Will the price of cobalt for lithium battery cathode materials increase in the future?

Currently, nickel, cobalt, and manganese account for 90% of the cost of positive electrode materials among power lithium battery manufacturers. The increase in the proportion of positive electrode materials in power lithium-ion batteries, and the aggravation of the unbalanced supply of raw materials such as lithium cobalt, has placed great pressure on the reduction of unit costs of power lithium-ion batteries. In terms of materials for lithium batteries, my country is heavily dependent on imports, and the oligarchic effect continues to be prominent. The total global cobalt reserves are extremely imbalanced. Congo (DRC) accounts for 54% of the total reserves, while my country’s reserves are only 1.11%. Among them, the hard-to-mine copper and nickel associated minerals are the main ones. The cobalt minerals that form independent mineralizations only account for the country’s reserves. 4.7% of reserves. my country is a cobalt-poor country, but it is the world's largest cobalt demand country. my country's cobalt demand accounts for about 45% of the world. The disparity between supply and demand makes my country rely on imports for more than 90% of cobalt. Cobalt is the upstream metal with the largest increase. By the end of December 2017, the price of cobalt on the London Metal Exchange had risen to US$75,205/ton, an increase of over 130% from the beginning of the year. At present, the main technical route of new energy passenger car batteries is the ternary battery, that is, the lithium battery with lithium nickel cobalt manganate or lithium nickel cobalt aluminate as the positive electrode material, and the precursor material is nickel, cobalt, manganese or nickel, Cobalt and aluminum are raw materials, and cobalt is indispensable as a stabilizer. Lithium battery manufacturers estimate that until 2019, lithium and cobalt, which are the anode materials of lithium batteries, will continue to be tight. The pressure of rising prices of raw materials is also the driving force for the breakthrough of lithium battery technology. The increase in the transaction price of cobalt oxide mainstream was mainly driven by the price increase of cobalt tetroxide. The price of cobalt oxide was 375-385 yuan/kg at that time, and the average price was 5 yuan/kg higher than last week. Cobalt tetroxide trading is fragmented, and the quotations of mainstream suppliers continue to rise. The cost of lithium cobalt oxide manufacturers is not smooth and only a small amount of purchase is just needed, and the transaction price is forced to rise. The price of cobalt tetroxide was 408-418 yuan/kg at that time, and the average price was 10 yuan/kg higher than last week. Affected by the price increase of cobalt tetroxide, the price of lithium cobalt oxide market has risen again, but now it is the low season for consumer electronics. Only high-end digital lithium battery manufacturers can withstand the price increase. General performance lithium cobalt oxide faces the threat of substitution of other cathode materials. The price of 4.35V lithium cobalt oxide is 406-410 yuan/kg, and the average price is 3 yuan/kg higher than last week. Disclaimer: Some pictures and content of articles published on this site are from the Internet. If there is any infringement, please contact to delete. Previous post: What is the negative electrode material of lithium battery What are the negative materials of lithium battery?