Germany to develop sodium-ion battery technology

Spanish Market: Battery materials
02/10/24

A German consortium of 15 working groups led by battery supplier Varta has started development of industrial-scale sodium-ion battery technology, as Europe looks to compete with China on the next battery chemistry set to reach commercial production.

The consortium has officially started development on the Entise project, after gaining approval and €7.5mn ($8.31mn) of investment from Germany's education and research ministry in May.

The EU has funded several other sodium-ion initiatives, including the €925mn public-private BATT4EU project, which launched in 2021 to drive battery research and innovation. A undisclosed portion of BATT4EU funding has been dedicated to sodium-ion batteries.

And the European Commission has invested €8mn each in two projects — SIMBA and NAIMA — which are both made up of consortiums looking to bring sodium-ion battery technology closer to production.

Some companies are also making investments without public funding, with Swedish battery producers Northvolt and Altris and US firm Fluor leading the way on commitments — although sluggish international demand for electric vehicles (EVs) has disrupted progress. Weak demand for EVs and low prices for battery materials have weighed on battery makers' revenues, reducing the incentive for research and development into future battery chemistries, such as sodium-ion batteries.

Germany is set to account for 21pc of Europe's lithium-ion battery production capacity by 2030 — the largest share of any country in the region (see graph), ahead of Hungary at 16pc and France at 13pc, according to UK government-funded research group the Faraday Institution.

China leads the way

China is the region with the most lithium-ion battery production capacity at present, and is set to have 395GW of capacity, or 52pc of the global total, by 2030, according to energy watchdog the IEA. And some Chinese firms are also turning to sodium-ion batteries, with the world's largest EV maker BYD and technology firm Huaihai signing a contract late last year to build a 30 GWh/yr sodium-ion battery plant.

Sodium-ion batteries are expected to account for less than 1pc of global battery demand by 2030, according to the IEA (see chart). They are set to be used in a range of applications, from grid-scale storage and transport, to consumer electronics, industry, aerospace and defence. And sodium-ion batteries could potentially power products including toothbrushes, mobile phones and EVs.

Sodium-ion batteries are slightly bigger but potentially cheaper to produce than lithium-ion batteries. The anode is made from hard carbon, which can be manufactured from wood or biowaste, while the cathode can be made from Prussian white, which contains iron — a cheap and abundant metal.

By Chris Welch

European lithium-ion gigafactory capacity to 2030 GWh

European lithium-ion gigafactory capacity forecast, 2030 pc

Global EV battery production, as per stated policies TWh

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04/12/24

Thailand to extend BEV production commitment deadline

Singapore, 4 December (Argus) — Thailand's National Electric Vehicle Policy Board has approved an extension for battery electric vehicle (BEV) producers, which were supposed to fulfil their production commitment this year, according to the country's Board of Investment (BOI). BEV manufacturers received subsidies under the country's first phase of EV promotion measures — also called the EV 3.0 measures — and were supposed to produce one BEV this year for every vehicle they imported between 2022-23. The ratio will rise to 1½ BEV in 2025 for every imported vehicle. The unfulfilled portion of the production commitment will now roll over and manufacturers are required to instead follow the conditions under its second phase of EV promotion measures , the EV 3.5 measures. The portion that was not completed will not receive subsidies under either package, said BOI on 4 December. Subsidies under the EV 3.5 measures will "come into force" after those production commitments have been fulfilled. About 26 car manufacturers have applied to the incentive schemes, according to BOI. Thailand's Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) cut the country's 2024 auto output estimation twice this year. The estimation was cut from 1.9mn units to 1.7mn units in July, and once more to 1.5mn units in November. Thailand's total vehicle output in January-October came in at nearly 1.25mn units, down by 19pc compared to the same period a year earlier, according to FTI. October's vehicle output fell by 25pc on the year to 118,800 units, domestic sales dropped by 36pc to about 37,700 units and exports were down by 20pc to around 84,300 units. The country has produced 8,026 units of battery passenger cars, 159,176 units of hybrid passenger cars and 5,067 units of plug-in hybrid passenger cars over January-October, according to FTI. Cumulative registrations of battery passenger cars reached 213,173 units as of end-October, while that of hybrid passenger cars reached 455,364 units. The National Electric Vehicle Policy Board in July approved a temporary reduction of excise tax rate for hybrid EVs from 2028-32 on the conditions of car manufacturers investing in Thailand and adhering to strict vehicle CO2 emission requirements, which it said is expected to bring in around 50bn baht ($1.4bn) of new investments. Excise tax rates of between 6-9pc were set depending on HEVs' CO2 emission requirements. By Joseph Ho Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

