We are pleased to hear battery maker Tesla is reducing cobalt in their electric car batteries. This could be down to almost nothing according to a May 3, 2018 report in Investing News. We have been hoping demand for cobalt would fall following CNN’s disclosures of child labor in DRC mines. However, the timing may be coincidental on this occasion.
Lower Demand for Cobalt May Weaken China’s Monopoly
The cobalt mineral is in relatively short supply, with the China cobalt monopoly set to approach 62% by 2019 in terms of production. This strategic challenge is significant, given that lithium-ion batteries use lithium cobalt oxide in their cathodes. Elon Musk told Investing News, “We think we can get cobalt to almost nothing.”
Elon Musk is reducing Tesla’s demand for cobalt against increasing prices, and an expected surge of electric cars. However, this is unlikely to reverse overall sales growth of the rare mineral in the short term. “Whilst efforts are ongoing to reduce cobalt dependency, the order of magnitude of EV growth sales will far outweigh this,” comments Benchmark Mineral Intelligence.
More about Cobalt’s Role in Lithium-Ion Batteries
Researchers are investigating cobalt nanoparticles with a view to optimizing high performance in lithium-ion batteries. These particles have a high surface to volume ratio, enabling a shorter path for cations, compared to nickel and iron oxides.
There is great interest is attaching these cobalt-oxide nanoparticles to graphene sheets for use in lithium-ion anodes. This opens the possibility of flexible lithium batteries, which are less likely to expand / contract during charging / recharging.
We expect demand for cobalt will continue to grow, despite Elon Musk’s bold move to radically reduce the quantity in his batteries. The struggle must continue to eliminate child labor in Democratic Republic of Congo cobalt mines. However, this is easier to say than do, when you and your family are mired in poverty, and even small hands have their job to do.
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Preview Image: Piece of an Electrolytically Made Cobalt Plate
