A diverse set of requirements from drivers of electric vehicles (EVs) will make for a "mixed bag" of battery chemistries employed by automakers, attendees at a Fastmarkets webinar heard on Thursday March 4.
In a poll carried out during the webinar, "Europe's position in the battery supply chain," 27.72% of respondents said easy access to charging points was the foremost requirement for EV users in Europe.
Lower upfront costs, fast recharging times, and long driving ranges received 25.74%, 23.7% and 19.8% of the vote respectively. The remaining 2.97% of poll respondents said environmental social and governance (ESG) concerns in EV production are European EV users' primary concern.
"It goes to show there's a mixed requirement from battery end users...You balance the requirements from the end use of the battery, and not all chemistries can meet those requirements. Ultimately, what you will see in the market is quite a wide range of cathode materials and battery types," Robert Baylis, value chain expert at cathode materials company Johnson Matthey said.