lithium 18650 li ion battery

　　China has made a key technological breakthrough, will the cost of lithium 18650 li ion battery be reduced?

　　Two days ago, someone on Weibo claimed that China’s electric vehicle supply chain is extremely fragile. Although I was slapped in the face in the comment area that day, it seems not good if I don’t come up with some new evidence.

　　It just so happens that in the past two days, overseas media have begun to discuss China's dominant position in the electric vehicle supply chain, including revealing that China has made a breakthrough in lithium mineral extraction technology, further solidifying its dominance in the lithium battery supply chain, and causing the United States to Anxiety and more.

　　Today, let’s talk about this.

　　China makes key breakthrough in lithium ore extraction technology

　　According to foreign media reports, a recent report from China shows that China has made a major breakthrough in lithium extraction technology - the cost of mining and extracting lithium with the new process has dropped to 15,000 yuan per ton, which is a "historical low" of 2,180 US dollars. .

　　For reference, the international price of lithium has fluctuated between US$12,000 and US$20,000 per ton in the past year, and the long-term contract price is approximately US$17,000. (P.S., from this price point, it refers to battery-grade lithium carbonate.)

　　What exactly is this technology? Judging from foreign media reports, it is mainly about the technology of extracting lithium from salt lakes.

　　Foreign media said that according to Chinese government reports, Qinghai Lithium Industry (an enterprise established based on the scientific and technological achievements of the Qinghai Salt Lake Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences) has used new processes to achieve an average profit margin of more than 50% in the past three years, with total revenue exceeding 3 billion yuan.

　　Li Jian, an executive at the company, said the above estimate of production costs is very accurate but does not include after-tax and bank loan interest. He also predicted that as technology continues to advance, production costs "may fall further in the future."

　　(In addition, the core asset of Chile’s SQM, the world’s largest lithium company, is the Atacama Salt Lake in the Smart Northern Plateau.)

　　Electric vehicle battery costs expected to drop significantly

　　Technically, extracting lithium from brine has always presented the challenge of separating lithium from other elements. Magnesium in particular is extremely difficult to separate from lithium because the two minerals have similar ionic properties.

　　Judging from foreign media reports, this 15-year research project funded by the Chinese Academy of Sciences has found a cost-effective way to extract lithium from other minerals, especially magnesium.

　　Judging from previous comparisons, the price of battery-grade lithium carbonate will drop significantly in the future. (The mining and extraction cost of new technology is US$2,180/ton. The lowest cash cost in the world is US$4,000-4,500/ton for salt lake lithium carbonate such as FMC, ALB and SQM. The international lithium carbonate price fluctuates between US$12,000 and US$200 million.)

　　The report also quoted Dr. Ren Dongming, director of the Renewable Energy Development Center of the National Development and Reform Commission of China, saying that lower-priced lithium 18650 li ion battery will benefit electric vehicle manufacturers such as Tesla and ultimately benefit consumers.

　　China is the world's largest producer and seller of electric vehicles and is also known as one of the countries with the highest lithium content in the world. Battery costs account for approximately 30%-50% of the total cost of electric vehicles. Dr. Ren Dongming said lower prices, longer range and better charging station infrastructure will make zero-emission vehicles a more attractive option for car buyers.

　　(In fact, in 2012, before the new energy trend became a foregone conclusion, Chinese companies had begun to make extensive arrangements for global lithium resources. A typical representative of this is Tianqi Lithium, currently one of the top three lithium giants in the world and the only one in the world. Two (the other is the American Albemarle Lithium Company, which owns both the Atacama Salt Lake, the world's largest salt lake lithium mine, and the Greenbush Mine, the largest solid lithium mine).

　　The United States is legislating to try to curb China's lead

　　China now dominates the supply of lithium metal end products, producing nearly two-thirds of the world's lithium-ion batteries (versus 5% in the United States) and controlling most of the world's lithium processing facilities, according to Benchmark Minerals Intelligence.

　　Against this backdrop, the United States has begun to resist China's dominance of the electric vehicle supply chain and is pushing for legislation that would help American companies mine lithium and other materials that can be used in electric vehicles: the Minerals Security Act.

　　At a hearing on the bill earlier this month, Republican U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski said China’s lead in the electric vehicle supply chain puts it in an advantageous position in the ongoing trade dispute.

　　"My biggest challenge now is educating other members of Congress why this needs to be a national priority," she said. "Our challenge continues to be the inability to understand America's vulnerability here when it comes to relying on others for minerals."

　　In addition, according to foreign media reports, according to Chinese government statistics in 2017, the salt lakes on the Tibetan Plateau will account for more than 60% of global lithium reserves. Some research institutions also believe that China’s lithium resource reserves are second in the world, second only to Chile.

　　However, China’s domestic lithium mine production is still very low. In 2018, China’s lithium mine production accounted for only 9% of global lithium mine production. In recent years, Chinese companies have also been buying mines in lithium-rich countries such as Argentina and Australia.

　　Still, while China's lithium reserves may be plentiful, many are also difficult to extract. This includes the salt lakes of the Tibetan Plateau, where high altitudes and low oxygen levels make large-scale mining impossible.

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