Electric vehicles' future relies on cobalt. It's often mined by children and is soaring in price - lithium ion batteries for sale

The road to the future of electric vehicles has hit the speed bump.
Made of cobalt
Important components of lithium-
Ion batteries powered by millions of smartphones and plugs
In electric vehicles, the demand for cobalt is high.
But like silver.
Gray metal has become a key factor in the growth of the electric vehicle market, and cobalt has also become the root cause of serious ethical and economic problems.
Most notably, most of the world's cobalt production is concentrated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where in many cases children mine metals in dangerous conditions.
Once extracted, is there a long enough question
A long-term supply of cobalt can be established to meet the hopes of decision makers in places such as California who want to change the transportation system from gasoline
A power car for electric cars.
Supporters believe that problems related to the extraction of cobalt can be solved, but even the most enthusiastic recognize human rights and supply --
Chain problems need to be solved.
Apple is a company that keeps things in its hands.
According to Bloomberg, the company is negotiating to buy cobalt directly from the mining company.
These contracts will ensure that thousands of tons of cobalt are obtained each year, ensuring a stable supply of Apple's iPhone and iPad batteries.
Apple is one of the largest consumers of cobalt;
About a quarter of global metal production will appear on smartphones.
Direct supply will also give Apple greater control over mining conditions.
Amnesty International accused Apple and Samsung Electronics on 2016.
Chinese suppliers buy cobalt from mines that rely on child labor.
Last year, Apple released a list of companies that supply cobalt used in batteries and said it would not let cobalt from small businesses
The mine in Congo was extended to its supply chain until it was able to verify that "appropriate protection" was in place.
Connection between cobalt and cleaning
Car technology can be a surprise for many car buyers.
"I think it's hard for ordinary consumers to understand all access," said Brian Townsend, senior vice president of science and rare earth minerals produced by electric vehicles, smartphones and computer batteries. -
Baile wealth management investment company.
Cathode in lithium
The ion batteries commonly used in electric vehicles are made of metal oxides containing a combination of cobalt and other elements.
Cobalt helps the cathode concentrate a lot of energy in a limited space.
If there is no energy density of the element, the performance of the battery without cobalt will be worse.
Recycling electric vehicle batteries is harder than recycling lead
Acid batteries for gasoline-
Because the number of materials involved is different from the way the manufacturer makes these materials, there are powered vehicles.
As the electric vehicle industry tries to transform from a niche market --
The market position is accepted to the mainstream, and the demand for cobalt is surging.
California policy makers push Zero
Emissions Vehicles are critical to meeting the country's task of significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Gov.
The target set by Jerry Brown is 1. 5 million clean
Energy cars on California roads by 2025.
Last month, Brown raised the number in his last state speech --
To 5 million Zero
Vehicles will be discharged by 2030.
Britain and France announced plans to phase out gasoline and diesel.
Until 2040.
All 16 states in Germany
Home of Mercedes
Mercedes, BMW, Audi
A non-binding resolution was adopted prohibiting the sale of new gasoline and diesel vehicles by 2030.
Although no date has yet been set, a Chinese government official announced last year that China intends to ban sales of cars using fossil fuels.
China is the world's largest car market, even bigger than the United States. S.
Automakers are taking their own action.
Tesla has already launched its Model 3,
Cut $35,000 for sale as a Volkswagen electric vehicle.
Ford announced plans to spend $11 billion on electric vehicles by 2022.
Volvo executives have vowed that by 2019, all Volvo models will either be hybrid or fully powered by batteries.
GM says it will add two more
Electric vehicles will enter its fleet later this year, adding at least 18 vehicles by 2023.
"GM thinks the future is everything.
Mark Reus, head of product development at the company, said in last October.
These plans exceed demand for electric vehicles.
Less than 1% of AmericaS.
The driver owns an electric car.
IHS Markit, a consulting firm, expects global car sales to reach 94 million vehicles this year, with electric vehicles accounting for 4 million, or about 4%.
But a 2017 report by financial giant Morgan Stanley expects as many as 1 billion electric vehicles worldwide to hit the road by 2050.
Global electric vehicle sales are expected to increase significantly, and the demand for cobalt for electric vehicle batteries is expected to increase by nearly 8-fold by 2026.
Production of cobalt has quadrupled since 2000, but the price of metals has also soared --
It has grown by more than 230% since the end of 2015.
The vast majority of cobalt is a by-product of nickel and copper mining;
The world supply of 54% from Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Congo has experienced two extremely violent civil wars in its relatively short history.
The rule of law is accidental and the system is corrupt.
Mining is the key to the economy, but this work is often dangerous.
Freelancer, dig for cobalt using the word "creusurs" in French;
Child labor is common.
Amnesty International's 2016 report cites Unicef estimates that about 40,000 boys and girls work in mines across the Congo, many of whom work in cobalt mines.
The report states that, like adult miners, these children are exposed to high levels of cobalt and work without gloves or masks.
Tesla promised not to take cobalt from child labor or Creole.
But once the metal reaches the end of the supply chain, it is difficult to track its origin.
"It could come from 50 small suppliers and a middleman," Townsend said . ".
"That middleman and five other middlemen shipped what they had to a smelter in China, and Western companies had to buy it from that smelter.
With an eye on the growing assembly line for electric vehicles, China has moved quickly to stock up on its cobalt inventory.
According to CRU Group, a mining consultancy, China controls 62% of the world's cobalt supply.
This has made carmakers in North America and Europe scrambling to sign.
Sign contracts to ensure their own supply, as Apple is trying to do.
This also leads to the search for cobalt elsewhere.
Canada ranked fourth
From Ontario to the northwest, the largest cobalt producers and miners are looking for potential development sites.
Cobalt production in the United StatesS. is small —
According to US data, there were only 650 metric tons in 2017. S.
Geological Survey.
In contrast, Congo produced 64,000 metric tons.
Some chemical companies and researchers are developing batteries for electric vehicles that are less reliant on cobalt.
The two South Korean companies plan to launch eight nickel, one cobalt and one manganese battery.
But earlier this month, a Belgian administrator
Multinational companies that produce the cathode of electric vehicle batteries say cobalt is still needed for the foreseeable future.
"There are no better elements than nickel to increase energy density, and there are no better elements than cobalt to stabilize the material," said Mark Greenberg, chief executive of Umicore, told Reuters
"So, when you hear about designing cobalt, it won't happen in the next 30 years.
At the same time, Greenberg and others believe that by finding a more effective way to recycle smartphones, concerns about cobalt supply can be eased.
It is estimated that 1.
There are 6 billion abandoned mobile phones around the world, and the batteries contain cobalt.
The analysis by MIT researchers predicts that while there may be some bottlenecks in the supply chain, there are no serious obstacles to curb growing demand in the next 15 years.
"What I think will happen is lithium-
"Ion batteries can be a transitional power supply," said Townsend, "scientists will find a different chemical to power electric vehicles from the supply of less risky --
Chain position.
Others are less optimistic.
"We have a problem before there is an alternative material that can be charged and generate a charge," said Lauren Felix, the car coach and executive director in New York --
Automotive experts who are critical of electric vehicles.
Bloomberg contributed to the report.