VW plans Varta tie-up on batteries
FRANKFURT, GERMANY - Volkswagen is setting up a joint venture with Varta Microbattery GmbH to develop more powerful batteries for use in electric cars, Europe's biggest carmaker said.
It said the project aims to undertake research and development of lithium-ion batteries that would be more competitive in terms of technology and price.
The four-year project still needed approval by the German Cartel Office.
Volkswagen, which wants to launch the first electric car by 2013, presented a prototype of the e-UP! model at the Frankfurt Car Show this month.
VW already works with Japan's Toshiba and Sanyo as well as with China's BYD on battery technology.
Related News
Nuclear helps Belgium increase electricity exports in 2019
BELGIUM - Belgium's electricity transmission system operator, Elia, said that the major trends in 2019 were a steady increase in (mainly offshore) renewable power generation, better availability of nuclear-generating facilities and an increase in electricity exports.
In 2019, 48.8% of the power generated in Belgium came from nuclear plants. This was in line with the total for 2017 (50%) and significantly more than in 2018 (31.2%) when several reactors were unavailable.
Belgium exported more electricity in 2019 than it imported with net exports of 1.8TWh (2.1% of the energy mix), in contrast to 2018 when Belgium imported 17.5TWh (20%).
Elia said this “should…
