Europe and the US are trailing Asia

Next-generation battery technologies play an important role in the energy and mobility transition. A research team from the Universities of Münster (Germany) and Cambridge (United Kingdom) and the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Battery Cell Production (Fraunhofer FFB), Münster, has analyzed global competition in this field by comparing patents and innovation strategies across various regions, focusing on next-generation battery technologies for electric vehicles.

The study identifies the positions of different regions (China, Japan, South Korea, Europe and the United States) regarding their technological priorities and innovation strategies. The researchers considered future battery technologies for high-energy applications as well as future technologies for low cost applications. They conclude that Europe and the United States risk losing the race for leadership in future battery technologies.

Published in Energy & Environmental Science, the study reveals an increasing polarization between Asia and Western nations. While countries in Asia (China, Japan and South Korea) systematically focus their innovation efforts on future battery technologies, the West (particularly Europe and the United States) mainly focuses on improving today’s lithium-ion battery technologies.

Specifically, these regions are pursuing different strategic orientations. For example, Japan and South Korea are focusing on high-energy batteries of the future, and China is addressing both application profiles, i.e. high-performance batteries with high energy density and low-cost batteries. Europe and the United States, on the other hand, are primarily advancing developments along the established lithium-ion battery value chain.

The researchers note that the innovation gap between Asia and the West could further widen, eventually threatening the technological autonomy and long-term competitiveness of Europe and the United States in both future high-energy batteries and lower-cost alternatives.

“Europe and the United States need to urgently increase their investments in future battery value chains and promote the transfer of knowledge and technology with leading battery developers and manufacturers from Asia,” says Prof Stephan von Delft, professor of business chemistry at the University of Münster.

The quantity and quality of patents provide insights into a country’s innovation performance. Innovation strategies reflect political priorities and measures such as national funding programs. “Together, they offer a suitable means for assessing geostrategic competition and the positioning of individual countries in future battery technologies,” explains André Hemmelder, doctoral student and first author of the study.