Too early for autosector to write off lead

摘要

The world is on the cusp of an electric vehicle revolution and every car and bus on the roads of most of the planet's developed countries is soon likely to be powered by lithium-ion batteries- at least that is what the hype of the popular press would have us believe. It's true that hardly a day goes by without an announcement related to electric vehicles of one sort or another- and major projects at that. Less than a year ago, BMW placed a "billion euro" order for EV batteries from China (saying the firm could not wait for Europe to build a battery cells industry). General Motors and Honda have formed a partnership to develop next-generation batteries for pure EVs. Meanwhile, R&D activities in Europe have picked up the pace, linked in part to support for the European Commission's Battery Alliance.