| Click on blue article title to read full story. | | | | Cobalt | | | | Forbes - May 9, 2018 Despite what Elon Musk claims, the importance of the metal cobalt in the growing electric vehicle market and beyond will continue. Cobalt... metal cobalt in the growing electric vehiclemarket and beyond will continue. Cobalt is a key ingredient used in the lithium-ion batteries China is gobbling up as much cobalt as it can: “There’s a Global Race to Control Batteries—and China Is Winning.”… China has been systematically hoarding such strategic commodities, a 5,000 year-old civilization knowing that the future belongs to those that prepare for it today…Cobalt has become so essential that major companies such as Apple and BMW are looking to work directly with miners. Replacing cobalt with a cheaper substitute can lead to lower performance. For example, replacing cobalt with nickel improves energy density but reduces stability, which is an critical factor in designing inherently safer, high-performing battery systems. As we've long seen with nuclear, and perhaps now with self-driving cars, bad accidents could block growth for the nascent electric vehicle revolution…"There isn't a better element than cobalt to make the stuff stable. So (while) you hear about designing out cobalt, this is not going to happen in the next three decades. It simply doesn't work," said Marc Grynberg, CEO, Umicore…It's smart that we're focused on energy dominance with oil and gas, but we're completely missing the boat when it comes to the energy race of tomorrow, meaning that we are already losing "green jobs" in electric vehicle and battery manufacturing that are going overseas. | | | | | EVs & Energy Storage | | | | The Irish Times - May 9, 2018 Car makers and tech firms rely on cobalt mined in Katanga, the unstable province where Irish soldiers were attacked in 1961 . Mineral wealth drove the Katangan conflict. Odds are you own Congo cobalt, since each smartphone batteries contains 10 to 20 grams. Electric cars are hungrier for it, packing between six and 15 kilos. Stable battery…Unlike other metals, cobalt atoms do not sneak back into gaps left by the lithium ions, because they are energetically satisfied. This makes for a stable battery during charge and recharge. “You need a certain amount of cobalt because it is so good at retaining this layered structure,” says battery chemist Prof Gerbrand Ceder of University of California, Berkeley. This allows the lithium flow back and forth…The cobalt atom is also small, which helps boost the amount of energy you can pack into a small space. Indeed, a mix of lithium and cobalt oxide packs the most power, making this the recipe for smartphones. Electric car batteries, however, cannot afford to be so rich in cobalt, and mix it with nickel and manganese (or aluminium) for different flavours of lithium ion battery. The most popular recipe started off with one cup of nickel, one cup manganese and one cup cobalt (NMC 111, for short)…Huge research efforts have gone into reducing cobalt, while increasing nickel, though this is a challenge from a safety point of view. “People are trying to push that limit hard to get to 8 or 10 per cent cobalt,” Ceder explains. But battery experts expect demand for Congo cobalt to continue to rise…It took more than three decades for Li ion batteries to challenge the internal combustion engine on performance and cost, having been pioneered by Prof John B Goodenough at the University of Oxford in the ’80s and commercialised by Sony in the ’90s. Li ion batteries are predicted to be with us for at least another 10. | | Yahoo! Singapore News - May 10, 2018 Japanese electronics giant Panasonic on Thursday said its full-year net profit surged, helped by growth in its automative-related business.... local automotive titan Toyota and has provided batteries for US electric vehicle innovator Tesla, as it explores ways to expand beyond its Japanese electronics giant Panasonic on Thursday said its full-year net profit surged, helped by growth in its automotive-related business…The automotive sales increased thanks to "market growth for eco-cars and expanded demand in advanced driver-assistance systems," Panasonic said…Panasonic added that it is also boosting production capacity for automotive batteries at a new factory in Dalian, China. | | Reuters US News - May 10, 2018 TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese electronics conglomerate Panasonic Corp (6752.T) said on Thursday it expects operating profit to increase 11.7... battery cell supplier for Tesla Inc’s (TSLA.O) mass-market Model 3 electric car, forecast profit of 425 billion yen ($3.87 billion), from Panasonic Corp could jointly produce batteries with U.S. electric vehicle (EV) maker Tesla Inc in China, as the Japanese electronics conglomerate looks to tap into that country’s surging EV demand, its chief executive said on Thursday…Battery cells are central to Panasonic’s plan to nearly double automotive business revenue to 2.5 trillion yen by the year through March 2022 as it shifts away from low profit margin consumer electronics…To