NIO Builds Battery Factory, CATL Reacts, Lithium Prices Implode
CATL has shocked the world of electric vehicles by offering to sell batteries at much lower cost. Is there a catch?
Lithium carbonate
Invest In Lithium Refining, A “License To Print Money” — Elon Musk
Elon Musk had a special message for those involved in Tesla’s Q2 earnings call last month, noting a global need for lithium and other battery materials. While lithium mining is something many companies can do, and a necessary part of the electric vehicle industry’s growth, Musk says lithium refining is tougher — which makes … [continued]
First Lithium Carbonate Produced From Mica
In what is believed to be a world first, we have produced lithium at pilot scale from the mica in granite at our new pilot plant near Roche. Funded by Innovate UK, the pilot plant has taken just seven months to design and build and uses patented technology in a … [continued]
EV Battery Supplies, New Lithium Deals, & Tesla Battery Progress — CleanTech Talk
In this episode of CleanTech Talk, RK Equity cofounder Howard Klein talked with me about what’s new in the EV battery market, current & future supply chain concerns, Tesla’s battery progress, and more. Starting off by taking a big-picture look, Klein summarized some of the big movements in the stocks … [continued]
Upfront Price Parity For Electric Cars At Risk
The long-awaited price parity in upfront purchase price for electric vehicles seems to have moved further away, as raw material input prices for batteries continue to rise. EV owners know that if you take a total cost of ownership approach, EVs are almost free cars. However, most purchasers would prefer … [continued]
Tesla Patent Application = Process To Extract Lithium From Clay Minerals
The patent is related to the acid-free saline lithium extraction process, which Elon Musk talked about during Battery Day in September, 2020.
Digging Into Yahua Lithium & Its 5 Year Lithium Agreement With Tesla
As we previously reported, Sichuan Yahua Industrial Group made an announcement at the end of December that its subsidiary, Yahua Lithium, signed a 5-year lithium supply agreement with Tesla. The contract’s value is reported to be a range of $630-880 million. Yahual Lithium will provide battery-grade lithium hydroxide to Tesla from 2021 through 2025. Here’s a bit more information and commentary on that deal.
Standard Lithium Scores Points With Proof-of-Concept Lithium Extraction & Crystallization Tech
Standard Lithium is a lithium extraction startup pursuing an unconventional method of getting lithium for EV batteries. Tesla CEO Elon Musk commented in response to a CleanTechnica article last year that the approach seemed to have some promise.
Tesla’s Lithium & Nickel Sourcing — Australia? Bolivia? China?
Following some of Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s comments regarding battery production during the quarterly Tesla conference call for shareholders last week, I decided to have two long conversations with Howard Klein and Rodney Hooper of RK Equity about the EV battery production and mining industries.
China EV Forecast: 50% EV Market Share by 2025 — Part 3, Ramping Production
China is charging full speed ahead into electric vehicles, on track to sell over 2 million electric vehicles this year, from 1.1 million in 2018. The rapid growth has been driven partly by policy, but increasingly by consumer demand. In the 3rd and final part of this series (check out part one and part two, if you missed them), we look at the ramp up in EV production and battery supply. Will production capacity be able to keep pace with the rapid growth in EV demand?
