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VIDEO: Lomiko Metals $LMR.ca Engages Kenmar Securities to Raise $ 40 Million Cdn for Acquisition and Development of Critical Metals Projects $CJC.ca $SRG.ca $NGC.ca $LLG.ca $GPH.ca $NOU.ca

Posted by AGORACOM-JC at 8:06 PM on Sunday, July 19th, 2020

Lomiko Metals Inc. announced that it has engaged Kenmar Securities, LLC of New York (“The Advisor”) to raise $ 40 million Cdn for acquisition and development of critical metals projects. Kenmar Securities, LLC, is a Delaware limited liability corporation and SEC-registered securities broker-dealer and FINRA member.

The Advisor will assist the Company in analyzing its business, operations, properties, financial condition and prospects, prepare suitable marketing materials, contact any potential partner companies, assist and advise the Company with respect to the financial form and structure of any potential transaction.

“This year is the start of the Electric Vehicle Revolution.  Lomiko would like to become part of the Battery Material supply chain” stated Mr. A. Paul Gill, CEO.

Watch this interview or listen by Podcast on AppleGoogleSpotify or your favourite podcaster.

Lomiko Metals $LMR.ca Engages Kenmar Securities to Raise $40m Cdn for Acquisition and Development of Critical Metals Projects $CJC.ca $SRG.ca $NGC.ca $LLG.ca $GPH.ca $NOU.ca

Posted by AGORACOM at 6:23 PM on Friday, July 17th, 2020

Vancouver, B.C., July 17, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Lomiko Metals Inc. (TSX-V: LMR, OTC: LMRMF, FSE: DH8C)(Lomiko or the “Company”) announces that it has engaged Kenmar Securities, LLC of New York (“The Advisor”) to raise $ 40 million Cdn for acquisition and development of critical metals projects. Kenmar Securities, LLC, is a Delaware limited liability corporation and SEC-registered securities broker-dealer and FINRA member.

The Advisor will assist the Company in analyzing its business, operations, properties, financial condition and prospects, prepare suitable marketing materials, contact any potential partner companies, assist and advise the Company with respect to the financial form and structure of any potential transaction.

“This year is the start of the Electric Vehicle Revolution.  Lomiko would like to become part of the Battery Material supply chain” stated Mr. A. Paul Gill, CEO.

The Company agrees that, should the Company, or any affiliate of the Company, consummate any Transaction with a Referral pursuant to this Advisory Agreement, from the Effective Date through a period lasting until the twenty-four (24) month anniversary of the cancellation or termination of the Advisory Agreement, the Company shall pay to the Advisor, or cause the Advisor to be paid, at the funding of such Transaction, a success fee (the “Success Fee”) equivalent to five percent (5.0%) of the gross proceeds raised from the Transaction, which is equivalent to the total amount received or to be (and actually) received by the Company, from one or more Referrals. The Advisor cannot be certain that any amount of financing will be made available by its Referrals.

The payment of fees under any transaction is subject regulatory approval.

For more information on Lomiko Metals, review the website at www.lomiko.com, contact A. Paul Gill at 604-729-5312 or email: [email protected].

On Behalf of the Board,

“A. Paul Gill”

Chief Executive Officer 

We seek safe harbor. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release

Attachment

A. Paul Gill
Lomiko Metals Inc. (TSX-V: LMR)
6047295312
[email protected]

Why a “Million Mile” Electric Vehicle Battery Heralds the Death of Internal Combustion Engine SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals $LMR.ca $CJC.ca $SRG.ca $NGC.ca $LLG.ca $GPH.ca $NOU.ca

Posted by AGORACOM at 11:17 AM on Tuesday, July 7th, 2020

SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals is focused on the exploration and development of minerals for the new green economy such as lithium and graphite. Lomiko has an option for 100% of the high-grade La Loutre graphite Property, Lac Des Iles Graphite Property and the 100% owned Quatre Milles Graphite Property. Lomiko is uniquely poised to supply the growing EV battery market. Click Here For More Information

Talking about batteries is just about as interesting as Scotch tape or paper clips. We take them for granted, but we all use them. Batteries have been around a long time. In 1938, archaeologists at a dig in Iraq uncovered the earliest -known battery dating back over 2000 years.

The first common, commercially available batteries like what we use today were invented in 1896 by a company that eventually renamed itself Eveready. These were specifically made for a new device called a “hand torch,” later known as a flashlight.

Fast-forward to today. The ubiquitous battery powers everything from watches to electric cars and solar power storage. It is found in satellites and home appliances, rockets and drones.

