Northvolt's financial collapse deals a blow to Europe's plan to set up its own battery industry to power electric cars, stirring a debate about whether it needs to do more to attract investment as startups struggle to catch up with Chinese rivals.

Swedish-based Northvolt, which was seen as one of Europe’s best shots at fighting off China’s electric vehicle battery supremacy, filed for bankruptcy yesterday. The company said in its Chapter 11 petition filed in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas that its “liquidity picture has become dire.”