Lithium battery material formula welcomes revolution -Lithium - Ion Battery Equipment
Recently, Japanese battery supplier Panasonic announced that it will develop cobalt-free automotive-grade batteries. As the electric vehicle market continues to boom, its core component power lithium battery is also "rising boats", and the current mainstream battery - ternary lithium-ion battery demand continues to rise. As one of the cathode materials for ternary lithium-ion batteries, cobalt has become a strategic rare metal resource due to its scarcity. 66% of the world's cobalt production comes from the politically unstable Congo (Kinshasa), resulting in limited reserves and rising prices. become a constraint on the development of new energy vehicles. Therefore, car manufacturers and battery companies are developing and reducing the proportion of cobalt in the formulation of ternary lithium-ion battery materials, and some companies have even begun to develop cobalt-free batteries, but at present, it seems that cobalt-free solutions are still difficult to achieve.(Lithium - Ion Battery Equipment)
Cobalt prices rise in short supply
Recently, Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) released a report predicting that the shortage of cobalt may come earlier, and the shortage of the most expensive material for power lithium batteries will have a greater impact on the electric vehicle industry in the next 5 to 10 years. The data shows that the cobalt output of Congo (Kinshasa) accounts for 2/3 of the global cobalt mines, and new resource origins need to be discovered urgently. In addition, many oligarchic mining companies are hoarding a large amount of cobalt, making it more difficult to obtain cobalt.
An analyst at BNEF said: "From the current situation, it will take a long time to find new mineral resources. If we only rely on the cobalt resources of Congo (Kinshasa), there is a high possibility of a cobalt supply crisis by 2020." BMW Group said automakers that are making a big push into electric vehicles are aware of the supply crisis.
It is worth mentioning that in my country, the world's largest new energy vehicle market, the market growth rate is faster than expected, and there will be a situation where cobalt is hard to find in a short period of time. Analysts pointed out that if the supply of cobalt cannot increase steadily, cobalt prices will rise sharply, which will have a serious impact on the development of the electric vehicle market. The data show that since the beginning of 2016, the price of cobalt on the London Stock Exchange in the United Kingdom has risen by 270%, and reached a record high in March this year. Peter Dinin, director of the Electric Vehicle Metal Resources Group, said in an email that regardless of whether the political situation in Congo (DRC) will affect cobalt exports, the current high price has fully reflected the shortage of cobalt.
At present, Panasonic has been trying to ensure its stable supply in the cobalt market, and industry insiders predict that Panasonic's cobalt consumption will reach nearly 8,000 tons by 2018. In addition, BMW, Volkswagen, Samsung SDI, LG Chem and other companies are also seeking stable supply sources. Previously, Volkswagen and BMW hoped to sign long-term contracts with cobalt suppliers, but the progress was not smooth. Xu Aidong, secretary general of the Cobalt Industry Branch of my country Nonferrous Metals Industry Association, specifically talked about the topic of end users locking resources from upstream suppliers at the my country (Qinghai) Lithium Industry and Power Lithium Battery International Summit Forum held recently. She said: "In order to lock in prices, many companies have to sign contracts with upstream suppliers for up to 10 years, which is not very rational. Although the cobalt market is hot now, no one can guarantee that prices will be low now. On the one hand, the price cannot be locked; on the other hand, many cobalt mining industries have joined the 'responsible supply chain' system, hoping to achieve sustainable mineral procurement in the cobalt industry."
The general trend of high nickel and low cobalt
In the face of increasing costs, global battery suppliers are trying to reduce the content of cobalt in ternary batteries. They have changed the formula ratio of battery cathode materials, and the ratio of nickel-cobalt-manganese or nickel-cobalt-aluminum in ternary batteries has been changed from 6:2:2 is changed to 8:1:1. Many power lithium battery companies in my country are also deploying high-nickel ternary batteries. High nickel and low cobalt, on the one hand to improve energy density, on the other hand to reduce costs.
Cobalt prices rise in short supply
Recently, Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) released a report predicting that the shortage of cobalt may come earlier, and the shortage of the most expensive material for power lithium batteries will have a greater impact on the electric vehicle industry in the next 5 to 10 years. The data shows that the cobalt output of Congo (Kinshasa) accounts for 2/3 of the global cobalt mines, and new resource origins need to be discovered urgently. In addition, many oligarchic mining companies are hoarding a large amount of cobalt, making it more difficult to obtain cobalt.
An analyst at BNEF said: "From the current situation, it will take a long time to find new mineral resources. If we only rely on the cobalt resources of Congo (Kinshasa), there is a high possibility of a cobalt supply crisis by 2020." BMW Group said automakers that are making a big push into electric vehicles are aware of the supply crisis.
It is worth mentioning that in my country, the world's largest new energy vehicle market, the market growth rate is faster than expected, and there will be a situation where cobalt is hard to find in a short period of time. Analysts pointed out that if the supply of cobalt cannot increase steadily, cobalt prices will rise sharply, which will have a serious impact on the development of the electric vehicle market. The data show that since the beginning of 2016, the price of cobalt on the London Stock Exchange in the United Kingdom has risen by 270%, and reached a record high in March this year. Peter Dinin, director of the Electric Vehicle Metal Resources Group, said in an email that regardless of whether the political situation in Congo (DRC) will affect cobalt exports, the current high price has fully reflected the shortage of cobalt.
At present, Panasonic has been trying to ensure its stable supply in the cobalt market, and industry insiders predict that Panasonic's cobalt consumption will reach nearly 8,000 tons by 2018. In addition, BMW, Volkswagen, Samsung SDI, LG Chem and other companies are also seeking stable supply sources. Previously, Volkswagen and BMW hoped to sign long-term contracts with cobalt suppliers, but the progress was not smooth. Xu Aidong, secretary general of the Cobalt Industry Branch of my country Nonferrous Metals Industry Association, specifically talked about the topic of end users locking resources from upstream suppliers at the my country (Qinghai) Lithium Industry and Power Lithium Battery International Summit Forum held recently. She said: "In order to lock in prices, many companies have to sign contracts with upstream suppliers for up to 10 years, which is not very rational. Although the cobalt market is hot now, no one can guarantee that prices will be low now. On the one hand, the price cannot be locked; on the other hand, many cobalt mining industries have joined the 'responsible supply chain' system, hoping to achieve sustainable mineral procurement in the cobalt industry."
The general trend of high nickel and low cobalt
In the face of increasing costs, global battery suppliers are trying to reduce the content of cobalt in ternary batteries. They have changed the formula ratio of battery cathode materials, and the ratio of nickel-cobalt-manganese or nickel-cobalt-aluminum in ternary batteries has been changed from 6:2:2 is changed to 8:1:1. Many power lithium battery companies in my country are also deploying high-nickel ternary batteries. High nickel and low cobalt, on the one hand to improve energy density, on the other hand to reduce costs.