Electric vehicle batteries : range and MPGe

Batteries have had several key limitations, such as how long they hold a charge, how much power they can deliver on demand and how many charge cycles they can sustain. Let’s dive into one of the most recognizable battery applications, powering Tesla’s line of electric vehicles , known as EVs, and focus on range and how it compares to traditional mpg of gas-powered autos.

Tesla’s first production model car when introduced, the Roadster, had a battery capable of 200 miles per charge. Within a matter of months, with software updates and battery improvements, the EPA rated it at 244 miles on a single charge with 120 miles-per-gallon-equivalent. A total of 2,450 Roadsters were sold from 2008 through 2012.

The next vehicle, and the first high-volume production auto introduced in July 2012, was the Model S full-size sedan with sales totaling over 120,000 cars to date. The current Model S Long Range Plus has an EPA range of 402 miles and 104 MPGe.

The follow-up to the Model S was the Model X SUV, which began production in earnest in late 2015 with a total production to date of over 75,000. The battery in the Long Range Plus version has an EPA range of 351 miles with 94 MPGe.

Next up is Tesla’s Model 3, the most successful electric vehicle in history with more than 350,000 cars sold since its debut in 2017. It has an EPA rated range of 402 miles with 104 MPGe.

The Million Mile battery

Now the game-changer. Tesla has announced a battery upgrade that signals the death-knell for the internal combustion engine. Tesla worked with a Chinese battery company, CATL, to create (and patent) a battery design that can last for 1.24 million miles and a minimum of 16 years of lifespan. Compare that to current automakers with car battery warranties covering 60,000-150,000 miles for 3 to 8 years.

CATL is not prohibited from supplying the new battery to other EV manufacturers, which is a typical Elon Musk move who, in 2014, famously made all Tesla patents available to use. Elon’s goal is to shift the world away from fossil fuel use and to stay ahead of everyone else by out-innovating them.

Why are internal combustion engine vehicles now obsolete?

The most expensive part of an EV is the battery. The threshold for an EV to be price comparable with its non-EV competitors is to get a battery costing under $100 per kilowatt hour. We have now reached that milestone.

Larger batteries allow EV’s to go much further on a single charge, and this new battery should provide EVs with average ranges of 400 to 500 miles or more to start. This takes care of range limitations.

Larger batteries also allow for substantially faster charging. To get to a full charge on any EV battery, the first 50% charges up quickly, while the second half takes much longer. Larger batteries mean the first 50% provides more storage capacity which charges up quickly. Industry pundits expect the million-mile battery to charge up to 250 to 350 miles of range in as fast as 10 minutes.

An auto built to last

Tesla’s drive units and bodies for their mass-production models, such as the Model 3, were designed to last a million miles. Add the new million-mile battery and you have an EV as the first truly multi-generational auto, one that your grandkids will still be able to drive. EVs have a fraction of the moving parts that an internal combustion engine vehicle has, which makes EV’s orders of magnitude more reliable and longer lasting. EV batteries — for example, the ones used by Tesla’s Model S — currently last only 1,000 to 2,000 discharge cycles (a cycle is charging 0% to 100%), which is roughly 300,000 to 500,000 miles. The new million-mile battery is expected to hold more than 90% charge after 4,000 cycles. The average American driver clocks 13,476 miles a year. That translates to roughly 74 years of EV battery usage to reach a million miles.

The bottom line

Our current battle with COVID-19 did have one positive side effect, a drastic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. China alone experienced a 25% reduction in carbon emissions and 50% reduction in nitrogen oxides emissions. Worldwide, daily carbon emissions during the lockdown in early April fell by 17% and could lead to an annual carbon emissions decline of up to 7%.

The tipping point for EVs vs. internal combustion engine vehicles is here. The dramatic cost reduction in solar, wind and hydro energy combined with EVs priced at or below internal combustion engine autos will finally lead to the world dumping its dependence on fossil fuels for power and transportation.

Technology advances will continue to drive down the cost of EVs, and solar/wind/hydro will do the same to electricity. Dump your gas-guzzling auto now for an electric vehicle before everyone figures out its value is about to plummet to scrap metal.

