CLA - Cobalt related news, page-3314

No need to look for "other stuff". Just when you thought cobalt was a dead-end commodity, just when they announce a "successful" cobalt-free battery, you get this:
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-tesla-cobalt-ahome/column-teslas-reluctant-commitment-to-cobalt-a-warning-to-others-andy-home-idUSKBN23U20Q
This is mandatory reading for anyone invested in a company with any sort of interest in cobalt, however minute it may be.
The irony of it all is the timing of Tesla's deal with Glencore. It was finalized and became public knowledge within a few weeks of SVOLT announcing their "successful" cobalt-free battery. Is it a stretch of the imagination to think that the outcome of all that research work at SVOLT may have caused Tesla to decide they need to stick with cobalt?

Here is an excerpt from a media release about the SVOLT battery:

"At the product launch event, Yang Hongxin, President of SVOLT, said that the NMx battery cell rivals the NCM811 cell in performance, while reducing the cost of materials by 5%-15% and the cell BOM cost by around 5%, and avoids concerns over limitations of strategic resources."

The key take away from this is that it reduces cost of materials by 5-15%. It is very specific, cost of materials only. What about cost of manufacturing? There's not much transparency in that regard, but I think we can make an educated guess at how bad it is.
First, this new battery is going to be used "initially only in 1 high-end EV model from Great Wall". No prizes for guessing this means probably the highest-end EV from Great Wall. Is the High-end pricing needed to absorb the ultra high-cost of this new battery?
Second, just take a look at the type of tech that is needed to get this new battery going. Nano-coatings? Single crystal? What about "special arrangement"? All that = more $$$ to manufacture. All that, to make a product that is actually inferior to a cobalt based battery??
You don't need to be a rocket scientist to figure out why Tesla is sticking with cobalt.