W Australia backs troubled lithium miners with $97mn

27/11/24

W Australia backs troubled lithium miners with $97mn

Singapore, 27 November (Argus) — The Western Australia (WA) government will support the region's embattled lithium mining firms, which have found themselves stuck in a lithium price slump this year, by waiving fees and offering loans through a A$150mn ($97mn) support package. "This package will provide important temporary and responsible support for WA's fledgling lithium industry, taking into account the extremely challenging market conditions it is facing," WA premier Roger Cook said on 27 November. The package includes waiving up to two years of "government fees" totalling A$90mn to support the continuation of downstream lithium processing. Up to two years of port charges and mining tenement fees totalling A$9.37mn will also be waived. A A$50mn loan facility that offers lithium miners temporary interest-free loans will also be set up, the state government said. The loans will cease to be interest-free after average lithium spodumene prices rise above $1,100/t for two successive quarters, or by 30 June 2026 if prices remain below this threshold. Multiple lithium firms operating in the region — from Mineral Resources , Liontown to Pilbara — have this year been forced to cut output, shut down part of their operations or slow expansion plans under the lithium downturn that has persisted for most of 2024. Lithium prices, which appeared to have bottomed out in October, have recently risen. Argus -assessed prices for 6pc grade lithium concentrate (spodumene) rose to $800-880/t cif China on 26 November from $800-850/t cif China on 19 November. But prices have crashed from an all-time high of $5,875/t cif China in November 2022. The lithium outlook for January-March 2025 remains largely pessimistic, said an Australian spodumene producer. The earlier output adjustments announced by Australian spodumene miners, which partly drove the rise in prices, could potentially be reversed if the price uptrend persists for three months. But these decisions heavily depend on market demand, the miner said. By Joseph Ho Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Vietnam’s Vinfast 3Q EV deliveries rise, eyes new plant

27/11/24

Vietnam’s Vinfast 3Q EV deliveries rise, eyes new plant

Singapore, 27 November (Argus) — Vietnam-based electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer Vinfast Auto is on track to meet its delivery goal for the year and plans to build an assembly plant in the country after posting firm July-September delivery figures. Vinfast delivered around 21,900 EVs during the quarter, more than double compared with the same period a year earlier and up by 66pc on the quarter, according to its latest quarterly results. Vinfast has delivered more than 51,000 EVs during January-October, having delivered more than 11,000 to its customers in Vietnam in October. "We expect to finish 2024 on a strong note and meet our 80,000-vehicle delivery target, as the momentum in [the third quarter] has continued into [the fourth quarter]," chairwoman of Vinfast's board of directors Le Thi Thu Thuy said. Vinfast lowered its 2024 EV delivery goal from the 100,000 units it set earlier this year . It missed its delivery goal of 40,000-50,000 units last year. The firm plans to build a new plant in Vietnam's Ha Tinh, which it is targeting to have an annual assembly capacity of 300,000 units. Construction is expected to begin in early December and operations to begin in 2025. The bold expansion plan comes after Vinfast received a massive funding pledge earlier this month from its parent company Vietnamese conglomerate Vingroup and its chairman Pham Nhat Vuong. Vinfast is poised to receive $3.6bn in funding in free grants and loans until the end of 2026 under the new round of financial backing, which includes a $2.1bn personal sponsorship pledge from Pham. Pham last year gifted near the entirety of Vietnamese battery manufacturer VinES Energy Solutions to Vinfast for no consideration. Vinfast has been loss-making and posted a net loss of $550mn in July-September, which narrowed by 15pc on the year and 29pc on the quarter. Its revenue during the quarter was up by almost half compared with the same period a year earlier to around $512mn. Vinfast racked up $2.4bn of net losses in 2023. By Joseph Ho Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Novonix to supply graphite to VW’s PowerCo in 2027

