Battery Technology Innovation/Electric Vehicles – Page 93

Biden’s budget puts Canada’s auto sector in peril – by Brian Lilley (Sudbury Star – October 18, 2021)

October 19, 2021

https://www.thesudburystar.com/

Joe Biden’s pledge to support all things made in America could end up costing thousands of Canadian jobs in the auto industry. Budget legislation moving through the American Congress contains tax breaks for electric cars that could pretty much rule out future investments by automakers in Canada and cost tens of thousands of jobs.

The legislation would increase the incentive for buying an electric vehicle to $12,500 but only if the vehicle, and the battery that is in the vehicle, are both made in the United States.

Canada Emerges as Cornerstone of North American Battery Supply Chain – by James Frith (Bloomberg News – October 19, 2021)

October 19, 2021

https://www.bloomberg.com/

A North American Battery Supply Chain Emerges

Hi all, James Frith here again this week. I want to look at how Canada is re-positioning itself to take advantage of the growing electric vehicle supply chain, after years of overlooking the battery industry.

Despite having all of the critical ingredients for lithium-ion batteries — nickel, cobalt, lithium, graphite — Canada doesn’t have any EV cell or component manufacturing; and it has only about 10% of the battery demand of the U.S.

Australian Billionaire Andrew Forrest’s Wyloo Metals Beats BHP In Bidding War For Canada’s Noront – by Jonathan Burgos (Forbes Magazine – October 19, 2021)

October 19, 2021

https://www.forbes.com/

Noront Resources has agreed to accept the “superior” offer by Wyloo Metals—controlled by billionaire Andrew Forrest—in a deal that values the Canadian nickel miner at C$321 million ($260 million), trumping the offer from rival BHP Group.

Wyloo’s offer of C$0.70 a share represents a 27% premium to the C$0.55 bid made by BHP in July, the Toronto-based company said late Monday in a statement. BHP has five business days to match Wyloo’s offer, Noront said.

Chile to open 400,000 tonnes of lithium reserves up for exploration – by Cecilia Jamasmie (Mining.com – October 14, 2021)

October 14, 2021

https://www.mining.com/

Chile will open a tender for the exploration and production of 400,000 tonnes of lithium in an effort to reclaim market share and meet growing demand for the metal used in electric vehicles and high-tech devices.

The copper-producing nation, which holds the world’s largest known lithium reserves, said is preparing bidding rules available to local and foreign firms for five quotas of 80,000 tonnes each.

Tesla inks multi-year nickel supply deal with Prony Resources – by Cecilia Jamasmie (Mining.com – October 13, 2021)

October 13, 2021

https://www.mining.com/

Electric vehicle giant Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) has inked a multi-year nickel supply deal with New Caledonia’s Prony Resources, which guarantees the US carmaker about 42,000 tonnes of the metal needed to produce the batteries that power its EVs.

Prony, which bought the loss-making nickel and cobalt operations in the French territory from Vale (NYSE: VALE) earlier this year, said it’s targeting production of 44,000 tonnes of nickel by 2024. That’s about double the expected 2021 output.

China’s Zijin Mining acquisition of Neo Lithium will likely trigger full national security review, expert predicts – by Niall McGee (Octobewr 13, 2021)

October 13, 2021

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Canada’s Neo Lithium Corp. has agreed to a $960-million acquisition by Chinese state-owned Zijin Mining Group Co. Ltd., a deal one security expert predicts will trigger an in-depth national security review by Ottawa.

Toronto-based Neo Lithium is developing a lithium mine in Argentina and hopes to eventually supply the silvery white metal to the electric vehicle industry. A 2019 prefeasibility study predicts the company’s 3Q mine could generate a 50-per-cent return on investment after it goes into production.

Britishvolt reveals plans for 60GWh Canadian battery cell factory, cathode and anode production and R&D centre – by Emma Jarratt (Electric Autonomy – October 7, 2021)

October 12, 2021

https://electricautonomy.ca/

In the heart of Montreal’s downtown core at 1 Place Ville Marie — one of the tallest buildings in the city — is the address of Britishvolt Canada Inc.’s headquarters.

Technically, Britishvolt’s Canadian seat doubles as Denton’s senior business advisor Philippe Couillard’s office. But that makes sense as Couillard, along with a small but growing team, is largely responsible for bringing the British technology and manufacturing company to Canada — and which this week revealed to Electric Autonomy Canada in an exclusive interview its plan to build a 60GWh battery cell gigafactory, an R&D centre, and anode and cathode processing set up in Quebec.