Source: https://www.bendbulletin.com/business/edge-of-tech-why-a-million-mile-electric-vehicle-battery-heralds-the-death-of-internal/article_93f30254-bbd9-11ea-ad91-5355268e1856.html

The Next Step In The Electric Vehicle Evolution SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals $LMR.ca $CJC.ca $SRG.ca $NGC.ca $LLG.ca $GPH.ca $NOU.ca

Posted by AGORACOM at 4:03 PM on Wednesday, June 24th, 2020

SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals is focused on the exploration and development of minerals for the new green economy such as lithium and graphite. Lomiko has an option for 100% of the high-grade La Loutre graphite Property, Lac Des Iles Graphite Property and the 100% owned Quatre Milles Graphite Property. Lomiko is uniquely poised to supply the growing EV battery market. Click Here For More Information

  • The electric vehicle revolution has turned out to be more of an evolution, with the industry making slow and steady progress.
  • Despite this progress, the electric vehicle industry is still yet to turn a profit as a whole.
  • The next major step for the industry is to focus on efficiency and profitability, the two factors that will most impact the EV market share.

Many believe electric vehicles are the only future of road transportation. Equally, many are confident they will never replace internal combustion engines—not entirely, anyway. The so-called EV revolution, with sales of electric cars going through the roof and overtaking the sales of ICE cars, has failed to materialize. What the EV industry has instead been going through has been more stable and reliable: an evolution.

During this evolution, cutting battery costs and extending the range have been the two focal points of the EV industry. Now that there are some reliable results in these two respects, it is time to move to the next level: making EVs profitable.

It might come as a surprise that not all EVs are profitable, given that most EV-related headlines in the mainstream media are dedicated to Tesla, and Tesla continues to surprise the market with robust profits. But industry-wide, EVs have yet to turn in a profit, a new report from Lux Research says.

According to the report, the electric vehicle industry has made significant progress on battery costs and range extension, which has helped boost sales. Now, Lux Research analysts say, it is time to focus on efficiency to drive profitability, which would eventually make EVs more popular than ICE engine cars. This, the analysts say, should happen around 2035 or 2040, when plug-in hybrids and battery electric vehicles are expected to account for over half of all car sales.

“Currently, BEVs are more expensive and less convenient to use than their non-electric counterparts, but technology will continue to close this gap,” the lead author of the report, Christopher Robinson said. “We expect to see efficiency front and center as the next major focus of BEV design, with automakers either downsizing packs to increase profitability or offering more range.”

Naturally, the conclusions from the study are not based on research of every single EV that is on the global market. They are based on a representative sample of models, but, Robinson notes, there is a substantial difference between models in terms of profitability.

“Profitability in making electric vehicles ranges significantly between manufacturers. Tesla is likely the most profitable electric vehicle manufacturer with average gross margins around 20% on its vehicles,” the study’s lead author said. “However, that’s not the case for most as GM reported it still loses money on each Chevy Bolt it sells and has been hesitant to ramp up production. As incumbent manufacturers increase production capacity, we do expect profitability to improve through increased volumes of shared parts between models and advancements in batteries, motors, and other electronics in the powertrain.”

And then there are subsidies. Scorned by libertarians as a taxpayer-burdening crutch for industries that should be able to stand on their own two feet, subsidies for electric vehicles will remain in place for the observable future, at least in Europe and China, two of the world’s largest EV markets.

China recently said it would extend EV subsidies for two years, although it had planned to scrap them this year. It will gradually reduce them by 10 percent this year, 20 percent next year, and 30 percent in 2022, but it will keep them in place to stimulate more EV sales. Beijing has a target of 25 percent of all car sales to be EVs.

Meanwhile, Germany and France are even raising their EV subsidies to drive more purchases. These purchases are a big part of their green recovery plan, and in France, they are a big part of the revival of the local car industry, which has already invested heavily in electric vehicle manufacturing capabilities.

Sales of EVs this year will be affected by the pandemic, as will all car sales. BloombergNEF projects an 18-percent decline in EV sales this year but notes long-term demand remains strong.

Still, two more obstacles remain on the road to making EVs the dominant form of road transportation, and Lux Research analysts accurately call them range anxiety and charge time trauma. The reference to mental issues is not accidental. Besides their price, an inherent mistrust of EVs is a big reason why they are not a more common sight on roads and streets around the world.

Resolving these issues will take time, and they cannot be rushed, unless carmakers start handing out free EVs. After all, EVs are not an improvement on the ICE technology the way digital cameras were an improvement on analog ones. EVs are an alternative technology whose main advantage is that it does not emit noxious gases.

