This component is essential for the manufacture of batteries, so speculation and the participation of external agents in the market can limit the investments of the companies involved in the extraction and production of this mineral, putting the implementation plans in quarantine. of electric mobility
With electric and electrified vehicles booming, and with the European Commission’s ban on the sale of new cars and vans that emit carbon dioxide from 2035 -which will mean the end of gasoline, diesel and hybrid engines- , the rules of the game are changing and
electrification is more real than ever; But the most skeptical, who previously worried about the charging infrastructure or the limited autonomy, now frequently worry about what will happen to the batteries once the useful life of the vehicle ends. The ones in use today, the lithium-ion ones, have achieved performance unthinkable a decade ago and can still make progress.
But
the instability and volatility of the price of lithium in the international market it also raises doubts. This component is essential for the manufacture of batteries, so speculation and the participation of external agents in the market can limit the investments of the companies involved in the extraction and production of this mineral, putting the implementation plans in quarantine. of electric mobility. That is to say, it could have disastrous results related to supply shortages, wars and environmental degradation, as already happened at the time with oil or as we are suffering, the crisis of the components.
However, a ‘theory’ that, according to the website
Hybrids and Electric, the American financial multinational Morgan Stanley has been commissioned to dismantle. “Unlike oil, lithium is not a fuel and (normally) it does not burn. It is a raw material, such as iron, that is used to make a product and can be recycled at the end of its useful life. Lithium itself is not poisonous or dangerous for the environment (although current lithium extraction methods have negative environmental impacts). Also, lithium-ion batteries don’t actually use as much lithium. According
Elon muskapproximately 2% of the volume of a battery cell “, they explain.
In fact, “like oil in the 20th century, battery technology has the potential to remake the world economy. The changes will unfold over several decades, transform almost every aspect of human society, and present endless investment opportunities. As oil did in its day, batteries will allow new companies to come to the fore of the economic situation and others to disappear, “he adds.
Morgan Stanley refers to the emerging battery ecosystem as a ‘cross-asset’ space, with the potential to transform many areas of the business world. The emerging market for batteries will make electric vehicles superior, both in production cost and technically, to internal combustion vehicles. “Beyond its direct application in electric vehicles and energy storage systems, the global battery industry is at the nexus between business, commodities and public policy,” they emphasize.
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