| Click on blue article title to read full story. | | | | Cobalt | | | | CNBC - February 28, 2018 The planet's energy mix is changing. Renewable sources of energy have become increasingly important, with the International Energy Agency... leading use of cobalt is in rechargeable battery electrodes. The Cobalt Institute, a non-profit trade association, adds that cobaltplays a The planet's energy mix is changing. Renewable sources of energy have become increasingly important, with the International Energy Agency expecting renewable electricity generation to rise by over one-third by the year 2022…In order to harness these types of energy solar panels, turbines, batteries and a range of other materials are needed. Here are five…Cobalt is playing an increasingly important role in the transition to renewable sources of power. On its website, the United States Geological Survey states that the leading use of cobalt is in rechargeable battery electrodes…The Cobalt Institute, a non-profit trade association, adds that cobalt plays a "crucial role in the cathode of lithium-ion batteries." Cobalt is also present in the magnets used in wind turbines. | | Seeking Alpha - February 28, 2018 A cobalt supply shortage could boost prices even more. Apple hopes to buy cobalt directly from miners. Glencore announces $2.9 Billion in... ones that purchase the cobalt and then supply that to their battery manufacturers.” Apple to Buy Cobalt Directly from Miners Automakers Summary: A cobalt supply shortage could boost prices even more. Apple hopes to buy cobalt directly from miners. Glencore announces $2.9 Billion in dividends in 2018… “There just isn’t enough cobalt to go around,” George Heppel, a CRU consultant, told Bloomberg in January. “The auto companies that’ll be the most successful in maintaining long-term stability in terms of raw materials will be the ones that purchase the cobalt and then supply that to their battery manufacturers.”…Automakers aren’t the only ones with this idea. Bloomberg reported last week that Apple, the world’s largest end user of cobalt, is in talks to buy the metal directly from miners. The move would help the iPhone-maker not only save many billions of dollars in the long term but also be more transparent about how the metal is sourced, as there have been concerns about illegal mining operations and the use of child labor. Details are scarce at this point, but Bloomberg writes that “Apple is seeking contracts to secure several thousand metric tons of cobalt a year for five years or longer.” | | | | | EVs | | | | NewsCaf - February 27, 2018 Diesel is dying, fast. It's good news for anyone who lives in cities choking on the soot and nitrogen dioxide spewed out by cars with diesel engines. It's bad news for the German car industry, whose rise was built on the back of the diesel Diesel is dying, fast. It's good news for anyone who lives in cities choking on the soot and nitrogen dioxide spewed out by cars with diesel engines. It's bad news for the German car industry, whose rise was built on the back of the diesel engine…Daimler, owner of Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Volkswagen all hitched their fortunes to diesel. Most German luxury cars, including Porsche SUVS, came with diesel engines and VW pushed diesel into the U.S. market, where gasoline was king…That's where diesel suffered its first big blow. In 2015, Volkswagen became a German national embarrassment and international pariah when it admitted to having rigged about 11 million diesel engines to pump out false readings in environmental tests…At they same time, they will have to accelerate their electrification drive, a gamble given that battery technology is expensive and consumer acceptance of electric vehicles is, so far, underwhelming; their market share is only about 1 per cent, although various estimates say they will take up between 5 per cent and 10 per cent by 2025. Development costs are the big issue. VW alone plans to spend €20-billion on 80 new electric car models, and another €14-billion on autonomous cars and shared mobility, by 2025…Potential problems range from the severe shortage of cobalt needed to build car batteries – the smartphone market isn't going to give up its cobalt supplies easily – to the lack of a breakthrough in battery technology that would allow cars to travel long distances before recharging…The price of ditching diesel and developing electric cars in a hurry might be unaffordable to some car makers, even a few of the biggies. | | South China Morning Post - February 28, 2018 NIO, which counts Chinese technology giants Tencent, Baidu and Xiaomi among its investors, eyes public listing on Nasdaq or the New York... of NIO followed the planned listing of state-backed Beijing Electric Vehicle Co, China’s biggest electric car maker with a US$4.5 billion Chinese electric vehicle start-up NIO has hired investment banks for its initial public offering (IPO) by the end of this year in the United States, the home turf of Tesla, with an eye to raise US$2 billion, according to a person familiar with the matter…NIO is one of a few dozen electric car start-ups that have sprouted in recent years after China’s government started handing out special manufacturing permits to companies outside the traditional car making industry…China is also seeking to cut down its reliance on imported oil and reduce pollution, while aiming to gain leadership in key technologies. Connected and self-driving cars are seen as the natural amalgamation of several complementary technologies that China is seeking to dominate…A total of 777,000 new-energy vehicles were sold in mainland China last year, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. It estimated sales of electric and hybrid vehicles grew 82 per cent and 39 per cent, respectively. | | | | |