There are certainly many people concerned about the environment enough to be willing to spend more on a cleaner vehicle. Yet those who would rather keep their old truck, noxious gases and all, than buy an electric version and worry about charging times and ranges all the time are many more. These are the people whom the EV industry needs to convince that their product is reliable and won’t leave them stranded at a charging station in the middle of nowhere for hours.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

Source:https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/The-Next-Step-In-The-Electric-Vehicle-Evolution.html

Chinese Battery Maker CATL Says its Ready to Build a 1.2 Million Mile EV Battery with a 16 Year Lifespan SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals $LMR.ca $CJC.ca $SRG.ca $NGC.ca $LLG.ca $GPH.ca $NOU.ca

Posted by AGORACOM at 1:40 PM on Monday, June 15th, 2020

SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals is focused on the exploration and development of minerals for the new green economy such as lithium and graphite. Lomiko has an option for 100% of the high-grade La Loutre graphite Property, Lac Des Iles Graphite Property and the 100% owned Quatre Milles Graphite Property. Lomiko is uniquely poised to supply the growing EV battery market. Click Here For More Information

One of the biggest challenges for automakers is building electric vehicles that can deliver ranges of over 400 miles with batteries that last the lifetime of the vehicle. Unlike gas-powered vehicles with mechanical engines, electric cars equipped with more reliable electric motors can travel a million miles or more, given that their batteries can last just as long. 

Now Chinese battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited (CATL), says its ready to build an EV battery with an expected lifespan of 1.2 million miles or 16 years before its needs replacement, Bloomberg reported this week.

In an interview at the company’s headquarters in Ningde, southeastern China, CATL Chairman Zeng Yuqun says that the company is ready to build it.

“If someone places an order, we are ready to produce,” said Zeng to Bloomberg, without disclosing if any contracts for the long-life battery have been signed. The longer life battery is expected to cost around 10% more than the EV batteries being used today, said Zeng. 

CATL is one of the biggest suppliers of batteries to the auto industry. The company has already formed a strategic partnership with German automaker Volkswagen to supply the batteries for millions of EVs the automaker plans to build over the next decade. 

In addition, an EV battery with a million mile plus warranty could be a big selling point for automakers, luring new customers to switch to fully-electric vehicles that might last much longer than their fossil fuel counterparts.

Electric automakers Tesla for example, the company considered to be the world’s leader in the electric vehicle segment, currently offers just an 8 year or 150,000 mile battery warranty for the Model S and Model X, with a minimum of 70% retention of the battery capacity during the warranty period, so CATL’s battery can offer much better long-term performance.

In addition, the long-life EV batteries can be used for second life purposes, including being installed in another electric vehicle, or connected to the grid.

Concerns about expensive to replace batteries losing charge retention is one factor holding back consumer adoption of EVs. Last year, Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk said that replacing the Model 3 battery will cost between $5,000 and $7,000. However, Tesla has steadily improved its battery technology since the Model S was introduced in 2012.

In a Twitter post on April 13, 2019, Musk wrote about the Model 3, “Model 3 drive unit & body is designed like a commercial truck for a million mile life. Current battery modules should last 300k to 500k miles.”

Rival General Motors last month said it is nearing the million mile mark with its new batteries. 

CATL is Positioning Itself to Become a Major EV Battery Supplier

As the auto industry transitions to electrification, CATL is positioning itself to be a leading global supplier of batteries. The company is pouring money into research-and-development to improve battery technology. 

CATL inked a two-year deal in February to supply batteries to Tesla. Previously, Tesla primarily mainly worked with Japan’s Panasonic Corp. and South Korea’s LG Chem to produce EV batteries. The lucrative deal with CATL followed months of negotiations, with Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk traveling to Shanghai to meet with CATL’s Chairman Zeng.

The CATL batteries will be installed in Model 3 sedans produced at Tesla’s new Shanghai factory. The first Model 3s made in China were delivered to customers in January of this year.

Although the coronavirus pandemic is putting a dent in EV sales, demand is expected to rebound in early 2021, said Zeng.

Car buyers holding back during the pandemic is creating pent-up demand that will be “unleashed” starting next year, led by premium electric vehicle models, he said. CATL’s other automotive customers include BMW and Toyota.

CATL is building a factory in Germany, which is expected to make more than 70% of BMW’s batteries, Zeng told Bloomberg. CATL also works with Volkswagen’s Audi unit. Zeng didn’t rule out building a plant in the U.S., although CATL has no specific plans for now.

“Our team has made achievements in competing with our global rivals in overseas markets,” Zeng said.

According to the 2020 Electric Vehicle Outlook report published by Bloomberg NEF (BNEF), electric vehicles are expected to rebound more from the economic slowdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic than combustion engine vehicles. 

