Electric Vehicle And Battery Metal News - February 2019

(Video length 00:20:15)

SBTV brings you the latest news from around the world on the Electric Vehicle Revolution and Battery Metals.

1)  Amazon Invests in Rivian, a Tesla Rival in Electric Vehicles 

• Online retail giant is leading a $700 million investment in Rivian, a Michigan company that is developing a battery-powered pickup truck and an electric sport utility vehicle.
• The deal is the latest example of how the auto industry is being reshaped by new technologies and nimble companies that have raced ahead of many traditional carmakers.
• Amazon's investment is seen as a good way to enlarge their bet on the EV market without having to tool up a plant to find out if it will succeed.

2)  Volkswagen Boosts Electric-Car Target by 50%, Ventures Into Charging Infrastructure 

• The VW brand alone will invest about 9 billion euros to roll out 20 electric models by 2025.
• The electric car is seen as sustainable technology.
• VW is also part of the Ionity consortium that will install fast-charging stations at 400 locations on European highways.

3)  President Macron to unveil a plan to give Europe's electric battery industry a jolt 

• France will invest 700 million euros ($790 million) over the next five years into projects to boost the European electric car battery industry.
• Aims to reduce its carmakers' reliance on dominant Asian battery suppliers.
• Europe currently has no significant production of the battery packs' constituent cells.

4)  Honda Secures Battery Supply Contract with Battery Manufacturer CATL 

• Honda secures battery cell supply contract for about 1 million electric vehicles with Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd. (CATL), one of the largest battery manufacturers in the world.
•  As part of the new agreement, CATL is guaranteeing Honda a supply of “about 56 GWh of lithium-ion EV batteries before 2027.” 
• Honda first new standalone all-electric vehicle expected at the end of 2019.

5)  Inside Nornickel: the Drive to Target the Battery Metals Boom 

• Nornickel is the world’s largest producer of high-grade nickel, has begun to increase efficiency and evaluate new possibilities in order to take full advantage of the battery metals boom.
• In 2017, battery sales surpassed one million globally, and it is predicted that they will meet 4.5 million units by 2020.
• Metal consumption: Hybrids require the most metal, more nickel, more platinum-group metals (PMGs) and other ores. Charging stations will require more copper.

6) Simon Moores: US a 'Bystander' In Battery Arms Race 

• Moores: "In the next decade the demand for lithium [used in the battery industry] is set to go up 9-times, cobalt is set to go up 6-times, nickel is set to go up 5 times, and graphite anode is set to go up 9 times."
• The US controls zero mined supply for nickel, cobalt, and graphite. For lithium, it's one percent.
• In terms of chemical capacity, it had zero percent capacity for nickel, cobalt, and graphite. For lithium, it's seven percent.
• For battery capacity with the production of batteries, the US had 9% share in 2018.