Volkswagen New article

Hi everyone,

The following is an old article from nearly a year ago from "Das Auto" company. It is however very interesting and relevant still.

I'd encourage everyone to have  a read.

https://www.volkswagenag.com/en/news/stories/2019/04/lithium-the-irreplaceable-element-of-the-electric-era.html#

Of particular note is the following infographic outlining their procuring process in future.




Notice how the "New focus" includes the Kongo - I thought that might to reference to their Cobalt procurement given they need it for their batteries, however the article goes on to say they are going to reduce their Cobalt usage significantly with a view to have cobalt free batteries!

Could this be a reference to AVZ? I'd hazard a guess it could be given the other highlighted countries are major Lithium exporters. Food for thought.

"Lithium will in the near future be one of the most sought-after raw materials on earth. According to forecasts, the worldwide demand for lithium will more than double by 2023 – largely owing to processing in car batteries.

Basically, five main raw materials are required for the production of lithium-ion battery cells for electric cars. On the cathode side, a compound of the elements cobalt, nickel and manganese functions through its structure as a storage location for the charge carrier lithium, on the anode side this is graphite. Lithium is also contained in the electrolyte. Lithium is currently regarded as an unrivalled charge carrier that will be irreplaceable for the foreseeable future, as no other element offers comparable properties for automotive battery applications. Accordingly, securing access to raw materials and the market is essential.

It is a different matter, for example, for cobalt: the percentage of this raw material is to be reduced from its present 12 to 14 percent (weight proportion in the cathode) to five percent within the next three to five years. Volkswagen is working on further development of cobalt-free batteries."