A number of leading chemical groups – most notably Umicore of Belgium, Germany’s BASF and the UK’s Johnson Matthey – are turning to electric vehicle (EV) technology and ploughing greater investment into this area.
The Financial Times highlighted the shift in priorities, noting that all three are vying to become the biggest providers of the components needed for lithium-ion batteries – an essential element of the electric cars of the future.
Chief executive of Umicore Marc Grynberg told the newspaper that he eventually expects the batteries division of his firm to overtake the autocatalyst division, but not until 2020.
“Today the vast majority of our investment [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][now] goes to battery materials because of the formidable acceleration that we see in demand for our products,” he asserted.
With the market for EVs expected to increase steadily within Europe – and with France announcing that it plans to ban the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040 – it’s looking more and more likely that we’ll see a growing number of these cars on our roads in the coming years.
The Guardian recently revealed that the government is investigating the possibility of allowing drivers to return power from their cars to the national grid in times of peak demand.
According to the newspaper, research is being conducted to look at the viability of drivers being able to give electricity back to the grid and being rewarded either financially or with free parking.
If you work in the chemicals industry and need assistance with toll processing contact us today.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]