Battery-powered cars will grow to be 8.1% of all vehicle sales in China next year, which accounts for the largest share of global EV sales, and to 5% in Europe, BNEF predicts.

“The pandemic may have a lasting effect throughout 2020, but won’t be a major factor next year,” Zeng said to Bloomberg. “We have great confidence for the long run.”

Batteries are the most expensive component of electric vehicles. If CATL becomes a major supplier to the auto industry, the batteries might make up a significant portion of the company’s future profits.

Shares of CATL have advanced about six-fold in Shenzhen since its IPO in 2018, giving the company a market value of about $47 billion. Tesla’s market cap topped $187 billion this week after its stock price exceeded $1,000 for the first time in company history. The surge in Tesla’s shares makes it the one of the world’s most valuable automakers, right behind Toyota.

Zang said a “trigger point” for electric cars will occur once they overtake gasoline-powered vehicles around 2030-2035.

By that time, CATL might become the world’s leading battery supplier.

SOURCE:https://m.futurecar.com/3975/Chinese-Battery-Maker-CATL-Says-its-Ready-to-Build-a-1-2-Million-Mile-EV-Battery-with-a-16-Year-Lifespan

Vale’s Canada Mines Set For More Battery-Electric Vehicle Trials SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals $LMR.ca $CJC.ca $SRG.ca $NGC.ca $LLG.ca $GPH.ca $NOU.ca

Posted by AGORACOM at 1:25 PM on Friday, June 12th, 2020

SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals is focused on the exploration and development of minerals for the new green economy such as lithium and graphite. Lomiko has an option for 100% of the high-grade La Loutre graphite Property, Lac Des Iles Graphite Property and the 100% owned Quatre Milles Graphite Property. Lomiko is uniquely poised to supply the growing EV battery market. Click Here For More Information

  • These trials will help steer business investment decisions in future years
  • The benefits from trials so far include:
  • Health and safety improvements for employees underground: EVs are much quieter than diesel vehicles and produce less heat and zero exhaust emissions. “From an operator comfort perspective, EVs are certainly an improvement,”
  • Cost savings: EVs can reduce underground ventilation demands and the associated operating and capital expenditure
  • Environmental benefits: EVs contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

By the end of 2020, Vale hopes to have upward of 20 battery-powered vehicles operating within its North Atlantic operations, according to Alex Mulloy, Mining Engineer within Vale’s Base Metals Technology and Innovation division.

The plan is for the electric vehicles (EVs) to be operating on a trial basis at its Creighton, Coleman, Copper Cliff, Garson and Thompson mines by the end of the year, with the company having already made significant headway on achieving this goal.

Vale is aligned with the Paris climate-change agreement, and committed to being carbon neutral by 2050, with a 33% cut in greenhouse gas emissions planned across the company by 2030. This is part of a strategy to invest at least $2 billion to combat climate change, which includes the use of battery-electric vehicles.

Vale has already tested Rokion’s battery-powered personnel carriers/utility vehicles at Creighton, while an Epiroc ST7 battery-powered vehicle and Artisan Z40 haul truck have been trialled underground at Coleman.

Mulloy said the green vehicles are going to be evaluated with feedback from operations, as well as operating data, to help Vale understand how they perform in terms of reliability, functionality and the benefits they can offer our people and the business.

The benefits from trials so far include:

  • Health and safety improvements for our employees underground: EVs are much quieter than diesel vehicles and produce less heat and zero exhaust emissions. “From an operator comfort perspective, EVs are certainly an improvement,” Mulloy said;
  • Cost savings: EVs can reduce underground ventilation demands and the associated operating and capital expenditure; and
  • Environmental benefits: EVs contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

“EVs certainly complement the efforts of the business in terms of greenhouse gas and carbon reduction,” Mulloy said. “It’s a great technology. Not only does it enable operational benefit and improvement, it also contributes to our greater goals of reducing our emissions and the impact on the environment.”

Natalie Kari, Principal Engineer, Strategic Electric Vehicle Implementation, said: “Exhaust emissions from diesel engines are one of the larger contributors to environmental pollution. EVs are an opportunity to increase safety by improving operating conditions and creating a safe work environment. Reducing noise, vibrations, heat, greenhouse gas emissions, and diesel particulate matter, while improving air quality, contributes to creating an attractive work environment for top talent.

