BRUSSELS, March 2 (Reuters) - Scaling up production in Europe could cut the cost gap between EU-made batteries and those coming from China to around 30% from a current 90%, transport and environment campaign group T&E said in a report on Monday, and it urged the EU to support the sector with its “Made in Europe” plans.
No because that is how neoliberalism just hollows the industries that all other industries depend on. There’s a reason China builds more HSR and subway lines, ships, and solar panels than the rest of the world combined.
Markets are a specific tool that is useful in some areas and destructive in others. For example, if China didn’t mandate bauxite mining operations extract gallium, the mines would never build the required infrastructure because it takes ages to pay off the capital investment required to do so, if it does at all, and China would have the same capacity to manufacture LEDs and derived products as the rest of the world, almost none.
Same with batteries. There’s a dozen companies, but the 5 year plans and ability to intervene if the capitalists try to not compete or hollow out their industry in the name of profit ensures those companies have the quantity and price of input those companies need to reduce the price of batteries as low as possible.
Presumably people who are able to evaluate their performance. Unlike in capitalism where those engineers are selected by the people with the most money.