Salzgitter

"From the Thysenkrupp and Salzgitter steel mills producing the sheet metal rolls that are later turned into doors and bonnets, to makers of smaller components used in drivetrains, costs have exploded as a result of high energy prices," says Matthias Schmidt of Schmidt Automotive Research.

Science talked to co-authors Bernard Wilkin, a historian at the State Archives of Belgium, and archaeologist Arne Homann, director of the City Museum of Salzgitter, about the historical trade and its implications.

In Salzgitter, Germany, some 25 miles from Volkswagen’s headquarters, steel beams tower above concrete foundations as excavators and dump trucks hum nearby.

Production at its first battery plant, "SalzGiga", in Salzgitter in the Lower Saxony region will start in 2025.

The company's director of decarbonisation, Huw Morgan, said German firm Salzgitter had received €1bn towards its decarbonisation plans.