VW to start using high-nickel batteries for electric car

FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Volkswagen will raise the amount of nickel used in it electric car battery cells to 80% in the next year from 65% at present, Frank Blome, head of battery cells at the carmaker said on Tuesday.

Volkswagen’s current electric car battery cell contains 65% nickel, 15% cobalt and 20% manganese. Next generation batteries will have 80% nickel, 10% cobalt and 10% manganese, Blome told analysts on a call.

Volkswagen is embarking on a mass production push to build 3 million electric cars by 2025, requiring 300 gigawatt hours worth of battery cells, mainly in Asia and Europe, he said.

Ramping up manufacturing battery packs at scale will help the carmaker to cut battery cell costs far below $100 per kilowatt hour by 2025, he said.

(Reporting by Edward Taylor; editing by Jason Neely)