Battery Metals - Copperbelt Katanga Mining

Cobalt-rich Congo tries to push into battery manufacturing

November 25, 2021November 25, 2021 admin

Democratic Republic of Congo’s government said on Wednesday it would push to develop domestic battery manufacturing capacity to add value to its exports of minerals such as cobalt and copper. Congo mines around two-thirds of the world’s cobalt, an ingredient in lithium-ion batteries, and is Africa’s leading producer of copper. Demand for the minerals is rising to power electric vehicles and electronic devices. But Congo, which ranks among the world’s least developed countries, exports its minerals for only a fraction of the final cost of the batteries, which are mostly… Read More Here

Equipment & Technology Battery Metals International

Indian technopreneurs to make EV battery cost a ‘non-issue’ with sodium-ion tech

November 21, 2021November 21, 2021 arnbethnic

Engineer-entrepreneurs Ravi Pandit, chairman of Sentient Labs, incubated by KPIT Technologies, and Bala Pachyappa, CEO, Sodium Energy, are betting on Sodium-ion chemistry to bring down the cost of battery, the single most expensive component in an electric vehicle. Sentient Labs, a new research and technology company in Pune, led by veteran technocrat Ravi Pandit, is working on a suite of ‘exciting innovative technology solutions’ for the industry. One of the technologies that the company has been working on is that of sodium-ion battery to make its cost a ‘non-issue’ in… Read More Here

Battery Metals Lithium Nickel

Kabanga says Tanzania mine may answer Elon Musk’s nickel plea

November 19, 2021November 19, 2021 admin

Kabanga Nickel Ltd. is seeking to raise $1.3 billion for a massive mining project in Tanzania that the company says could help ease electric-vehicle manufacturers’ insatiable demand for nickel. “We are accelerating this kind of discussions as quickly as possible,” Chief Executive Officer Chris Showalter, a former investment banker, said in an interview. “Because of the quality of the project, we have developed a substantial interest.” Kabanga is trying to secure funding for a $950 million mine and $350 million refineries that would be developed simultaneously in the northwest part… Read More Here

Battery Metals Lithium

Rio Tinto invests in European EV battery producer InoBat Auto

November 19, 2021November 19, 2021 admin

Rio Tinto (ASX, LON, NYSE: RIO) announced Tuesday it is investing in European battery technology and manufacturing company InoBat Auto. InoBat is leading the construction of a 290,000 square-foot, first-of-its-kind electric vehicle battery R&D center and pilot line in Slovakia, where it plans to integrate research and development activities together with battery cell-manufacturing capabilities. The world’s second-largest miner is expanding its footprint in Europe — in July committing $2.4 billion to the Jadar lithium-borates project in Serbia, one of the largest greenfield lithium projects in development. Rio said last month 60 Jadar mines wouldn’t fill… Read More Here

Battery Metals Lithium

Rise in battery costs to keep lithium price rallying — report

November 16, 2021November 16, 2021 admin

Lithium prices have rallied in 2021 and are now at record-high levels, amidst the sharp acceleration in demand during a global supply struggle. In its latest industry report, market analyst Fitch Solutions revised up significantly both its lithium carbonate and hydroxide price forecasts from 2021 to 2026, to incorporate higher global EV sales assumptions from its Autos team and subsequent stronger lithium demand for batteries. Fitch was expecting prices to remain on an uptrend over 2021-2022. The analyst launched the new lithium price forecast in May 2021, but lithium prices have rallied beyond… Read More Here

Battery Metals Cobalt International Lithium

Researchers push for more accurate battery metals demand forecasts

November 15, 2021November 15, 2021 admin

Common assumptions that state that demand for battery metals will continue to increase for the foreseeable future, as they are essential for high-performance lithium-ion batteries, may be misleading, a new report by CSIRO states. According to Australia’s national science agency, unsophisticated models based on current supply levels and basic recycling rates are promoting many mischaracterizations of the real opportunities in both metal mining and recycling. In the view of the experts at CSIRO, such models ignore the dynamics of materials flows on a global scale and the expected changes in underlying technologies. “Metal… Read More Here

Battery Metals International Mining technology

Tesla To Buy 45 GWh Of LFP Batteries From CATL

November 13, 2021November 13, 2021 admin

Citing a post by 36kr, Chinese website CnEVPost says Tesla has agreed to buy 45 GWh of lithium-iron-phosphate batteries from CATL to meet its expected demand for the Model 3 and Model Y in 2022. The Model 3 and Model Y are currently available with LFP batteries in their standard range versions, with the former having a 55 kWh battery and the latter a 60 kWh battery. The purchase will be enough to power about 800,000 vehicles. The company sold 627,350 cars in the first 9 months of this year. Tesla’s Nevada battery factory will soon… Read More Here

Battery Metals International

JOHNSON MATTHEY EXITS BATTERY MATERIALS BUSINESS IN BLOW TO EUROPE

November 11, 2021November 11, 2021 admin

Johnson Matthey’s shares plunged as much as 20% on Thursday after the British chemicals company said it would exit its battery materials business due to crushing competition and that CEO Robert MacLeod would step down next year. The London-listed company said potential returns from the battery materials unit could not justify investments anymore as it struggles to compete with more established large scale and low cost producers. It was looking at a sale of all or part of the unit, with the “ultimate intention of exiting”. “This decision will allow us to… Read More Here

Battery Metals Cobalt Copper Lithium

The commodity boom is starting to push battery prices higher

November 5, 2021November 5, 2021 admin

The world’s biggest battery market is showing the strain of surging commodity prices. Chinese manufacturer Gotion High-tech Co. sent a letter to customers in mid-October seeking to adjust battery prices, citing a jump in the cost of cathode materials and electrolyte to copper and aluminum foil. The company said it “has tried its best to reduce the cost impacts but with little effect.” Gotion’s move underscores a key hurdle the world faces in its transition to cleaner, greener energy sources. Electric-vehicle sales have soared as companies were able to make… Read More Here