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The European Commission wants more EU funding for the electric vehicle sector

As the electric vehicle sector is under pressure, the European Commission has called for additional funds of 1 billion euros ($1.1billion) to be allocated to support battery cell production.

The Commission stated that this would be part of a total of 4.6 billion Euros set aside by the EU Innovation Fund for the promotion and development renewable hydrogen technologies in the EU.

The European electric vehicle manufacturers face fierce competition, especially from Asia. Demand has also lagged behind expectations. This has led to job losses in the region.

"As promised, the European businesses and citizens are already benefiting from our efforts." "We are investing 4.6bn euros in cutting-edge European technologies in net-zero technology, electric vehicle batteries and renewable hydrogen", EU Commissioner Wopke hoekstra stated in a press release.

European automakers are struggling to cope with a weaker than expected demand for electric vehicles and also to compete against the competition from China. The European Union is proposing to raise tariffs on Chinese-built EVs in order to counter unfair Chinese subsidies.

The Swiss automotive supplier Feintool announced on Tuesday that it will close one of its German sites and reduce its workforce by up to 200 people, due to the weakness in demand for electrical vehicles and uncertainty regarding the transition to renewable energy.

(source: Reuters)