“With increased challenging mine conditions at depth, EVs also provide an opportunity to sustain productivity by enabling mines to produce in areas that otherwise may not be feasible without these benefits, contributing towards mining for years to come.”

These trials will help steer business investment decisions in future years, according to Mulloy.

“Over the coming months, a number of large prime mover vehicles will be delivered,” he said. “When those vehicles arrive, it will be an exciting step in the journey because most of the question marks around the performance of EVs relate to the large vehicles, so that’ll be a chance for us to really put this technology to the test.”

Kari added: “Our company’s next major steps include collaborating with internal and external industry stakeholders towards safe implementation, comprehensive trial data collection and validation of a robust model towards a final approved five-year implementation strategy. With any new technology, investment in our people will be a priority to ensure they are equipped with the tools necessary for successful operation and maintenance.

“It is thrilling to be a part of leading this effort in a time of increased innovation and environmental awareness,” she continued. “The movement from traditional diesel to electric vehicle brings a feeling of social pride in creating a healthier workplace.”

SOURCE: https://im-mining.com/2020/06/11/vales-canada-mines-set-battery-electric-vehicle-trials/

The Second-Life of Used EV Batteries SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals $LMR.ca $CJC.ca $SRG.ca $NGC.ca $LLG.ca $GPH.ca $NOU.ca

Posted by AGORACOM at 1:30 PM on Friday, May 29th, 2020

SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals is focused on the exploration and development of minerals for the new green economy such as lithium and graphite. Lomiko has an option for 100% of the high-grade La Loutre graphite Property, Lac Des Iles Graphite Property and the 100% owned Quatre Milles Graphite Property. Lomiko is uniquely poised to supply the growing EV battery market. Click Here For More Information

When an electric vehicle (EV) comes off the road, what happens to the vehicle battery? The fate of the lithium ion batteries in electric vehicles is an important question for manufacturers, policy makers, and EV owners alike. Today, EVs are a still a small piece of the automotive market. Many of the batteries coming off the road are being used to evaluate a range of options for reuse and recycling.  Before batteries are recycled to recover critical energy materials, reusing batteries in secondary applications is a promising strategy.

The economic potential for battery reuse, or second-life, could help to further decrease the upfront costs of EV batteries and increase the value of a used EV. Given the growing market for EVs, second-life batteries could also represent a market of low-cost storage for utilities and electricity consumers.  But in order to enable widespread reuse of EV batteries, policy will play an important role in reducing barriers and ensuring responsible, equitable, and sustainable practices.

Today, I’ll be providing testimony to the California Lithium Battery Recycling Advisory Group regarding the reuse of EV batteries; the advisory group’s goal is to make recommendations to ensure 100% of EV batteries sold in California are reused or recycled. In this blog, I describe current industry landscape and explain the potential use cases for second-life EV batteries. This blog summarizes a brief white paper I helped developed with researchers from the University of California Davis for the group.

The market for second-life batteries

As the market for electric vehicles grows, so too will the supply of second-life batteries. Forecasts from academic studies and industry reports estimate a range of 112-275 GWh per year of second-life batteries becoming available by 2030 globally. For context, this is over 200 times total energy storage installed in the US in 2018 (~780 MWh).

California is the largest market for EVs in the US and by 2027, an estimated 45,000 EV batteries will be retired from the state. Assuming a conservative capacity for each of these batteries (25 kWh), this amounts to over 1 GWh/year of available storage in the Golden State.

Why EV batteries could be reused

After 8 to 12 years in a vehicle, the lithium batteries used in EVs are likely to retain more than two thirds of their usable energy storage. Depending on their condition, used EV batteries could deliver an additional 5-8 years of service in a secondary application.

The ability of a battery to retain and rapidly discharge electricity degrades with use and the passing of time. How many times a battery can deliver its stored energy at a specific rate is a function of degradation. Repeated utilization of the maximum storage potential of the battery, rapid charge and discharge cycles, and exposure to high temperatures are all likely to reduce battery performance. I break down battery degradation more in a previous blog post.

Given the light-duty cycles experienced by EV batteries, some battery modules with minimal degradation and absent defects or damage could likely be refurbished and reused directly as a replacement for the same model vehicle.  Major automakers, including Nissan and Tesla, have offered rebuilt or refurbished battery packs for purchase or warranty replacement of original battery packs in EVs.

