The battle for cobalt and lithium escalated

With the settles on the subsidy policy in 2018, the market focus has returned to the lithium raw materials, after all, this is the cornerstone of everything. A number of giants have shot, on the one hand, to carry out the joint vertical and horizontal, to ensure the market's dominant position, such as the hot issue Shufu Li stake in Daimler, BMW and Great Wall hand in hand. On the other hand the action is quite low-key, aimed at preemptive layout, pave the way for future development, among which raw materials become the focus of contention.

BMW: Trying to get a 10 year supply of cobalt and lithium

The CP of the BMW and the Great Wall has become a hot topic today. However, no matter how good the show is, in the end, it still faces the problem of battery supply. Previously, BMW Brilliance has established a power battery center in China, becoming the first complete power battery center outside the BMW Group in Germany. The battery core is in cooperation with the Ningde era, with a total investment of about 324 million Yuan 33,000 sets of high voltage battery packs.

Cobalt lithium competes for the war to upgrade! Who can take the lead in Apple, BMW, Volkswagen and BYD?

From the perspective of the global new energy layout of the BMW Group, it is necessary to control the entire power battery production from the source, and the fluctuation of the price of lithium raw materials represented by cobalt and lithium has caused considerable uncertainties in its future development. .

BMW's supply chain director Markus Duesmann said in an interview with German media, "BMW's goal is to obtain a supply chain connected to the mine for 10 years. BMW is ready to sign multiple related contracts. "

Coincidentally, the Great Wall, which was married to BMW, also invested in the Australian lithium miner Pilbara Minerals for 140 million in 2017, paving the way for the development of new energy vehicles.

Volkswagen: 50 billion Euros to build a battery empire, stuck in raw materials

In 2017, the Volkswagen Group threw out a huge new energy plan, of which 50 billion Euros will be invested in the battery field, which far exceeds the plan for new energy vehicles.

However, in the public bidding document, Volkswagen proposed that the cobalt metal supplier guarantee a long-term supply of 5 years and deliver the delivery at a fixed price. Obviously, Volkswagen underestimated the heat of this scarce metal, causing supplier dissatisfaction. After all, in 2017 alone, the price of cobalt has more than doubled, and the long-term fixed price of the public is obviously not realistic.

Cobalt lithium competes for the war to upgrade! Who can take the lead in Apple, BMW, Volkswagen and BYD?

In July 2017, it was reported that mining giants Glencore, Volkswagen and Ningde era will form a triangle transaction, Glencore will sell 20,000 tons of cobalt products to CATL, and Volkswagen will purchase batteries from the Ningde era. However, this statement has not been confirmed, but the Ningde era has confirmed that it is in contact with the Volkswagen Group to secure battery orders for the MEB platform.

Apple: shortage of raw materials, tightening competition

According to news from Bloomberg, due to the shortage of cobalt metal supply, Apple is encouraged to take action and negotiate directly with the mine company. The two parties may agree on a supply contract for cobalt mines of up to several thousand tons for five years. However, sources also said that the negotiations between the two sides have been going on for more than a year and may now be deadlocked.

Cobalt lithium competes for the war to upgrade! Who can take the lead in Apple, BMW, Volkswagen and BYD?

Although Apple has abandoned the research and development of electric vehicles, due to the demand for iPhone and iPad and Macbook notebooks, Apple's demand for lithium batteries is also amazing. Apple's battery suppliers include ATL, lishen, Samsung SDI, LG Chem, etc. The rise of new energy vehicles, the decline in the share of 3C digital batteries and the tight supply of raw materials will inevitably affect the stable supply of Apple products in the future.

Apple attempts to ensure supply chain stability through long-term supply of raw materials, but its problems are similar to those of the public. In the face of increasingly scarce markets, raw material suppliers are more optimistic about the future of the market than the long-term orders.

BYD: Salt Lake to raise lithium battery, another way

Although global lithium resources are abundant in reserves, due to the monopoly of giants, coupled with the difficulty of mining and insufficient supply, the supply of lithium is still lagging behind.

Cobalt lithium competes for the war to upgrade! Who can take the lead in Apple, BMW, Volkswagen and BYD?

China's salt lakes are rich in lithium reserves, but mining and processing are difficult. In the long run, they can only hope that lithium will sigh.

In 2017, BYD announced that it will invest 245 million Yuan to establish a new company in Qinghai to develop lithium resources in Salt Lake. BYD has made a major breakthrough in the preparation technology of lithium sorbent in Salt Lake, and mastered the preparation technology of lithium sorbent from lithium in salt lake brine. The breakthrough of this research is the key to the lithium extraction of salt lake commercialization.

BYD, who has mastered the new lithium resource acquisition channel, will it be invincible? This needs to be tested by the market.

How to deal with the crisis?

Whether it is a car giant such as BMW and Volkswagen, or a technology leader like Apple, in the face of the battery crisis, they have all tried their best, but they have encountered no small problems, especially in the supply of cobalt metal, in line with The principle that odd goods can live, money is not omnipotent.

In the competition of new energy vehicles with traditional vehicles, power batteries have become the core factor, and in the competition of power batteries, technology, raw materials and costs have become the limiting factors.

The supply of lithium can also find a more convenient channel, while cobalt can only be used to ensure supply through technical means to reduce usage or recycle resources. At present, the research and development of high-nickel ternary batteries has become the direction of various battery companies, and resource recycling is also on the agenda, but it is far from being thirsty. Cobalt will remain an important factor in the industry's development for a long time to come.

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