#Canadian developers of #Cobalt and #Lithium mines stand to benefit from a round of investments from the makers of #ElectricVehicles and the batteries powering them, a potential game-changer for small miners short on money to develop deposits of these critical battery ingredients.
As per #SMM independent research, in 2017 battery-grade nickel sulfate output reaches 209,800 tons and electroplate-grade output reaches 86,800 tons. In 2018 battery-grade nickel sulfate output is estimated to rise 35% on yearly basis and 5% for electroplate-grade.
#LSE-listed exploration and development company #Rainbow #RareEarths has exported its first shipment of rare earth concentrate from its Gakara project, in #Burundi, making it #Africa’s only rare earths producer.
Read more at: http://www.miningweekly.com/article/rainbow-ships-first-rare-earths-from-burundi-mine-2017-12-05
Surging demand for metals like #Copper, #Nickel and #Cobalt for use in #ElectricVehicles promises to overturn the balance of power between mining companies and their customers, according to billionaire investor Robert Friedland.
Read more at: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-30/-miner-s-revenge-is-coming-with-electric-cars-friedland-says
The #German car industry risks running short of key raw materials for automotive batteries, hampering a planned boost in the production of #ElectricVehicles (#EVs), #Germany’s largest industry association BDI warned.
Sourcing of #Cobalt and other materials is “the most important” question #BMW has to address before it decides whether to produce its own battery cells, board member Oliver Zipse said at a media briefing. Currently BMW assembles, but doesn’t produce its own battery cells.
Read more at: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-24/bmw-joins-race-to-secure-cobalt-for-electric-vehicle-batteries
#Australia is blessed with the stuff. For more than a quarter of a century it has not had a recession, thanks largely to #Chinese demand for its raw materials. It is only a few years since the end of one such China-led boom, in base metals such as iron ore. A new speculative flurry has started in minerals such as #Lithium, #Cobalt and #Nickel to feed another #China-related craze—making batteries for #lectricVehicles (#EVs).
#SouthAfrican power utility #Eskom is set to test a #Vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) solution developed by #Bushveld Energy at its research, testing, and development (RT&D) centre in #Rosherville.
The test is a result of market studies commissioned by Bushveld Energy and the Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa (IDC) to evaluate the demand of VRFB in #Africa, as well as the potential demand and requirements of vanadium electrolyte worldwide, reported Engineering News.
Read more at: https://www.power-technology.com/news/south-africas-eskom-test-vanadium-redox-flow-battery-solution/
#China is the top market for electric and hybrid cars, accounting for roughly half of global sales, and the government is pushing the development of the industry within its borders. That calls for a lot of #Lithium, a key component of the vehicles’ batteries.
The #Chinese government has been quietly instructing state-owned enterprises to hunt down lithium resources outside China, according to Francois Perrin, a portfolio manager at investment firm East Capital. He predicts that over the next few years, China will wield increasing influence over the supply of lithium and other metals used in electric batteries.
Read more at: http://money.cnn.com/2017/11/20/investing/lithium-china-electric-car-batteries/index.html
#China is depending too much on the Democratic Republic of #Congo (#DRC) for #Cobalt, a crucial component in electric vehicle (EV) batteries, and should take steps to ensure security of supply, delegates said at an industry conference.
Read more at: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-metals-electric-vehicles/china-urged-to-ease-reliance-on-drc-for-cobalt-idUSKBN1D70GT
A Blog for Browsing Mining, Mineral Processing, and Metals Info 