Germany, France, Belgium, Finland, Italy, Poland and Sweden are the countries participating in the first approved European large-scale project for battery cell production . The companies involved include BASF (battery materials), the BMW Group (further development of cell materials and production process), Umicore (battery recycling), Varta (lithium-ion technology), and Opel: The carmakers are planning to open a battery cell production site at the Kaiserslautern location in a joint venture with the parent company PSA and the French battery manufacturer Saft. The foundations for a pilot system in France will be laid at the start of 2020. Battery cells should also be under production on an industrial scale in Germany by the mid-2020s at the latest.

The project is one of two “Important Projects of Common European Interest” (IPCEI) for battery cell innovation, which will cover the value-added chain of the raw materials via cell production right through to recycling. The second group of companies was submitted to the European Commission for pre-notification in November 2019. Companies and research facilities from 11 EU states are participating.