The long-term future of combustion-engine-driven cars is being seriously called into question and we are witnessing the transformation of the mobility sector — exciting times for battery research. But it’s not just the increasing prevalence of electric cars that is pushing forward battery technologies: electrochemical cells are the preferred source of energy in various other application areas, like energy storage for domestic photovoltaic systems, or the use of robotics in the digitalisation of industry.

Of the technologies available, lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) currently offer the best performance and have reached a reliable state of maturity. And although there are also promising new “next generation” technologies, they are still in the research phase; they’re not yet ready for the market, which expects high-performance, safe, inexpensive and durable batteries. LIBs are likely to remain dominant for the next two decades, which means we must look carefully at where the materials for their large-scale global production come from. The availability of LIBs’ main components is limited. There are no high-performance alternatives to lithium, nickel or cobalt, and suppliers don’t have the option of stepping up the production of the raw materials on demand, as it is a time-intensive and expensive process. From today’s perspective, a sudden rise in demand could well mean a bottleneck in availability. We need a steady rise in battery sales — not a sudden one. Moreover, it’s likely that the price of raw materials will rise, giving suppliers a stronger position when it comes to value creation. Parallel to the search for lithium, nickel and cobalt substitutes, it is also worth investigating recycling processes and second-life applications for batteries. This and the question of how we can produce batteries in a more environmentally friendly and energy-efficient manner are topics that we are currently intensively exploring in Münster.

Although a rapid phasing-out of internal-combustion technologies isn’t currently feasible, further delaying electromobility is not an acceptable option — especially if we want to remain competitive. The question is no longer “if” electromobility will establish itself, but “how” it will happen and “who” will lead the way. Amasingly, the situation in this country is still unclear. Will Germany continue investing in outdated technologies for decades, like it did with coal and steel? Or will we see a push and the necessary decisions being made to genuinely promote electromobility and the storage (not just production) of renewable energy to ensure its future success? These are questions we need to answer quickly — and correctly.