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FACEBOOKTWITTERLINKEDINPERMALINKBUSINESS AUTOS & TRANSPORTATION AUTOS INDUSTRYEV Surge Sends Cobalt Prices SoaringChina controls big chunk of market for key metal in car batteries that is mined largely in Africa Tesla vs. NIO: Battle for the World’s Largest EV MarketYOU MAY ALSO LIKEUP NEXT0:00 / 6:281:56Tesla vs. NIO: Battle for the World’s Largest EV MarketGone are the long waits at charging stations: Chinese electric-vehicle startup NIO is pioneering battery-swap systems, challenging Tesla and other rival car makers. Here’s how NIO and Tesla are racing for the world’s largest EV market in China. Photo illustration: Sharon ShiBy Yang JieJan. 22, 2021 11:38 am ETPRINTTEXTA 20% rise in the price of cobalt since the beginning of this year shows how the rush to build more electric vehicles is stressing global supply chains.Already a shortage of semiconductors is slowing the recovery in auto production. Now cobalt, a blue metal that is needed for many types of batteries including those in EVs, is a concern, according to people in the auto and battery industries and analysts.“The demand is not going to shrink any time soon, while the supply remains tight mainly due to logistics disruptions in South Africa during the pandemic,” said Ying Lu, an analyst at London-based commodity research firm Roskill.Energy-dense cobalt is used as the stabilizer in batteries. It helps protect the battery’s cathode from corrosion that can lead to a fire.A majority of the world’s cobalt is mined in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in central Africa. It typically is carried overland to South Africa, shipped out from the port of Durban, South Africa, and processed in China before the material goes to battery makers—meaning the supply chain has several choke points that make it vulnerable to disruption.TO READ THE FULL STORYSUBSCRIBESIGN INContinue reading your article with a WSJ membershipNew Year SaleLast Chance: US $1 for 2 MonthsVIEW MEMBERSHIP OPTIONSSPONSORED OFFERSTARGET:Target promo code - Enjoy 45% savingsBOOKING.COM:Booking.com coupon: 50% off rates + free cancellationsTURBOTAX:TurboTax service code: $60 for Deluxe versionRECOMMENDED VIDEOSNikola and the Race to Find the Next Tesla

(Not on WSJ free list ). Another reason COB has an advantage in addition to sovereign stability , low environmental impact , quality of product, mine life ,low cost of extraction etc