Future
Cobalt Free Battery - CEO Martin Kepman
Market
Analysis for Electric Cars - Manganese X Energy
Cobalt(Co)
is a Troubled Conflict Element, Dangerous for the Environment,
Toxic for Humans, Mined in the Congo with Children, Prone to a
Thermal Runaway Event in (Co) Blended NMC Lithium-ion
Batteries
Manganese
X Energy Update With
The
Decade in Review
We are living
in extraordinary and exciting times. Technological innovations are
blasting over the roof and the acceptance of them could never be
merrier. The millennials and gen Zs can be touted as a major
factor behind the movement, every industry can be seen transforming its
traditional processes. Integration towards an advanced and modern
technology has been less than seamless. It has meant enduring the
pain of research, trial and error while continuing the hard work of
developing new hardware and software, then testing and
working towards merging the technology into the manufacturing
line.
The
transportation and automobile industry is no different. The world is
witnessing revolutionary changes in its ecosystem in just a few
decades. Today, corporate leaders are paving the
way towards yet another radical innovation with the advancement and
development of electrical vehicles EV's. There are a lot of
conversations
and a tremendous amount of
activity
surrounding companies like Tesla; "in 2017, Elon
Musk
said that Tesla would eventually build 10-20 Gigafactories
around the
world." Currently three factories have been built in Nevada,
New york, and Shanghai. Also, "GM
has announced a new joint-venture with LG Chem to build their own
battery gigafactory,
which
will have 30 GWh of annual capacity, in Ohio." Volkswagen, "one of
the world's biggest carmakers is calling time on producing internal
combustion vehicles at one of its biggest factories in Germany.
From now on, that factory will only produce electric
cars." Three
world leading car manufacturers are taking huge steps in order to
establish electric vehicles as the future choice of motorized
transportation.
Moreover, if
experts are to be believed, widespread adoption will soon become
inevitable, turning this new motorized
transportation era into a reality. The battery will be the major
component for all future and modern advancements and also the major
reason holding back the acceptance of the industry's vision of a
future clean, reliable and safe mode of electric motorized
transportation. The blended Nickel Cobalt Manganese Lithium-ion
battery is the current and most popular supported choice. Let's
understand the limitations of the current technology choice, why
it's not necessarily the best and what actions are being taken to
come up with a better alternative and improved solution.
Lithium-Ion
Batteries And Its
Dependency on Cobalt
Lithium-ion
batteries are the electrochemical wunderkind and have been around
for years in the form of disposable and rechargeable batteries. They
have been in commercial use for nearly fifty years and became
incredibly popular for some definite reasons in the 1970s.
Lithium-ion batteries were touted to be highly powerful, while
having an incredible ability to store large capacities of energy. They
became a mainstay because of their capacity to be durable, their
ability to be reused a thousand times, while being more lightweight
than traditional batteries. These low-maintenance energy tools were
and continue to be used for every energy-concerned
application you can imagine - from the myriad of mundane gadgets to
the more essential like; smartphones, desktops and
laptops to high-tech applications like electric cars, electric
ships, and helicopters on Mars. In fact, Lithium-ion
batteries with their
superabundance
of useful applications won
them the 2019 Nobel Prize in chemistry. Their global market
cap was valued at $36.7 billion in 2019 and it's expected to grow
at a CAGR of 18% from 2020-2027.
However, these
exceptionally brilliant and dominant
batteries have also bagged a fair share of criticism. Over the
years, Lithium-ion batteries dependence on Cobalt has become a
concern due to the extent that Cobalt is the key energy-boosting
component for Lithium-ion batteries. Cobalt is the prime reason behind
the battery's longevity. So why is Cobalt termed a bad influence on
the Lithium-ion battery? The answer lies in the very nature of
Cobalt. Despite its advantages, manufacturers are trying to get rid
of it by searching for an alternative, that addresses the
issues impacting Cobalt's ability to be sourced
ethically.
