Sweden's Northvolt wants to rival China's battery dominance to power electric cars

SKELLEFTEA, Sweden — The far north of Sweden is the land of the midnight sun, where it's daylight 24 hours a day at this time of year. Thick forests blanket the land and fast rivers produce carbon-free hydropower. It's here, just south of the Arctic Circle, where a Swedish startup called Northvolt has launched its bid to power electric cars around the world.

Formed seven years ago, Northvolt is the first homegrown European battery company. In an interview with NPR, its CEO Peter Carlsson says the company was created to help make the continent self-sufficient on the batteries that will power the future of energy — and less dependent on China.

"Europe was not really having any supply chains," he says. "We were all very, very Asia dependent. That was the key driver why