Press release No. N 014 of 11 December 2019
• Both imports and exports of lithium-ion rechargeable batteries have almost quadrupled since 2012
• The January to September 2019 figures indicate further increase.
WIESBADEN – Lithium-ion rechargeable batteries are used as energy storage units in electric vehicles, smartphones or cordless screwdrivers and have become an established part of everyday life. The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reports that roughly 202 million lithium-ion rechargeable batteries to the value of 2.4 billion euros were imported to Germany in 2018. The quantity of imports was almost four times that of 2012, when 55 million pieces were imported. An evaluation of the January to September figures indicates a further increase in imports and exports in 2019. Roughly 190 million lithium-ion rechargeable batteries were imported and 87 million exported in this period.