The value of used energy storage

The economics of second-life battery storage also depend on the cost of the repurposed system competing with new battery storage. To be used as stationary storage, used batteries must undergo several processes that are currently costly and time-intensive. Each pack must be tested to determine the remaining state of health of battery, as it will vary for each retired system depending on factors that range from climate to individual driving behavior. The batteries must then be fully discharged, reconfigured to meet the energy demands of their new application; in many cases, packs are disassembled before modules are tested, equipped with a new battery management system (BMS), and re-packaged.

Depending on the ownership model and the upfront cost of a second-life battery, estimates of the total cost of a second-life battery range from $40-160/kWh. This compares with new EV battery pack costs of $157/kWh at the end of 2019. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has also created a publicly available battery second-use repurposing calculator that accounts for factors such as labor costs, warranty, and initial battery size and cost. The figure below illustrates the potential cost structure of a repurposed battery in a second-life application where the buying price is the maximum value paid for the used battery.  If this value could be passed through to the original owner, it could help to defray the cost of an electric vehicle.

Comparing new and repurposed EV battery pack costs

Based on the NREL’s Battery Second-Use Repurposing Cost Calculator; assumes a throughput of 10,000 tons of spent batteries per year (~1 GWh/year), and net repurposing and testing costs of $22/kWh.

Most applications of distributed energy storage have considerable downtime where batteries are not being cycled.  Therefore, second-life batteries offer the greatest economic benefit when battery systems provide multiple services at the same time. Bundling services together to improve the economics of energy storage is referred to as value stacking.

For example, a consumer customer might install so-called behind-the-meter storage primarily to reduce electricity costs by avoiding demand charges (i.e. additional electricity costs related to high loads). The customer might also value resilience in a power outage. Both behind and in front of the meter, distributed storage can provide a range of services for electric utilities including reducing the need to build new power plants or leveling out large changes in electricity supply or demand. A key challenge for battery storage (new or used) in a commercial market is how to capture each of these value streams.

A major barrier will be developing fair compensation for the enhanced ability of batteries to perform certain services within these storage markets. On top of this, the value of the service provided by these batteries must be thoroughly quantified to reduce uncertainty.

Customer energy management

There are a variety of options ‘behind the meter’ for customers to deploy energy storage to reduce energy costs and improve system resilience.

Time of use rate (TOU) rate structures encourage customers to shift their energy use to off-peak hours by charging higher rates for usage during peak hours. Capacity bidding into demand response is another mechanism to reward commercial customers for reducing load for a short duration. The implementation of storage in these cases is to charge when electricity is cheaper, then discharge during peak hours when it is advantageous to reduce customer load (this is known as “peak shaving”).

As TOU rates trend towards evening hours, utilizing second-life batteries in behind-the-meter load shifting applications provides an environmental benefit as well, since they charge from cleaner electricity during the day then displace demand for energy that would otherwise be supplied by natural gas peaker plants.

Battery storage can also be used to directly balance the intermittency of wind and solar generation. Storage enables customers to take advantage of times when onsite generation exceeds demand; energy can be stored, then discharged to fill in the “lull” periods.  On-site storage could also provide a greater value than net-metering for some types of private systems.

Utility scale services

There are a number of services that distributed energy storage an provide for electric utilities. As mentioned previously, a key barrier for second-life EV batteries and distributed energy storage more broadly is the ability to capture these different value streams. There are four general types of grid services storage can provide:

  • Frequency regulation – Broadly characterizes the need for the grid to maintain the balance between generation and load (demand)
  • Transmission and distribution – Upgrading this infrastructure is costly and storage could help to alleviate congestion
  • Spinning Reserves – Reserve generation for an unexpected event, usually available at short notice
  • Energy arbitrage – Storing excess energy generation during the day and providing resource adequacy when demand outpaces generation.

Existing behind the meter pilot projects

Several pilot projects exist for second-life LIBs used in customer energy management strategies, ranging from small to large-scale customers (Table). For example, Nissan’s European headquarters in Paris, France features a 192kWh/144kW system composed of 12 second-life Nissan Leaf batteries. The system allows the headquarters to manage demand and take advantage of TOU electricity rates.

The Robert Mondavi Institute at UC Davis is another example of a behind-the-meter system that is paired with solar PV. In a project sponsored by the California Energy Commission (CEC), a 300-kWh system comprised of 18 repurposed Nissan leaf battery packs was assembled inside a shipping container.

On the larger end of customer demand, a cooperative effort between Nissan, Eaton, BAM and The Mobility House has led to the installation of a hybrid first-life/second-life system at the Johan Cruijff Arena, in Amsterdam, Netherlands. This system, comprised of 148 Nissan Leaf batteries, has a 3 MW power capacity and a 2.8 MWh electricity storage capacity. The battery system helps to decrease energy costs and provides up to one hour of back-up power to the arena. In 2016, a 13 MWh system was commissioned in Lunen, Germany based on 1,000 BMW i3 packs, approximately 90% of which are second-life batteries.

