On Thursday 30/5/2024, in the presence of the Minister of the Environment Petr Hladik, the Minister of Transport Martin Kupka and the Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Petr Třešňák, the Memorandum of Cooperation between the E-Mobility Platform and the Czech Battery Cluster was signed. The aim of the cooperation is to strengthen the development of electromobility and the battery value chain in the Czech Republic.
Industry and transport are undergoing revolutionary changes with regard to the gradual decarbonisation of road transport and the Czech Republic needs to prepare for these. The key technologies are energy carriers, where petroleum derivatives are being replaced by Li-ion batteries in particular, the development of electric drives, the building of charging infrastructure and the creation of an overall eco-system of electro-mobility.
„The advent of emission-free mobility is revolutionary in its pace and ambition. The industry needs government support in managing the product and supply chain transformation. It is equally essential that the government supports the development of an eco-system for electro-mobility,“ says Michal Kadera, Chairman of the Steering Committee of the E-Mobility Platform, which brings together key players in the field of electro-mobility in the Czech Republic. „We are pleased to be working on these topics together with our colleagues from the battery industry.“
„In my experience, the battery industry is one of the key industrial areas in the EU and worldwide, not only in relation to clean mobility, but also to energy and new industrial areas such as robotics. Its technical and educational development in its entirety, including the imaginary tip of the iceberg of so-called gigafactories, which we are also striving for in the Czech Republic, is then essential for maintaining the competitiveness of the Czech Republic and the entire EU“, points out Assoc. Tomáš Kazda, Chairman of the Czech Battery Cluster. „The Battery Cluster was established at the right time to kick-start the development of all the necessary competences of the battery value chain in the Czech Republic, also using the experience of the representatives of the Electric Vehicle Platform.“
„The use of battery systems for energy storage in transport, as well as in industry and households, has great potential in improving urban air quality and the efficient use of renewable resources. All this, of course, helps climate protection and the modernisation of our economy,“ says Environment Minister Petr Hladík. „Above all, batteries make sense for grid flexibility and much better management. With more renewables, we also need much more energy storage, and it is storage that will balance the energy system. We simply have to prepare for a future that looks very different from today’s centrally controlled energy system.“
„Batteries in the field of electromobility, in our opinion, play and will play quite a significant role, and therefore we certainly welcome the fact that thanks to the new memorandum there will be a wider space to discuss this issue more intensively,“ says Transport Minister Martin Kupka. „In this context, I would like to remind you that there is already a subsidy call from the Operational Programme for Transport (OPT) supporting complex projects of public charging stations, which include battery storage,“ adds the Minister.
„It is crucial for the Ministry of Industry and Trade that the entire ecosystem of electromobility is developed. For this reason, we are preparing a new National Clean Mobility Action Plan, which will include a number of measures important for the development of electromobility and other alternative drives. The document should also include specific measures related to traction batteries across their entire life cycle, including their second life and recycling,“ says Petr Třešňák, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade. „Entrepreneurs are showing considerable interest in the programme „Guarantee Electromobility,“ with a preferential guaranteed loan for electric vehicles and charging stations, which was prepared by our Ministry.
Further information:
E-Mobility Platform (hereinafter referred to as „ePlatform“)
– Founded in December 2021.
– ePlatform is an expert partner for the government, ministries and other entities in the development of e-mobility and related challenges, such as the development of charging infrastructure, reflection of e-mobility and in government strategies and legislation, support for cooperation in the Czech Republic and across the EU, as well as educational and awareness-raising activities.
– The ePlatform is working closely with relevant ministries and other partners on the preparation of the new National Action Plan for Clean Mobility, on the regulation of conditions for charging electric vehicles in buildings and other topics.
– The ePlatform brings together key players in the field of e-mobility in the Czech Republic, among others from the construction of charging infrastructure, the automotive industry, the banking sector, science, research and education.
– ePlatform works closely with partners in neighbouring countries and at EU level.
Contact: tajemnik@ePlatforma.cz / +420 771 132 772 / www.ePlatforma.cz
Czech Battery Cluster (hereinafter also „CBK“)
A registered association established in May 2022. Following the example of cluster organisations in the Western world, ČBK builds on the interconnectedness of the three pillars of the education economy:
– the state – institutions supporting industrial development (in the Czech Republic it is the state agency CzechInvest)
– universities (technical universities and other development organisations)
– private enterprises
In the two years of its existence, the CBK has managed to represent the cooperation of over 30 such entities across the value chain. The aim is to support the creation and development of a comprehensive battery economy in the Czech Republic, from the extraction and processing of materials for battery production through battery take-back, second life and ecological recycling, from which materials are used to produce new battery cells. The focus of this activity is to support the scientific and development training of the future Czech workforce. To this end, the CBK organises educational public and private specialised seminars and promotes communication between representatives of all three pillars.
Contact: sekretariat@ceskybateriovyklastr.cz / +420 773 714 230 / www.ceskybateriovyklastr.cz
Representatives of the signatory parties present:
Electric Vehicle Platform:
– Michal Kadera, Chairman of the Steering Committee (for the automotive sector, ŠKODA AUTO)
– Tomáš Dzurilla, Vice-Chairman of the Steering Committee (for the energy sector, ČEZ)
Czech Battery Cluster:
– Assoc. Prof. Tomáš Kazda, Chairman (for Brno University of Technology – VUT)
– Viliam Blumtritt, Vice-Chairman (for Kovohutě Příbram)
– Magda Zemanova, Vice-Chairwoman (for Bilfinger-Tebodin Czech Republic)
