Daimler Buys Evonik’s Battery Firm Stakes

The German carmaker Daimler will acquire from Evonik Industries the shares it doesn’t already own in two lithium-ion battery joint ventures. Daimler will get Evonik’s 50.1% stake in Li-Tec Battery, a 380-employee firm producing Li-ion battery cells in Kamenz, Germany. Li-Tec cells are used in Daimler’s Smart Fortwo electric car. Daimler also will get the 10% it doesn’t already own in ACCUmotive, a Stuttgart, Germany-based maker of Li-ion batteries with 230 staffers. Both of the acquired firms are less than 10 years old.