China Says It Can Make Cheaper Lithium Batteries

[lenny flank]

From the story:

The production of lithium – an essential ingredient in batteries for electric cars – has become easier and significantly cheaper, thanks to a technological breakthrough, just as US concerns about China’s dominance in the supply chain are on the rise.

The cost of extracting the mineral has been slashed to a “record low” of 15,000 yuan (US$2,180) per tonne by the new process, a Chinese government report said.
That compares to an international price for lithium ranging from US$12,000 to US$20,000 per tonne – and a long-term contract price of about US$17,000 – over the past year, according to some industrial estimates.

Here's hoping that the price of lithium batteries will fall to lead-acid levels ......


EDIT: Ack! Forgot the linkie....

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/sci...-lithium-production-electric-car-breakthrough

 

[highdesertranger]

China can make anything dirt cheap. political prisoners for unpaid labor, almost zero enforcement of environmental laws, unlimited supply of cheap coal fired electrical power. sure they can undercut everybody. highdesertranger

 

[lenny flank]

Indeed.

But this seems to be a matter of new technology, not slave labor or environmental ruin.

 

[MrAlvinDude]

hmmm....  Who is South China Post?
And are there any other sources to confirm any of the references or statements presented in this article?

The website in the link is strangely lacking of any links to anything else other than itself (other of its stories).
And the website seems completely void of any indication of who funds the website and its authors.


With the internet being what it is these days, I have learned to be very hesitant to take any kind of information at face value, unless it can be confirmed from several (reliable or trustworthy) sources.

 

[rahvin2j3]

It's a HK English newspaper owned by Alibaba. As what I can check, it has good credibility record. "According to a 2016 public survey conducted by the Centre for Communication and Public Opinion Survey at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the South China Morning Post received a credibility rating of 6.54, the highest credibility score among the various paid newspapers in Hong Kong.

When I visited HK, I am seeing this newspaper being sold everywhere.

 

[lenny flank]

With the internet being what it is these days, I have learned to be very hesitant to take any kind of information at face value, unless it can be confirmed from several (reliable or trustworthy) sources.

I suppose we will see for ourselves in a year or so when the price of lithium batteries either comes down or does not.

 

[wayne49]

What is China's record on the quality of delivered products?
Lacking any details of the breakthrough, this is just talk.
SCP is Corporate owned Media.

Article about Lithium production methods.
https://www.thebalance.com/lithium-production-2340123

 

[lenny flank]

What is China's record on the quality of delivered products?

Ironic, given that half the things you own were probably made in China.

 

[B and C]

China products are getting better just as the japanese products did in the '60's ('70's?). I don't remember exactly when but they used to put out garbage too.

 

[eDJ_]

There was a piece in the news recently about a joint venture with Panasonic and Toyota to produce Lithium Ion batteries cheap as replacements for all of the Hybrid cars out there that will soon be needing them.

Nissan has produced huge numbers of their all electric "Leaf".   These things were hugely expensive when new and today they can be picked up dirt cheap.  But cheap batteries for them could be a game changer.  

I've spoken to some people who own them and they like everything about them except the battery situation.....and the nearly $8,000 dollar cost of replacing a battery. (which gets about 100 miles to the recharge).

I figure soon Corporations will be turning to India for a lot of this stuff.  But with that Navy Base the Chinese have built in the South China Sea,  they may be stopping ships and charging them a tariff to pass thru that piece of water on their way to the USA.

 

[lenny flank]

It seems to be that Indonesia is poised to be the next "China". Time will tell.

 

[maki2]

Didn't America as a whole starts its white occupation by being a cheap exporter to England and Spain? A big part of that at least to Spain was for the mining of minerals. But of course it was not yet all manufactured goods. Our dominance as a major exporter of manufactured goods came later. Of course in every country there are high quality products as well as lesser quality that gets exported. It is certainly nothing new for countries to try to be the dominant ones for the export trade, or for them to try and control the trade routes and also for applying taxes on imports. Ambition as well as protecting one's territory is a basic, ingrained part of human nature as well as the nature of many other animals.

 

[brahmon]

indonesia is largely controlled by ethnic chinese

 

[lenny flank]

  Ambition as well as protecting one's territory is a basic, ingrained part of human nature as well as the nature of many other animals.

Meh, I just want cheaper lithium batteries. I don't really give a crap which country invents the process.