26/11/24

Novonix to supply graphite to VW’s PowerCo in 2027

London, 26 November (Argus) — Synthetic graphite maker Novonix has agreed to supply a minimum of 32,000t of synthetic graphite to Volkswagen subsidiary and battery maker PowerCo under a five-year offtake agreement, starting in 2027. The offtake agreement follows a deal agreed in May for developing and testing of Novonix's material. Volkswagen founded PowerCo in 2022 and the firm has factories in Ontario , Salzgitter and Valencia under construction, with a planned capacity of up to 200 GWh/yr. In September, the firm scaled back construction plans to just one of two planned production lines at the Salzgitter plant on slowing electric vehicle (EV) demand. Novonix is currently building a manufacturing facility in Tennessee with planned output of up to 20,000 t/yr of synthetic graphite. It plans to expand capacity at the plant to 40,000 t/yr by 2025 and 150,000 t/yr by 2030 after being awarded a $100mn grant from the US Department of Energy and a $103mn tax credit for the facility. The firm in February signed an offtake agreement with Japanese battery maker Panasonic for 10,000 t/yr of synthetic graphite over four years over 2025-28. By Chris Welch Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

Cop 29 goes into overtime on finance deadlock

22/11/24

Cop 29 goes into overtime on finance deadlock

Developing countries' discontent over the climate finance offer is meeting a muted response, writes Caroline Varin Baku, 22 November (Argus) — As the UN Cop 29 climate conference went into overtime, early reactions of consternation towards a new climate finance draft quickly gave way to studious silence, and some new numbers floated by developing nations. Parties are negotiating a new collective quantified goal — or climate finance target — building on the $100bn/yr that developed countries agreed to deliver to developing countries over 2020-25. The updated draft of the new finance goal text — the centrepiece of this Cop — proposes a figure of $250bn/yr by 2035, "from a wide variety of sources, public and private, bilateral and multilateral, including alternative sources". This is the developed country parties' submission, the Cop 29 presidency acknowledged. Developing nations have been waiting for this number for months, and calling on developed economies to come up with one throughout this summit. They rejected the offer instantly. "The [$250bn/yr] offered by developed countries is a spit in the face of vulnerable nations like mine," Panama's lead climate negotiator, Juan Carlos Monterrey Gomez, said. Negotiating group the Alliance of Small Island States called it "a cap that will severely stagnate climate action efforts". The African Group of Negotiators and Colombia called it "unacceptable". This is far off the mark for developing economies, which earlier this week floated numbers of $440bn-600bn/yr for a public finance layer. They also called for $1.3 trillion/yr in total climate finance from developed countries, a sum which the new text instead calls for "all actors" to work toward. China reiterated on 21 November that "the voluntary support" of the global south was not to be counted towards the goal. A UN-mandated expert group indicated that the figure put forward by developed countries "is too low" and not consistent with the Paris Agreement goals. The new finance goal for developing countries, based on components that it covers, should commit developed countries to provide at least $300bn/yr by 2030 and $390bn/yr by 2035, it said. Brazil indicated that it is now pushing for these targets. The final amount for the new finance goal could potentially be around $300bn-350bn/yr, a Somalian delegate told Argus . A goal of $300bn/yr by 2035 is achievable with projected finance, further reforms and shareholder support at multilateral development banks (MDBs), and some growth in bilateral funding, climate think-tank WRI's finance programme director, Melanie Robinson, said. "Going beyond [$300bn/yr] would even be possible if a high proportion of developing countries' share of MDB finance is included," she added. All eyes turn to the EU Unsurprisingly, developed nations offered more muted responses. "It has been a significant lift over the past decade to meet the prior goal [of $100bn/yr]," a senior US official said, and the new goal will require even more ambition and "extraordinary reach". The US has just achieved its target to provide $11bn/yr in climate finance under the Paris climate agreement by 2024. But US climate funding is likely to dry up once president-elect Donald Trump, a climate sceptic who withdrew the US from the Paris accord during his first term, takes office. Norway simply told Argus that the delegation was "happier" with the text. The EU has stayed silent, with all eyes on the bloc as the US' influence wanes. The EU contributed €28.6bn ($29.8bn) in climate finance from public budgets in 2023. Developed nations expressed frustration towards the lack of progress on mitigation — actions to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Mentions of fossil fuels have been removed from new draft texts, including "transitioning away" from fossil fuels. This could still represent a potential red line for them. Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.

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