reduce the risk of over-relying on Tesla, Panasonic has teamed up with Toyota Motor Corp to jointly develop batteries for electric vehicles. | | Renew Economy - May 9, 2018 Infigen Energy has joined the rush from renewable energy developers to add storage to existing and proposed wind and solar projects.... for use in manufacturing the next generation of batteries. “Critical materials such as nickel, cobalt, copper, aluminium, and steel are Infigen is planning a 25MW/52MWh battery storage facility at its Lake Bonney wind farm, citing the success of the new Tesla big battery, and the ability of storage to make its wind farms more competitive, particularly as it bids for contracts with business customers…Infigen cited the success of the Tesla big battery (100MW/129MWh) that began operations at the Hornsdale Power Reserve last December, and which has impressed all, including the market operator, with its superior speed and accuracy of response... “As already demonstrated by the Hornsdale Power Reserve, the almost instantaneous response time of the BESS (battery energy storage system) allows for increased grid security during periods of generator or load trips…“The BESS can act as either a generator or load to help stabilise the grid and prevent a domino effect of system trips accumulating in a widespread blackout.”…Apart from Infigen, Electranet is installing a 30MW/8MWh battery at the Wattle Point wind farm on the Yorke Peninsula, and Nexif Energy is to add 10MW of battery storage to the new Lincoln Gap wind farm in Port Augusta, and the battery size could be tripled...Tilt Renewables is also building a 21MW/26MWh battery storage facility along with a 44MW solar PV plant next to the Snowtown wind farm, and there are at least three major battery storage projects about to begin construction in Victoria. | | Australasian Transport News - May 9, 2018 NQR and FSR models with 200-250km range produced in with SEA Electric models will carry 132 KWh nickel, manganese, cobalt oxide (NMC) lithium-ion battery packs powering direct drive permanent magnet motors, Isuzu Australia Ltd (IAL) will test two battery electric vehicles (EVs) it has developed in partnership with Melbourne-based EV developer SEA Electric…Both models will carry 132 KWh nickel, manganese, cobalt oxide (NMC) lithium-ion battery packs powering direct drive permanent magnet motors, rated to 98 per cent efficiency…The battery type used, sourced from Canada and China, was chosen for its energy density and ability to stay cooler enough to avoid flaming. It is expected to have a battery life of 8-10 years…Cost parity with light to medium-duty diesel vehicles is expected in 2021-22…"Our target was performance that matches or exceeds the equivalent diesel, so we specified the electric motor, the battery pack, everything to provide performance that the driver will not suffer by and that will want to drive this truck," Humphries says. | | GreenFleet - May 10, 2018 Audi has said it plans to sell around 800,000 electric cars and plug-in hybrids in the year 2025, with 20 electrified models on its product... 2025. In 2019, the Audi e-tron Sportback will be the second fully electric car to be launched, followed by the Audi e-tron GT from Audi Audi has said it plans to sell around 800,000 electric cars and plug-in hybrids in the year 2025, with 20 electrified models on its product line…Speaking at the automaker’s annual AGM, Audi highlighted plans to produce an electrified variant in each model series by 2025, so that every third customer has the option of buying an electrified model by the middle of the next decade. Most of them are to be fully electric, with a smaller proportion as plug-in hybrids…By 2025, Audi will be putting €40 billion into strategic areas such as e-mobility, autonomous driving and digitisation. This also applies to the digitization of production. | | | | | Congo | | | | BloombergQuint - May 9, 2018 (Bloomberg) -- The Democratic Republic of Congo’s Mines Ministry said it’s completing work on new regulations, as a draft document showed... , Kabwelulu said cobalt could become a “strategic” metal. Surging Prices Congo’s mines produced two-thirds of the world’s cobalt last year The Democratic Republic of Congo’s Mines Ministry said it’s completing work on new regulations, as a draft document showed the government has so far ignored companies’ key concerns about the reforms…Miners argue the new code will drive investors away because it breaches titleholders’ rights, increases royalty payments on copper, cobalt and gold, and introduces new taxes…Congo’s prime minister will be able to designate certain minerals as “strategic” via decree, according to the document. Addressing Congo’s parliament in January, Kabwelulu said cobalt could become a “strategic” metal…Congo’s mines produced two-thirds of the world’s cobalt last year. The price of the commodity, a key ingredient in rechargeable batteries needed to power electric vehicles, has almost quadrupled in the past two years…The mining companies continue to negotiate with the ministry in the hope of making some gains. | | | | | | |