In the quiet city on the plains where a $10 billion electric vehicle battery boom will soon rival every European country except Germany

HUNGARY has started to establish itself as a major electric vehicle manufacturer by bringing several new battery factories to its country.

But locals in the central European nation fear the rapid expansion of electric car battery factories will deplete local resources and create an unhealthy dependency on China.

2

Most of the battery factories for new electric vehicles (EV) in Hungary are located just outside of Debrecen, a city of 203,914 people — according to Review of the world population.

Large amounts of water are used in the production of batteries for electric cars.

In one day, Hungary’s burgeoning Chinese battery factory CATL EV will use as much water per hour as the entire population of Debrecen, financial times reports.

Debrecen is an hour from the nearest major river and has previously suffered from drought caused by climate change.

The CATL battery plant also requires a massive continuous power supply of around 800 MW to operate.

Like many European countries, Hungary is also struggling with high energy costs and reduced availability due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

According to the Financial Times, CATL officials said the company’s upcoming plant in the Debrecen area will generate solar power for additional energy when needed.

While some fear that Hungary’s influx of battery factory investments will lead to an over-reliance on China’s EV resources, others say those fears are premature.

András Deák, an energy expert at Hungary’s University of Civil Service, noted that today’s lithium-based batteries could be one of the many options for electric vehicle manufacturing in the near future.

Deák said: “It’s like we’re about to fill up on the soup while there’s a whole feast on the table.

“I fear climate change more than China. It’s too early to worry about that.

“I would not put the brakes on electromobility or battery technologies due to geopolitical concerns.” reports the Financial Times.

All the investments in the EV battery factory that Debrecen has received total $10.5 billion.

By 2031, Hungry is expected to beat all European countries except Germany in EV battery production.

2