This publication examines the true costs and complexities behind Europe’s shift to electric mobility. It explains how batteries bring not only technological and economic opportunities but also environmental, social, and geopolitical challenges.
At the heart of Europe’s shift to clean and competitive mobility lies a single technology: the battery. How Europe builds, finances, and governs the battery industry will determine not only whether it meets its 2050 climate goals, but also whether it can maintain competitiveness, strategic autonomy, and social cohesion in a rapidly electrifying world. Europe’s move toward clean, electric transport is both a climate necessity and an industrial challenge. Batteries are the key technology enabling this shift, but they come with hidden costs and difficult trade-offs involving the environment, supply chains, and geopolitics.
We have to be ready to take responsibility for the entire value chain: the batteries we use in Europe must be sustainable, safe, and must not place us in harmful dependencies on countries that could use them against us. So Europe can be both green and independent.
This publication examines the true costs and complexities behind Europe’s shift to electric mobility. It explains how batteries bring not only technological and economic opportunities but also environmental, social, and geopolitical challenges. Through case studies and expert analyses, the publication explores Europe’s dependence on foreign battery producers, the impact of large manufacturing projects on local communities and the environment, and the difficult balance between competitiveness, sustainability, and strategic autonomy. It offers clear insights and policy recommendations to help Europe develop a cleaner, fairer, and more resilient battery industry.