German-made electric car batteries | DW English

Even as German carmakers promote their electric cars, they are dependent on foreign-made battery cells. The domestic auto industry is taking a back seat, while potential suppliers play catch-up. Is Germany missing the bus?

[FritzSchober]

And then you have the CEOs of VW telling that they had no idea that this diesel cheating was going on and some rogue technicians did all by themselves for no reason at all but risking everything... no 5 signatures needed... those CEOs are lying through their teeth and get away with it. Disgusting.

[advandermeer]

Yeah, there is over supply... That's probably the reason for the long waiting lists for EV's in Europe!

[nagaaranagaara]

salam.Terima Kasih Jerman, rakyatnya gigih mencipta pelbagai ciptaan yang hebat didunia ini. go Germany!

[eDriver]

Germany is so F*cking slow in changing from gasoline to electric powered cars. They doing everything, to for sure to loose the race with other competitors.

[drg]

"there is current overcapacity" lol talk about not seeing the forest from the trees

[funny-video-YouTube-channel]

With all that *planning and conservatism, * why did the Germans bet on the petrol for so long ?

[shinlanten]

If Korea has a comparative advantage in making batteries then focus R&D on other aspects of electrical car manufacturing. *_Why reinvent the wheel?_*

[kinngrimm]

If an investment in germany would be made, by german industry, it would need to be flexible to a very high degree so that new inventions could be taken into account at any time and the production would be adjusted accordingly. That is what i take away sofar. Meanwhile the batterie storage centers of Tesla are setting standards and are by that also having more and more patents i would expect, which then makes getting into the market sooner or later perhaps even unprofitable. So at some point soon, germany and european firms need to risk it and jump into this market.

[dlwatib]

The idea that there is an oversupply of batteries is ridiculous. Battery production is the limiting factor! L G Chem and Tesla can't make enough batteries for the entire car industry. Others have to step up to the plate as well. L G Chem is supplying most of the non-Tesla EVs, but only in small quantities by automotive standards (50k units per year). The video said each car takes "hundreds" of cells. Wrong! It takes thousands of cells per vehicle if they're the 18650 form factor shown!

[antoniavie]

I could sit here and say "I told you so"!
I did and nearly 20 years ago when the first prototype electric cars came on the road. Making and recycling the batteries is going to be a huge business.
The industry would need standards in size and and capacity and it would need to find ways to quickly swap battery packs at stations (similar to gas stations) preferably automated.

[jessstuart]

Why are these battery modules composed of so many small batteries (18650 sized)?

Compactness? Bypassing of failed cells? Cheaper standardized tooling? Heat dissipation?

I would think smaller cells would really drive up the assembly costs and complicate the battery management (charging/discharging balancing) circuitry. I question whether these small batteries are really the optimal size for electric vehicles from a manufacturing cost or reliability perspective.

[dorisschnabel]

We also need to think about what happens to spent batteries/recycle, landfills, where do they go??

[Sk_max-km]

Isn't it possible to use wheel power of electric car to recharge it's battery. By connecting four small dynamo to each wheel thereby producing power to recharge the car battery.

[southhillfarm]

They seem to forget about Tesla plant in the U.S.

[hectorabcdefg]

im not German, but I would be proud to be one

Going through five signatures to get the product done is not a bad thing and i think thats why Germany always promise a best quality product with least possible risks. Although East Asian Giants have no complex structure for production but as u urself mentioned, they take risks - BIG RISKS and may end up in a big disaster if things go unchecked by one signatory authority.

[liang]

I think this is complex global chain, everyone is sharing a part in the game. You should not look into too specific who does what.

[gianul]

Warum wird keine solche Fabrik gebaut in west Rumänien wo günstig hergestell werden kann?

[karlp]

Germany should leapfrog the competition by designing and making solid-state batteries. Every battery shown here is just Li-ion.

[williamarmstrong]

Absolutely no overproduction! His comments will go along with the person at Decca who turned down the Beatles or the Government minister in the 1850's who said we might as well shut down the patent office because obviously everything that could ever be created or discovered already had been.