CATL said last week it plans to build a supply chain by 2023 to...

CATL said last week it plans to build a supply chain by 2023 to produce sodium-ion batteries, which have lower energy density than lithium-ion models, but are fast charging and more resilient in cold temperatures.

CATL did not disclose cost details of its new battery, but noted that sodium is the sixth most common element on earth.



Sodium-ion batteries do not contain lithium, cobalt or nickel, the main metals used in the three main battery technologies: nickel-cobalt-aluminium (NCA), nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) and lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries.

With battery technology still evolving and solutions varying in the raw materials required (lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, sulphur and now sodium) for the battery chemistry, the better way to play the electrification and decarbonisation theme going forward could  be via copper.

All the EV charging stations, charging infrastructure and the EVs themselves require copper.

The 'clean energy' revolution does not happen without copper. A lot of copper. But supply of copper will be the issue.

Freeport Chief Executive Officer Richard Adkerson told an industry gathering during March 2021 that even if copper soared to US$10 a pound tomorrow, it would take his company 7 or 8 years to get new copper production to the market.


Cheers

These are only my thoughts and it does not constitute investment advice. Before acting on any information you read and before making any financial or investment decisions, you should always consult your advisor(s) or other relevant professional experts.