Why is
it Essential to go Cobalt-Free?
The global
Cobalt market size was 99.3 kilo tons in 2017. It's expected to
grow at a CAGR of more than 9% by 2025. Let's have a
look at the
reasons that make a dominant component like Cobalt a poor choice in
today's modern times.
-
The
dangers of Cobalt(Co)
the shiny, brittle metallic element
It's a known
fact that Cobalt is a toxic and unstable bluish-gray element with
an elevated incident rate that
threatens the risk of a thermal runaway event in Lithium-ion
batteries containing Cobalt. Cobalt if exposed to above normal
stresses or heat can give way for an internal chemical reaction to
initiate. These types of incidents will compromise the chemical
composition of the battery forming a toxic, unmitigated
fire.
The fire cannot be extinguished by water or flame retardants and
may smolder for weeks. While burning it will continue to release
toxic fumes. You may have experienced this yourself by getting on a
plane and told that your cellular phone had the potential to
explode.
-
Cobalt
is dangerous for the environment and toxic for humans
It puts humans
and the environment at constant risk throughout its supply chain.
At every stage, from extraction to recycling, Cobalt-based
batteries put the workers at a higher risk of toxic exposure and
potential explosions. It has been reported that
Cobalt
miners are exposed to extremely harsh working conditions that
sometimes violate human rights. Also It has the potential of
exposing them to many health problems, ranging from trouble
breathing, asthma, pneumonia, heart effects, and dermatitis. There
are
reports of smaller mining operations in the Congo where child labor
is the primary way Cobalt is extracted.
Cobalt has
been responsible for driving up the high cost of the Nickel Cobalt
Manganese Lithium-ion battery in the electric vehicle industry. Cobalt
continues to be the battery industry's costliest component holding
back worldwide acceptance. New developments in battery
technology is pointing to Manganese as
an alternative at one tenth the price of Cobalt.
If Not
Cobalt, Then What?
Since Cobalt
isn't the preferred choice anymore for corporations and
manufacturers, the focus to obtain an alternative replacement has
increased greatly in recent years. "Scientists at the University of
Southern Denmark found that a new electrode material incorporating Iron,
Manganese and Phosphorus could increase both the power and capacity
of the batteries." Electric vehicle and hybrid EV car and
technology manufacturing leaders like Tesla, Gm, LG and Volkswagen
have intensified their attempts to reach a better, safer, and
functional Cobalt-free replacing component by starting to move
towards a more robust Manganese application.
On Battery Day
last September, Tesla unveiled a Cobalt-free solution. Tesla's new
battery would essentially reduce the cost of their existing
blended Nickel Cobalt Manganese Lithium-ion battery by removing
Cobalt and increasing the percentage of Manganese (Nickel 66% and
Manganese 33%). The newly redesigned and future improved
Cobalt-free version will substantially reduce the
future battery
costs for all electric vehicles and hybrid EV's. It's about time
that this change becomes a reality.
Manganese X, a Canadian mining
company, has successfully secured a convenient
solution 10 miles from the US
border. It has promoted Manganese as the replacement to Cobalt. It
is positioned to supply a secure and ethically sourced Manganese
for the manufacturing of Nickel Manganese Lithium-ion batteries for
the North American market.
How is
the Initiative of the Cobalt-Free Battery Impacting the
Future?
Manganese is a
safer alternative and a more environment-friendly option. It's much
more affordable than Cobalt. It's generally believed that replacing
Cobalt slows down the kinetic response of the battery.
Manganese-based batteries are gaining popularity for providing
exceptional operating services even at high temperatures, as well
as increased capacity, power and the ability to travel longer
distances in the electric vehicle and hybrid EV market. Its
performance in the global market has been quite impressive till
now. Analysts have forecasted the global growth of the Manganese
battery market to grow at a CAGR of 7.12% during the period of
2018-2022.
