Elisabeth Braw is a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, the author of the award-winning “Goodbye Globalization” and a regular columnist for POLITICO. If there’s one thing we know, it’s that our transition away from fossil fuels won’t be possible without electric cars (EVs). Pulling ahead in this field, China has recently been making EVs that are far cheaper than Western-manufactured ones, and much of it comes down to one humble yet indispensable component: the battery. But now, thanks to one small town in Norway, it seems there might yet be hope for Europe, and for a greener future without risky dependencies on China. Oh, how the times have changed. Four years ago, Tesla was the world’s largest all-electric car brand, followed by China’s state-owned SAIC, Volkswagen, Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi and BYD ( another Chinese manufacturer). Today, five of the world’s 10 biggest EV brands are Chinese — and it’s not because buyers specifically want Chinese cars. It’s simply because they’re cheaper. Take, for example, BYD’s Dolphin Surf. Available in Europe as of this summer, these cars start at €22,900. That’s significantly less than Tesla models — and a couple other Chinese EVs are cheaper still. One reason for all this is that their batteries — that all-important part of an EV — cost less. For the past few years, Chinese makers have been switching to so-called LFP batteries, which are different from the NMC batteries most Western cars still use. LFP stands for lithium iron phosphate, and batteries made with these components aren’t just cheaper but last longer, thus making them more sustainable too. (NMCs still get more usage out of each charge, which makes them better for longer drives, but that gap is narrowing.) Given their focus on price, it’s not surprising Chinese brands have so massively adopted LFP batteries. “[China has] a huge cost advantage through economies of scale and battery technology. European manufacturers have fallen well behind,” David Bailey, a professor of business and economics at Birmingham Business School told the BBC. “Unless they wake up very quickly and catch up, they could be wiped out.” But there’s good news for Western EV makers: a renewable-energy company called Å Energi — a Norwegian hydropower giant — has been thinking ahead precisely along these lines. Four years ago, Å Energi teamed up with ABB, Siemens, the Danish pension fund PKA and the Norwegian investment firm Nysnø to form Morrow Batteries. Majority-owned by Å Energi, Morrow is based in the picturesque town of Arendal on Norway’s south coast, and it recently began producing LFP batteries for energy storage systems — think sun and wind energy that needs to be stored after being captured in solar panels and wind turbines — as well as for defense equipment. If all goes according to plan, Morrow will then expand to vehicles, with plans to build another three LFP facilities in Arendal before 2029. Of course, this company won’t be able to match China’s formidable LFP production on its own  — and yet, it exists. It exists because Å Energi dared to commit to this new technology, because the Norwegian government agreed to grant a loan, and because the EU decided to support the undertaking too. Four years ago, Tesla was the world’s largest all-electric car brand, followed by China’s state-owned SAIC. | Allison Dinner/EPA To date, the path to EV batteries has been strewn with grand ambition and, alas, bankruptcies. In the past couple years alone, Northvolt in Sweden and Britishvolt in the U.K. have both gone bust. But as technical as it may sound, LFP batteries are the surest way for Europe to reduce its dependence on Chinese EVs. So, if Morrow succeeds, and is perhaps joined by one or two new European battery-makers, Europe’s EV manufacturers will be better able to compete with Chinese rivals. To be viable, the green transition has to be a collective undertaking. It’s no surprise that this pioneering LFP factory is located in Norway, as the country has made EV adoption a priority. In 2023, nine in 10 cars sold in the country were already EVs, and the Norwegian government wants all newly sold cars to be zero-emission by the end of this year. Norway doesn’t have any significant car manufacturers, and unlike most battery-makers, Morrow isn’t owned by a car manufacturer. But LFP batteries look certain to be the future in all kinds of applications — and Norway is grabbing that opportunity. Morrow’s factory, or factories, may lose money at first, but in the long run, they’ll be a benefit to their owners and to Norway — not to mention Western consumers. Even more crucially, the arrival of a battery factory in Arendal points to a fundamental reality: that to do the right thing for our supply chains and, in many cases, the climate, companies need to team up with unexpected partners, and occasionally with the government too. In today’s climate, so to speak, business plans can no longer solely focus on immediate profit.

WASHINGTON D.C. — Senior U.S. Republicans attacked the British government for its decision to cede control of the Chagos Islands, warning the move is a coup for Chinese interests.  The chairs of both the Senate and House foreign affairs committees warned the deal, struck Thursday, could put U.S. and U.K. security at risk. The British government has agreed to hand power over the disputed Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius, which has links with Beijing and struck a free trade agreement with China in 2021. Under the terms of the deal, the military base Diego Garcia, used by the U.S. government to house navy ships and long-range bomber aircraft, will remain in U.K. and U.S. jurisdiction for at least the next 99 years. The British government insisted its U.S. allies were foursquare behind the move, after a report claimed Washington raised concerns about the decision with the U.K. But top Republican lawmakers echoed criticism from Conservatives in Britain that conceding to the long-standing Mauritian campaign for control of the islands could be a mistake.  Idaho Senator James Risch, a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a Donald Trump supporter, said the move “gives in to Chinese lawfare and yields to pressure from unaccountable international institutions like the International Court of Justice at the expense of U.S. and U.K. strategic and military interests.” He added: “The U.S. and our allies must take a long term approach when it comes to making decisions that affect our strategic competition with China, or we will all lose.” Texas Representative Michael McCaul, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the Diego Garcia base was “essential” to countering China and co-ordinating partners in the Indo-Pacific, adding: “The administration must ensure that U.S. security interests in the Indo-Pacific are protected by this agreement.” ‘FOREIGN POLICY FUMBLE’ Conservative thinkers in the U.S. also weighed in against the move by the new Labour government in the U.K. “Of course this deal benefits China,” said Luke Coffey, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute think tank and a former adviser to British Defense Secretary Liam Fox.  “People should not let the 99 year use of the military base in Diego Garcia by the U.S. and the UK provide any comfort,” he added. “Just look at the regrets and consequences resulting from the transfer of Hong Kong in 1997 under a similar arrangement. Texas Representative Michael McCaul, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the Diego Garcia base was “essential” to countering China. | Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images “This was the first major foreign policy fumble by the Labour government. If I was a Falkland Islander or a Gibraltarian I would be a little nervous.” U.S. President Joe Biden said in a statement that the deal was “a clear demonstration that through diplomacy and partnership, countries can overcome long-standing historical challenges to reach peaceful and mutually beneficial outcomes.” Nevertheless, a report in The Times newspaper said U.S. officials warned the Labour administration in Britain against handing the islands to Mauritius, due to fears the Chinese could use them to house listening posts. A U.K. government spokesperson insisted: “We strongly reject these claims. This historic agreement, welcomed by the U.S. president and the U.S. Department of State, will secure the future of the U.K.-U.S. military base on Diego Garcia. “For the first time in over 50 years, the base will be undisputed and legally secure with full Mauritian backing and is now more protected than ever from foreign malign influence.” Others supported the deal. David Vine, co-ordinator of Chagossian advocacy group Let Us Return USA, said the agreement “could have been done decades ago.” He said it was a “major exclusion” to exclude Diego Garcia from the right of return for Chagossians. The U.K. and U.S. expelled the islanders when the area was detached from Mauritius. A 2019 advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice, which adjudicates on disputes between nations, found that the detachment of the Chagos Islands from Mauritius was “not based on the free and genuine expression of the will of the people concerned.” It said the U.K. was “under an obligation to bring to an end its administration of the Chagos Archipelago as rapidly as possible.” Phelim Kine contributed to this report.