy say getting there will result in new approaches to how their products are made and where critical materials come from.
The industry is scrambling to make the historic transition from internal combustion vehicles to EVs. John Bozzella, CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, told the audience that automakers and suppliers are looking to spend US$515 billion to prepare for the EV era. "Battery innovation is not just in the battery technology and the material itself," Lin said."It's also in the designing and building the factories and the manufacturing lines, and to train and manage the work forces to be able to run these factories."
She urged the U.S. government to relax its tariffs on battery materials produced overseas until the U.S. industry can get up to speed.