Specialist
Project manager at BMW
Agenda
- Battery supply overview, highlighting Volkswagen (ETR: VOW3) and others’ reliance on China-based suppliers
- Technological developments, including the shift to unified cells and the commercialisation of solid-state batteries
- Battery chemistry evolution, discussing LFP (lithium iron phosphate) and NMC usage options across car segments
- Range, charge time and battery cost outlook plus opportunities to manage rising input costs
Questions
1.
Could you outline the current supply situation for the short- and then mid-to-long-term? What are the shortages and could you comment on any excess capacity?
2.
How tight is supply for batteries?
3.
How dominant do you think China is in this market and how reliant is the auto industry on its battery supply?
4.
What percentage of battery supply for Volkswagen would come from China?
5.
What might be a realistic plan B for Volkswagen if China nationalised battery materials?
6.
How reliant is non-China-based production on Chinese batteries for an OEM [original equipment manufacturer] such as Volkswagen?
7.
How can a group such as Volkswagen manage rising raw material prices for batteries, driven by scarcity and broader inflation?
8.
What might become the dominant battery chemistry in the automotive sector?
9.
At what point would NMC be introduced? Is that from the C segment onwards or the D or E segments?
10.
What are the key challenges to shifting towards the unified cell concept, which Volkswagen has often spoken about?
11.
Could there be a supply ramp-up issue around the shift towards more LFP [lithium iron phosphate] or high-manganese batteries?
12.
Volkswagen has stated that the shift to unified cells could mean a 50% cost reduction, including 15% through cell design, 10% in the production process, 20% through cathode and anode materials and then 5% in the battery system concept. How do you marry that vs the 15% cost reduction you suggested?
13.
Do you think suppliers are becoming more accommodating or flexible towards Volkswagen’s requirements in the unified cell structure?
14.
What are the challenges to rolling out solid-state batteries? You mentioned you expect this to come more towards the end of the decade.
15.
How could the shift towards solid state impact the three key factors – range, charge time and cost to OEMs, Volkswagen in particular?
16.
How might Volkswagen consider the trade-off between heavy investment planned through the decade in battery capacity vs the potential commercialisation of solid-state batteries by the end of the decade using different production processes?
17.
How rapidly should we expect improvements in battery weight and power efficiency to allow greater vehicle range on one charge? What scope of improvement do you think is possible?
