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Daimler Opts Out of Partnering on Battery Production
CEO Dieter Zetsche says Daimler AG no longer is interested in collaborating with other carmakers to make batteries for electric vehicles because the industry is saddled with massive overcapacity already.
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CEO Dieter Zetsche says Daimler AG no longer is interested in collaborating with other carmakers to make batteries for electric vehicles because the industry is saddled with massive overcapacity already.
Daimler indicated interest as recently as two months ago in a possible battery partnership with rival Audi AG. Now Zetsche says such a project would be “the dumbest thing we could do,” says Automotive News Europe.
In December Daimler shut down its Li-Tec cell-making subsidiary and has turned to Asian suppliers for cheaper units. Zetsche says Daimler’s cell design was exceptional, but it cost too much and delivered advantages that customers couldn’t detect.
Daimler might revise its strategy if researchers find a viable way to double the capacity of today’s lithium-ion batteries, Zetsche adds. But he predicts it will take at least three years to find a successor chemistry and five additional years to commercialize it.
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