Lithium Deal Shows China’s Accelerating Race for Battery Metals – by Yvonne Yue Li (Bloomberg News – October 11, 2021)

October 12, 2021October 12, 2021

https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/

(Bloomberg) — Lithium has gotten so hot that even China’s gold miners want a slice of the market, sky high valuations and all. Zijin Mining Group Co., a major Chinese gold and copper producer, announced on Friday its first foray into the booming lithium sector with its C$960 million ($770 million) purchase of Neo Lithium Corp.

It’s just the latest in a series of recent acquisitions, mostly involving Chinese bidders for South American assets owned by Canadian firms, amid surging demand for the key ingredient used to power electric vehicles.

Pentagon adds graphite to stockpile list – by Shane Lasley(North of 60 Mining News – October 8, 2021)

October 12, 2021

https://www.miningnewsnorth.com/

As another signal foreshadowing the growing demand for graphite, the Pentagon has added this lithium-ion battery ingredient to its newest National Defense Stockpile Acquisitions List.

Published by the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency on Oct. 4, this list calls for DLA’s strategic materials department to acquire up to 900 metric tons of graphite to store in government stockpiles over the coming year.

NEWS RELEASE: Drive for e-batteries: Europe’s first lithium hydroxide converter to be built in Brandenburg, Germany (October 10, 2021)

October 12, 2021

https://finance.yahoo.com/

GUBEN, Germany, Oct. 10, 2021 /PRNewswire/ – Rock Tech Lithium Inc., a cleantech company with offices in Canada and Germany, is planning to build Europe’s first lithium converter – a production plant for battery-grade lithium hydroxide – in Guben, Brandenburg.

The company intends to locate all production steps of lithium refining in one overall plant at the Guben site. The investment decision for all production steps still depends, among other things, on ongoing discussions regarding subsidies already applied for or still to be applied for. With its long industrial tradition and existing infrastructure, the region offers the best conditions for becoming a central component of the battery value chain and thus part of Brandenburg’s e-mobility cluster.

Lithium boom takes shape in Latin America – by Daniel Tyson (Capital.com – September 6, 2021)

October 12, 2021

https://capital.com/

The Lithium Road runs through Latin America. It crosses three countries – Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile – whose economies are as bone-shakingly unstable as a potholed highway.

Chris Berry, president of House Mountain Partners, told Capital.com that lithium production, “is set to ramp up dramatically in the next few years” in those countries. By 2025, the Lithium triangle is expected to provide 60 to 70% of the globe’s lithium used in products ranging from electric vehicles to cell phones and laptops.

Quad nations to focus on clean-energy supply chain, says Australia PM – by Melanie Burton (Reuters – September 25, 2021)

October 12, 2021October 12, 2021

https://www.reuters.com/

(Reuters) – The United States, Japan, India and Australia will work to improve the security of supply chains for critical technologies such as clean energy and to ease a global semiconductor shortage, said Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

The Quad nations, in their first in-person summit here on Friday in Washington, agreed on a partnership to secure critical infrastructure, the White House said.

Bonanza for Australian minerals under net zero: IMF – by Matthew Cranston and Ronald Mizen (Australian Financial Review – October 13, 2021)

October 12, 2021October 12, 2021

https://www.afr.com/

Washington | Australia is in pole position to benefit from a sixfold increase in demand for so-called “critical minerals” worth $US12.9 trillion ($17.6 trillion) over the next two decades, driven by the race to hit net zero emissions, according to analysis from the International Monetary Fund.

In its latest World Economic Outlook, the Washington-based multilateral lender projects that a steady 15 per cent increase in its metal price index will bolster Australia’s annual economic growth by 1 percentage point, further strengthening the government’s finances.

Making Quebec a key accelerator of the global energy transition – by Patrick Bertrand-Daoust (Canadian Mining Journal – October 8, 2021)

October 8, 2021

https://www.canadianminingjournal.com/

Canada has a big goal to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. That transition is going to require the collective effort of all sectors to enable their energy transitions and strategically work towards building cleaner, more prosperous products and operations.

But turning those plans into reality will heavily rely on the mining and metals sector to provide the raw materials needed to reach ambitious goals. And with the target date around the corner, demand is coming quick.

BHP to expand into “tougher jurisdictions” in search of battery metals – by Cecilia Jamasmie (Mining.com – October 8, 2021)

October 8, 2021

https://www.mining.com/

BHP (ASX, LON, NYSE: BHP) chief executive Mike Henry said the company is ready for a strategic shift out of its geographical, advanced-economies comfort zone into “tougher jurisdictions”, as part of its plans to increase exposure to commodities such as copper and nickel, needed to power the energy transition.

Speaking at the Financial Times conference late on Thursday, the world’s largest miner’s CEO said he was confident the company could manage the risks of investing and operating in politically volatile countries.