Thanks to
companies like
Manganese X, the Cobalt-free
initiative to deliver Nickel Manganese Lithium-ion batteries is
being received with a lot of nervous optimism. It has opened up
many future possibilities for a safer environment
that will
definitely impact climate change in a positive way. It will protect
vulnerable workers by upholding basic human rights afforded to all,
but specifically children miners of the Congo who are forced by
mining corporations into indentured servitude under the guise of work,
with mine operators demonstrating a complete disregard for their
workers health and safety.
In
Conclusion
Setting all of
that aside there is a huge opportunity for the electric motorized
transportation industry. Remember when the car manufacturing
industry was repulsed and discouraged by the discussion of a new
electric motorized transportation era. The
primary
reason that repelled the industry was the poor component choice
hindering global backing, and the dysfunctionalities encompassing
the blended Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) Lithium-ion battery.
Elimination of Cobalt brings a fresh perspective with a
trending wave for the electric
vehicle EV and electric motorized transportation
industry.
One of the
major reasons why consumers are avoiding the purchase of electric
vehicles is their sticker price. They are modern, advanced,
high-tech, convenient, eco-friendly, but they are priced
outside the middle class
ability to
purchase them. According to Forbes, the cost of an electric vehicle
is $12,500-$19,000 more than a similarly specified
Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) car. The major component
that goes into
the
pricing is the
inclusion of Cobalt as a primary element in the Lithium-ion
battery. However, abandoning Cobalt is a positive first step in
mainstream endorsement, by changing the direction and attitude
directed towards the manufacturing of an improved
electric car or hybrid
electric vehicle. This may be a far-fetched delusion, but
it surely it's
an applaudable step to recognize.
If you want to
know more about Manganese Sulphate MnSO4, with a future high
standard of extraction at purity levels of 99.95% and very low
contaminant rate, as well as the intricacies of how Manganese
Sulphate performs a critical function when utilized as
the precursor
to the cathode, then don't hesitate to pay us a virtual visit on
the website of
Manganese X Energy Corp.
Manganese X
Energy Corp. (TSXV: MN) (FSE: 9SC2)(
OTC :
MNXXF) FRANKFURT:
9SC2 with
its head office in Montreal QC, owns 100% of the Battery Hill
property project (1,228 hectares) located in New Brunswick Canada.
Battery Hill is strategically situated 12 kilometers from the US
(Maine) border, near existing infrastructures (power,
railway and
road). It encompasses all or part of five manganese-iron zones,
including Iron Ore Hill, Moody Hill, Sharpe Farm, Maple Hill and
Wakefield. In his master's thesis on the Woodstock area manganese
occurrences, Brian Way (2012) reports that the area
"hosts a
series of banded iron formations that collectively constitute one
of the largest manganese resources in North America, approximately
194,000,000 tonnes."
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New Brunswick, Canada
Media contact:
R.
William
514-816-4446
###
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is provided as of the date of this news release and the Company
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Sources:
https://insideevs.com/news/435231/tesla-future-gigafactory-locations/
https://electrek.co/2019/12/05/gm-announces-its-own-battery-gigafactory-with-lg-chem-30-gwh-of-capacity-below-100-kwh/
https://thenextweb.com/shift/2020/06/29/volkswagen-now-officially-runs-europes-bi
ggest-electric-car-plant/
https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/why-have-lithium-ion-batteries-just-won-the-chemistry-nobel-prize/4010479.article
https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/lithium-ion-battery-market#:~:text=The%20global%20lithium%2Dion%20battery,18.0%25%20from%202020%20to%202027.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ewelinaochab/2020/01/13/are-these-tech-companies-complicit-in-human-rights-abuses-of-child-cobalt-miners-in-congo/?sh=8c2030e3b178
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2020/01/30/for-a-bigger-battery-just-add-manganese/
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesmorris/2020/07/11/teslas-shift-to-cobalt-free-batteries-is-its-most-important-move-yet/?sh=52d2586f46b4
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