When it comes to current lithium-ion battery tech, cobalt is an essential element – both literally and figuratively. Cobalt is so important to current battery technology that China has gone to great lengths to secure it, predicting a global rise in its demand.
Some reports state that the global supply of cobalt and lithium will reach critical levels by as early as 2050, if current trends and predictions about the adoption of electric vehicles remain true. This statement is especially true for cobalt, with reserves only expected to meet half of the predicted demand.
Before we go further, it should be noted that current roughly half of all cobalt mined in the world is used in batteries (and roughly half of all cobalt mining is done in the Democratic Republic of Congo). This is because of cobalt’s unique structure as a transition metal.
Panasonic, as one of the biggest battery providers for electric vehicles, sees the trend happening with cobalt usage, and understands what it means for the company’s bottom line.
As such, the Japanese technology brand has made news by announcing its plans to eliminate cobalt from its batteries that are destined for electric vehicles.
The first step in this has been Panasonic’s efforts to reduce cobalt in the batteries it co-produces with Tesla, which feature now in the Tesla Model 3 automobile. This is only the first step, however.
We have already talked about the rise of solid state batteries, which do away with the liquid electrolyte found in current battery architecture. Promising more density, better recharge times, and lower costs, solid state is a big step in the future for electric vehicles.
Even with solid-state batteries though, cost will still be an issue, primarily because of the dependence on metals like lithium and cobalt (and to a lesser extent aluminum and nickel). Reducing the use of these metals, as Panasonic plans to do, will further help battery makers meet pricing demands.
This is critical, especially as electric vehicles become more common place, and as our energy grid structure becomes more decentralized (think personal wind and solar power generation).
For motorcycle manufacturers, today’s news means that electric motorcycles will have a clearer path on how they can be closer in price/performance parity with their thermic counterparts, which is the big tipping point for their widespread adoption.
How soon we will see Panasonic’s cobalt-free batteries remains to be seen, however.
Source: Reuters
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