Lithium ion battery prices are going up for the first time. Some said it would never happen. #EV

But rising lithium prices are the cause.

172% increase in Benchmark Lithium Price Index since this time in 2021 says it all

Automakers to take the hit

More TBA @benchmarkmin
Lithium carbonate price increases have hurt the most.

These have risen 200% y-o-y on the Benchmark Lithium Price Index
Crazy thing is we are not even hitting a major shortage of lithium until next year.

This lithium price squeeze could turn into a lithium price crisis for those not locked into long term contracts.

benchmarkminerals.com/lithium-prices/
Automakers have done the right thing in building JV battery cell plants aka Megafactory / Gigafactory

But the lack of strategy or focus on the up streaming in doing the same for key raw materials - lithium and nickel esp - will come back to haunt the automotive industry
It’s of course just the start and not the end. But 2022 to 2026 won’t be pretty as electric vehicle models attempt to come to market at an ever decreasing cost
You can’t make an EV without a lithium ion battery. And you can’t make lithium ion battery without lithium

And all at the right quantities and qualities.

Some of the most obvious statements are usually the ones ignored.

Contact @benchmarkmin here

benchmarkminerals.com/contact/
Lithium ion battery price rises update:

> Naturally OEMs are baulking at the idea of rising cell prices

> Where lithium prices are at and heading there will be some pain for EV makers and no real short term fix unless supply is already locked into a contract a a fixed price
> Negotiations are well underway between Chinese cell makers and autos

> All battery price rises coming from Chinese 🇨🇳 makers at present; interesting to see how the South Korea 🇰🇷 majors react

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More from @sdmoores

25 Oct
❗️High raw material prices are starting to push some lithium ion battery cell prices up

This is what ⁦@benchmarkmin⁩ warned of last year below

To understand batteries you need to know your supply chains #lithium #nickel #cobalt #graphite #manganese benchmarkminerals.com/membership/lit…
How Team @benchmarkmin called an end to the major declines in lithium ion battery prices.

A must read here: benchmarkminerals.com/membership/ben…
The way to keep battery costs low and falling is the inclusion and expansion of #LFP cathode which has expanded massively in China

benchmarkminerals.com/membership/ben…
Read 4 tweets
6 Oct
<thread> Lithium prices.

In 2019 I was asked whether lithium prices in the next price surge would ever reach the highs of 2016.

My response was this time it would be more aggressive. Instead of the late 20s, prices in China would exceed $40,000/t

There are a few reasons…
This time there are more buyers than in 2016.

There are still not enough sellers: miners, refiners.

Demand for lithium is outstripping the rate supply is growing by double.

The wall of EV demand for lithium continued to build, esp 2026 and beyond.
Right now the lithium industry is responding in real time, in many ways, and isn’t addressing a massive demand issue that we face towards the latter end of the decade.

For this massive investment would be needed or DLE breakthroughs to help close the supply demand gap.
Read 5 tweets
5 Oct 20
<Tesla and Lithium >

5 @benchmarkmin Charts you need to know about Tesla and it’s lithium hydroxide production / spodumene plans.

1. Tesla is now official upstream of the lithium ion battery supply chain

✅ New cathode plant
✅ New Lithium Hydroxide plant
2. Lithium chemical refining is going global, not just in China

Production of lithium from spodumene has traditionally been the reserve of China.

Lithium chemical plants are now being established outside of China incl 🇦🇺 🇯🇵 🇰🇷 and now 🇺🇸 (Tesla)
3. More control over spodumene (lithium feedstock) prices

In the last lithium price surge, spodumene rose to above $900/tonne (@benchmarkmin prices).

Today it’s less than half.

Tesla will now buy spodumene directly for their own use.
Read 7 tweets
3 Oct 20
<thread> My third testimony to the US Senate, June 2020: key points

China is building the equivalent of one battery megafactory a week, the United States one every four months.
In that time, we have witnessed a global battery arms race and watched the world’s number of supersized battery plants – known as battery megafactories or gigafactories – go from 17 to 142 [now 167]
Lithium ion batteries are a core platform technology for the 21st century.

They allow our energy to be stored on a widespread basis in electric vehicles and energy storage systems, and they spark the demand for the critical raw materials and chemicals.
Read 11 tweets
1 Oct 20
[@benchmarkmin thread] Pertinent points on Tesla’s plan for produce lithium, the first auto maker to do so....
New lithium hydroxide facility expect to be co-located next to Terafactory in Austin
Tesla will build the USA’s first battery materials hub which in addition to lithium is expected to include cathode and nickel chemical production feeding into 4680 battery cell production
Read 7 tweets
30 Sep 20
Tesla LFP Model 3 (Standard Range) Made in China are rolling off Shanghai now.

LFP is naturally cobalt free anyway: balancing low cost (using iron and phosphate) with range is key here... it’s not about cobalt

Read Tesla’s strategy: benchmarkminerals.com/membership/lfp…
These LFP prismatic cells for Model 3 are the CATL deal @elonmusk was referring to on Battery Day
The long range Made in China Model 3 uses the LG Chem 2170s 811 chemistry - the other contract Elon was referring to.
Read 5 tweets

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