Reasons for the reduction of raw materials for battery companies

Is recycling beneficial for the battery industry?

Although there are still obstacles, the potential of recycling is promising and has already had an important impact on the battery material industry in countries with battery production at scale such as China and South Korea.

Can recycled battery cells reduce supply bottlenecks?

In particular during the ramp-up phase of electric mobility, there are likely to be occasional supply bottlenecks. At a later stage, recycling concepts for used battery cells could relieve the pressure on supply chains.

Why do we need a battery-grade supply chain?

Building resilient international supply chains to secure ample battery-grade minerals is thus necessary to achieve a rate of vehicle electrification aligned with adopted and proposed policies and targets. Smaller average battery sizes, especially for light-duty BEVs, can significantly reduce battery and related mineral demand in the near term.

Why do batteries cost so much?

And so more and more of the technological innovations introduced into the battery are aimed at reducing costs, even if at the same time features such as vehicle range tend to deteriorate. The largest single contributor to the cost of battery cells is the materials used in them, especially the cathode materials.

What is a commercial battery recycling process?

One of the pioneers in the field of commercial battery recycling is Umicore. The process developed by the company consists of a pyro-metallurgical and a hydro-metallurgical phase. The initial thermal processing stage produces an alloy that contains cobalt, nickel and copper and a slag fraction.

What contributes to the cost of battery cells?

The largest single contributor to the cost of battery cells is the materials used in them, especially the cathode materials. In addition to lithium, the transition metals manganese, iron, cobalt and nickel are used in particular.