Blog of Fraunhofer ISI

How can approaches from the electricity sector help to master the challenges of water scarcity? Our interdisciplinary team has examined the potential of innovative solutions beyond sectoral boundaries. We show new perspectives that open up for the water sector.

The recycling of lithium-ion batteries (LIB) will play a key role for Europe in order to gain ac-cess to strategic raw materials. In addition to scale up existing pilot projects, announcements of new plants and the cancelling of recycling projects have been observed for around a year. This blog post provides an update on an article from August 2024 and discusses the latest developments.

Mini- and microenvironments have the potential to make battery cell production more sustainable. These concepts are still a research topic. However, industrial activities are also increasing, with many of the players coming from Germany and Europe. An analysis of patent activities and players shows the research hot spots and geographical hot spots of this emerging technology.

Announced production capacities in Europe amount to more than two terawatt hours per year by 2030. This exceeds the expected demand. In addition, recent years have shown that it is very unlikely that all announced projects will be realised. For this reason, Fraunhofer ISI has developed a methodology that can be used to determine the probability of realisation of battery production announcements with an assessment of the likelihood of implementation for battery production projects.

The market for lithium-ion battery materials is rapidly evolving worldwide. What the USA and the EU are doing to counter China’s dominance and why overcapacity does not necessarily ensure secure supply chains.

According to recent analyses by the Fraunhofer ISI, global sales of battery electric vehicles (BEV) and plug-in hybrids (PHEV) increased significantly in 2024. By contrast, Germany and other European countries experienced a shrinking market. European and American manufacturers are suffering as a result.

In recent months, there have been repeated reports of low sales figures for electric cars and redundancies at car manufacturers due to underutilized production lines. The following analysis provides an overview of the current situation on the vehicle market in Germany and Europe.

The following conclusion is drawn in a publication that has been taken up by a German media: If the policy framework for nuclear power plants (NPPs) had been positive in Germany in 2002 and nuclear power had not been phased out, the country would be better off in terms of both spending and greenhouse gas emission reductions in the electricity sector than it is with the current energy transition. Overall, an alternative policy to keep existing NPPs in 2002 and build new ones would have halved spending and ensured Germany could meet its climate targets. This statement is based on a technology comparison of the expenditures for renewable energies on the one hand with a hypothetical scenario of not phasing out nuclear power and expanding NPPs in Germany on the other. The authors of this response are of the opinion that the underlying calculation is based on a fundamental methodological error, which leads to double counting most of the expenditure on renewable energies. The analysis conducted is therefore not scientifically tenable.

In the MobilKULT project, we are investigating the connections between infrastructures, mobility habits, mobility culture and attitudes toward policy measures in the field of mobility such as the Deutschland-Ticket. The survey conducted in spring 2024 looks at how much people’s opinions about different mobility measures diverge. Our findings: Across different social groups, the responses show a high degree of similarity and continuous support for measures such as the Deutschland-Ticket – but there is also agreement that there is currently little support for the transformation of the transport sector.

The recycling of lithium-ion batteries (LIB) will play a central role for Europe in the future. Both expansion projects and announcements of new recycling plants can currently be observed. This blog post is an update of an article from July 2023 and looks at the latest developments.