Child labour concerns cloud supply chain of key battery metal used in electric cars. The London Metal Exchange’s decision to investigate cobalt traded on its exchange highlights the problem of properly sourcing the battery metal at a time of rapidly rising demand from electric vehicles and consumer products. The price for cobalt has jumped over 80 per cent year-to-date, generating profits for companies who can access the mineral and refine it into battery materials used for cars and smartphones. After struggling to break-even last year Huayou Cobalt, the world’s largest refiner, says its profits hit $152m in the nine months to September.
FT 24th Nov 2017 read more »
Electric vehicles (EV) could deliver more than 11GW of flexible capacity to the grid by 2030, according to new analysis from a leading energy technology firm. Open Energi says its research shows the potential for EVs to efficiently support renewables, reduce stress on the grid and balance electricity supply and demand. The study predicts that with an estimated EVs on the road by 2020, smart charging could unlock up to 550MW and 1.3GW of turn-up and turn-down flexibility respectively at different times of the day. By 2030, this rises to 3GW of turn-up and 8GW of turn-down flexibility respectively.
Edie 23rd Nov 2017 read more »
