Pitch Evan Hartley

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Recording of Tuesday, June 18, 2024 | The smarter E Europe | Conference Program | Language: English | Duration: 6:32 .

Expert Highlights Urgent Need for Investment and Innovation in Europe's Homegrown Battery Supply Chain Amid Significant Global Price Drops

The speaker from Benchmark Mineral Intelligence discusses the current state and future outlook of the lithium-ion battery supply chain, focusing primarily on Europe. Despite significant price drops in raw materials over recent years—most notably a nearly 90% decrease in lithium prices—the European market remains heavily reliant on Chinese producers. For Europe to develop a self-sufficient energy storage supply chain, substantial investment and innovation are required, particularly in local production technologies like Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP). The presentation highlights planned capacities for battery cell production both within China and globally by the end of the decade, noting China's shift towards LFP dominance while other regions remain focused on Nickel Cobalt Manganese (NCM) or Nickel Cobalt Aluminum Oxide (NCA) batteries. Moreover, ongoing projects by companies such as Stellantis and Mercedes indicate potential shifts toward LFP ventures to mitigate issues like sodium sulfate waste associated with NCM cathode capacity. Ultimately, fostering a homegrown supply chain will necessitate continued investment despite falling material costs.

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Evan Hartley
Senior Analyst
Benchmark Mineral Intelligence
United Kingdom

The worst appears to be over. After significant bottlenecks in the battery energy storage systems (BESS) supply chain, the supply of lithium-ion batteries is expected to far exceed demand, helping to resupply the market. However, a closer look reveals that BESS players should continue to actively manage their supply chain, given the continued market dominance of EV OEMs, rising ESG concerns, increasing barriers to free trade and the notorious "pork cycles" of the mining industry. But how should players respond?In this panel, key players will discuss key trends in the BESS value chain, share their perspectives on the resulting challenges and opportunities, and discuss the best strategies to secure supply at optimal cost.

Further Talks of this session:

Speaker

Florian Mayr
Partner
Apricum - The Cleantech Advisory
Germany

To Talk

Speaker

Violette Coquatrix
Vice President Supply Chain Operations EMEA
Fluence
United Kingdom

To Talk

Speaker

Corrine Lin
Chairman and Chief Analyst
InfoLink Consulting Co,. Ltd.
China

To Talk

Speaker

Jérôme Bersano
Director of Products ESS
Northvolt
Sweden

To Talk

Further Content
Publications
European Market Outlook for Battery Storage 2025–2029

Comprehensive analysis of Europe’s battery storage market – now available for download

Battery Business & Development Forum
Deep Dive Europe 2: Made in Europe – How to Build a Competitive European Manufacturing Base

Wednesday, April 1, 2026 10:45am–12:00pm

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This session unpacks EU policies such as NZIA, CISAF and EU-made bonuses, addressing competitiveness, skills, and raw material challenges.

Battery Business & Development Forum
Deep Dive Germany 1 | Grid Access in Germany: FCA, Grid Fees and Market Perspectives

Tuesday, March 31, 2026 3:45pm–5:00pm

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This session brings together regulators, grid operators and developers to discuss how the system currently works and where it is heading.

Battery Business & Development Forum
Future-Proof BESS: Procurement, Design and Lessons from Operating Projects

Wednesday, April 1, 2026 2:45pm–4:00pm

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This session examines how procurement, system design and construction choices affect project outcomes — and what developers should do differently.

Battery Business & Development Forum
Global Supply Chains – Ensuring Access to Critical Raw Materials for BESS for Europe

Wednesday, April 1, 2026 9:00am–10:15am

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This session looks at measures taken to make the EU more independent in sourcing critical raw materials for BESS components and how the framework conditions to facilitate recycling and circular economy in BESS need to evolve.

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