Europe's electric car market is booming. This is not just in terms of registrations, but overall in terms of the supply chain. Production plants dedicated to the mobility of the future are expanding, and with them the battery factories. This is according to Acea, the European carmakers' association, which provides an up-to-date map of the factories operating in the EU.

Not all of them deal with lithium-ion batteries for cars, as some work in the field of low-voltage batteries, while others focus on related processes and still others are developing cutting-edge technologies, such as the solid state.

There are 38 Gigafactories in the EU

The Acea report shows that there are 322 automotive-related production sites in Europe. In 2021, there were no more than 301. In the EU alone, there are 38 battery production plants. If we also consider Russia (1), Turkey (1) and the UK (2), the total number of factories rises to 42.

Il centro BMW dove nascono le batterie Gen6

The BMW centre where Gen6 batteries are created

Returning to the EU, battery factories are located in 17 Member States. Germany, which has always been the driving force behind Europe's four-wheeled vehicle industry, leads the way with 12 sites of its own. It is followed by France (with the strong presence of Renault and brands linked to the former PSA group) and Spain, which exploits the link between the national automotive industry (Seat) and the Volkswagen Group.

The list of Gigafactories in the European Union

  • Germany: 12
  • France: 5
  • Spain: 3
  • Belgium: 2
  • Finland: 2
  • Italy: 2
  • Poland: 2
  • Slovakia: 2
  • Austria: 1
  • Croatia: 1
  • Netherlands: 1
  • Czech Republic: 1
  • Romania: 1
  • Slovenia: 1
  • Sweden: 1
  • Hungary: 1

Gallery: The Volkswagen gigafactory in Salzgitter