E-car batteries face a price drop of up to 75 percent

California has decided it for 2036, the EU for 2040 at least to a large extent: by this time, trucks should no longer emit any emissions or at least reduce this figure by an impressive 90 percent overall.

Even China is planning to reduce its emissions in the transport sector to almost zero in the longer term, i.e. by 2060. This would definitely create a need for emission-free and typically electric drives with batteries or fuel cells.

An important condition would therefore already be fulfilled in order to initiate the massive fall in prices for alternative drives, as shown in the study in Nature Energy points out. Added to this are the necessary investments and subsidies for research and production.

This would set in motion a development that is normal for an expanding market. A total of almost 300 examples with 1,500 data points are analyzed as evidence, which leads to slightly different final results using different methods. However, the trend is always the same.

Starting from 2020, the prices for battery systems per kilowatt hour will fall from more than €300 ($330) to €180 ($200) in 2030 and €100 ($110) in 2050. Even with less positive developments, the price per kilowatt hour for a battery will end up at €115 ($125). Acquisition costs will fall by two thirds to three quarters.

However, according to current forecasts, they are likely to almost halve by 2030. The price trend for fuel cells is expected to be even more extreme. Starting from 2020 and a price of €540 ($600) per kilowatt hour, the value will fall to less than €100 ($110) by 2050. That would be less than a fifth of the initial price.

Applied to a current electric car with a generous 100-kilowatt-hour battery, prices for the end consumer could fall by over €10,000 ($11,000) between 2020 and 2030. By 2050, it would even be €20,000 ($22,000) less. Not exactly a small saving when you consider that the battery currently accounts for roughly half of the purchase price.