Geopolitics of electric vehicles. Towards a European green transition?

The European Union (EU) has set forth its ambition to become climate-neutral by 2050, driving all key sectors towards net zero greenhouse gas emissions. To achieve its climate goals, Brussels sees an opportunity to shift the transportation sector to zero- and low-emission vehicles. While a range of technologies may be envisioned, the current trend is heading towards a more electrically-powered transport sector, ultimately battery-dependent. The research focuses on the most developed technology, the lithium-ion (or Li-ion) battery, which is used in both battery electric vehicle or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. This article seeks to explain the incentives driving the paradigm shift towards electric vehicles (EV). It also deals with the EU commitment to ensure the recycling of raw materials for battery production, without losing sight of the importance, from a strategic point of view, of ensuring access to the critical raw materials that make up batteries. Ultimately, the study dives into the ongoing race to build large-scale factories for battery cell production in the EU, namely the Giga factories.