Opportunity knocks for Europe’s EV industry, but dominance not guaranteed

Europe is the home of the automobile, and has been at the centre of the internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle’s evolution. But now the industry is casting eyes towards a plugged-in, battery-powered, zero-emission future. Electric vehicle (EV) portfolios on offer from European automakers have fattened considerably in recent years, and according to the European Federation for Transport and Environment, some 240 models will be on offer to customers from 2021 onwards. Production plans are similarly ambitious: by 2025, four million plug-in vehicles will have been built on the continent, supported by several lithium-ion battery production plants due to come online by 2023.