Total says batteries investment depends on level playing field with Asia

PARIS (Reuters) - Oil and gas major Total will invest heavily in car battery production only if it can compete on a level playing field with Chinese and Asian manufacturers, its chief executive said on Friday.Battery maker Saft, a unit of Total, said in May that it planned to invest more than 200 million euros (£182 million) in a next-generation European battery alliance project to research, develop and build a new generation solid-state battery to compete with Asian and U.S. rivals.Saft's..