Matsushita has announced that it will start developing cobalt free car grade batteries.

According to foreign media reports, although Panasonic Corp announced that it will start developing non-cobalt car grade batteries in the near future, industry insiders expect that Panasonic's cobalt consumption will more than triple in the next five years. Panasonic is the exclusive supplier of batteries for all new Tesla models such as the Model 3. According to industry insiders, the development of cobalt batteries may take many years.

Cobalt will play an important role in ensuring the stability of lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles and extending their service life. As a result, the competition for cobalt supply resources has intensified, and its price has soared from US$ 10 per pound in December 2015 to nearly US$ 40 per pound today.

Panasonic has been trying to secure a steady supply in the cobalt market and will use 10,000 tons a year in the next two years, according to industry insiders. In the early 1920s, the amount of cobalt used will increase to 25,000 tons per year. The industry expects Matsushita to use nearly 8,000 tons of cobalt in 2018.

"Panasonic's valuation is usually cautious and conservative, and we are shocked by the value it gives below 25,000 tons per year," said a cobalt industry insider. "

Tesla's goal is to bring the weekly output of the Model 3 model to 5,000 by the end of June. Tesla batteries use lithium, nickel, cobalt, and aluminum (NCA) materials, while other automotive companies use lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese (NCM) complexes.

According to Roskill, the demand for cobalt will reach 310,000 tons by 2027, of which more than 240,000 tons will be used for on-board batteries, notebook computer batteries and mobile phone batteries. Roskill estimates that demand for cobalt will reach 118,000 tons in 2017.

Due to industry concerns about the shortage of cobalt, many battery manufacturers changed the material formula of the battery cathode and changed the ratio of nickel / cobalt / manganese from 6:2:2 to 8:1:1.

"Despite these changes, many battery manufacturers have not implemented this ratio in mass production," said the industry. "As for the introduction of non-cobalt batteries, it is likely to be even longer. "

According to BenchmarkMines, the 8:1:1 formula is also only tested and tested in small factories, especially in China. At present, it is still far from realizing the commercial application of the new ratio battery and it will take several years to wait.

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