Battery Essentials for Smart Selection & Integration

Why Battery Technology Knowledge Has Become a Strategic Capability in Europe

Explore why battery technology expertise is becoming essential for procurement, manufacturing, sourcing, and innovation leaders across Europe.

Europe’s electrification ambitions are accelerating, but battery production is struggling to keep pace. As demand for battery technology grows across mobility, energy storage, and industrial applications, many organizations remain dependent on global supply chains and external suppliers.

As a result, battery-related decisions increasingly influence product performance, costs, supplier relationships, and long-term competitiveness. Understanding battery technology is therefore no longer solely the responsibility of engineers. It has become a strategic capability for professionals involved in procurement, product development, manufacturing, and innovation.

To strengthen Europe’s position in the global battery ecosystem, organizations need professionals who can make informed decisions about battery technologies, suppliers, and integration.

Europe’s Battery Challenge: High Demand, Low Production Capacity

Europe’s electrification ambitions are driving rapid growth in battery demand across electric mobility, energy storage, and industrial applications. As a result, batteries have become a strategic technology for Europe’s clean energy transition, industrial competitiveness, and climate goals like the European Green Deal and supporting the EU’s goal of climate neutrality by 2050 (EPRS, 2025; Fortune Business Insights, 2025).

Yet while demand continues to grow, Europe remains heavily reliant on external suppliers. According to ACEA, the EU accounts for only around 7% of global battery production capacity, with much of the battery value chain remaining concentrated in Asia (ACEA, 2025; EPRS, 2025).

This dependency creates significant challenges for European organizations (European Policy Centre, 2025; Roland Berger, 2025):

• Cost volatility
• Supply chain vulnerability
• Quality and performance impacts
• Delays
• Supplier dependency
• Exposure to geopolitical uncertainty

As batteries become increasingly central to business success, battery-related decisions are no longer purely technical concerns; they are strategic business decisions.

Why Battery Technology Expertise Matter Beyond Manufacturing

Battery technology is no longer solely an engineering concern. Decisions around battery selection, sourcing, and integration increasingly influence procurement, product development, manufacturing, innovation, and corporate strategy.

Procurement teams must evaluate suppliers and sourcing risks. Product managers need to understand performance trade-offs. Innovation leaders must assess emerging technologies. Manufacturing teams must optimize production efficiency while maintaining standards and quality. Executives must balance commercial objectives with supply chain stability.

Poor decisions can lead to higher costs, supplier dependency, operational challenges, and missed opportunities. Battery expertise is becoming a strategic capability that supports informed decision-making across business functions and throughout the value chain (ScienceDirect, 2025).

Building Europe’s Battery Technology Competence

Europe has made significant efforts to strengthen its battery ecosystem in recent years. Initiatives such as the European Battery Alliance were established to support the development of a competitive and sustainable European battery value chain (EPRS, 2025)

Manufacturers such as CATL continue to invest in European production facilities, highlighting both the significance of the European market and the need for greater regional manufacturing capacity (Roland Berger, 2025).

However, building battery factories alone will not solve Europe’s battery challenges. Organizations require people who can navigate the complexity of battery technologies, supplier landscapes, manufacturing considerations, and commercial dynamics. (European Policy Centre, 2025; ScienceDirect, 2025).

Battery literacy is becoming essential for professionals involved in:

• Technology and R&D
• Product development
• Procurement and sourcing
• Manufacturing and operations
• Innovation management
• Strategic leadership

Developing Battery Technology Expertise with TUM Executive & Professional Education

The growing need for battery literacy is exactly what the Battery Essentials for Smart Selection and Integration certificate program has been designed to address.

Designed for decision-makers rather than battery manufacturers, the program bridges the gap between technical understanding and practical decision-making. Through a combination of academic expertise and practical workshops, participants explore battery fundamentals, chemistry and design selection, manufacturing processes, supplier qualification, total cost of ownership, and system-level integration.

The program equips professionals with the knowledge and frameworks needed to evaluate battery technologies, reduce sourcing risks, and make more confident strategic decisions across procurement, integration, manufacturing, and innovation. Learn more about the program and upcoming dates here:

References:

ACEA. (2025). EU battery supply chain and import reliance fact sheet. https://www.acea.auto/files/ACEA_Fact_sheet-EU_battery_supply_chain_and_import_reliance.pdf

European Parliament Research Service [EPRS] (2025). Powering the EU’s future: Strengthening the battery industry. European Parliament. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document/EPRS_BRI(2025)767214

European Policy Centre. (2025). How Europe can revive its EV battery sector. https://epc-web-s3.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/2025/05/26/ev_battery_sector_comeback_paper.pdf

Fortune Business Insights. (2025). Europe battery market. https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/europe-battery-market-114160

Roland Berger. (2025). Two outlooks for the future of battery manufacturing in Europe. https://www.rolandberger.com/en/Insights/Publications/Two-outlooks-for-the-future-of-battery-manufacturing-in-Europe.html

ScienceDirect. (2025). Battery value chains and European competitiveness. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352152X25025642