Developing policy to enable battery reuse

Although there are no uniform global or regional policies governing the reuse and recycling of EV batteries, there has been an increase in attention paid to the issues of end of life (EOL) management in recent years.

One key challenge for EOL management is sharing of critical data like battery manufacturer, cathode material, battery condition, and usage history down the value chain to the potential secondary market or recycler. The Global Battery Alliance (GBA) was founded in 2017 as a collaboration of 70 public and private organizations with the goal of establishing a sustainable battery value chain including repurposing and recycling.  The GBA ‘Battery Passport’ aims to improve the sharing of data along the value chain by standardizing labelling and creating a database of battery information.  Sharing of battery data could decrease the costs of battery repurposing and increase the value proposition of battery reuse.

Another key challenge for battery reuse is logistics. Used batteries, once removed from a vehicle, are considered hazardous waste and are therefore governed by restrictions on the transportation of hazardous wastes.  The costs and challenges in transporting and aggregating used batteries are also a barrier to widespread reuse.

The waste hierarchy is a useful framework for considering the fate of used EV batteries: reduce first, followed by reuse, recycling, energy recovery, and finally treatment and disposal. EVs already deliver significant environmental benefits compared to conventional gasoline vehicles; encouraging battery reuse and ensuring proper recycling are important strategies for further increasing the sustainability of EVs.

Existing second-life pilot projects

Lead Entity LocationYear(s)Capacity 
United Technologies Research Centre Ireland, Ltd.Paris, France2017-88 kWh (Kangoo packs number unspecified)
Gateshead College, United Technologies Research Centre Ireland, Ltd.Sunderland, United Kingdom2017-48 kWh (3 Leaf packs, 50 kW PV capacity)
NissanParis, France2017-192 kWh (12 Leaf packs)
RWTH Aachen UniversityAachen, Germany2017-96 kWh (6 Kangoo packs)
City of Kempten, the Allgäuer Überlandwerk GmbHKempten, Germany2017-95 kWh ( 6 Kangoo packs, 37.1 kW PV capacity)
City of Terni, ASM TerniTerni, Italy2017-66 kWh (Kangoo packs number unspecifed, 200 kW PV capacity)
Daimler, Getec Energie, The Mobility House, RemondisLunen, Germany2016-12 MW, 13 MWh (1000 i3 packs, 90% 2nd life)
Nissan, Eaton, BAM, The Mobility HouseAmsterdam, Netherlands2019-3 MW, 2.8 MWh (148 Leaf packs, 42% 2nd life)
Daimler, The Mobility House, GETEC ENERGIE, Mercedes-Benz EnergyElverlingsen, Germanyby 202020 MW, 21 MWh (1878 packs, 40% 2nd life)
Mobility House, AudiBerlin, Germany2019-1.25 MW, 1.9 MWh (20 e-tron packs, 100 % 2nd life)
UPC SEAT, EndesaMalaga, Spain2016-37.2 kWh (4 PHEV packs, 8 kW PV)
BMW, Vattenfall, BoschHamburg, Germany2016-2 MW, 2.8 MWh (2600 i3 modules)
Renault, Connected Energy LtdBelgium2020-720 kWh, 1200 kW (Kangoo packs number unspecified)
Nissan, WMG: University of Warwick, Ametek, Element EnergyUnited Kingdom2020-1 MWh (50 Leaf packs)
UC Davis, California Energy Commision, NissanDavis, CA, USA2016-260 kWh (864 Leaf modules, 100 kW PV)
BMW, EVgoLos Angeles, CA, USA2018-30 kW, 44 kWh (2 i3 packs)
UC San Diego, BMW, EVgoSan Diego, CA, USA2014-2017108 kW, 180 kWh (unspecificed number of mini E packs)
General Motors, ABBSan Francisco, CA, USA201225 kW, 50 kWh (5 Volt packs, 74 kW PV, 2 kW wind turbines)
ToyotaYellowstone National Park, USA2014-85 kWh (208 Camry modules)
Nuvve, University of Delaware, BMWNewark, USA2019-200 kW (unspecificed number of mini E packs, integrated with V2G in addition)
Nissan Sumitoto (4R Energy), Green charge networkOsaka, Japan2014-600 kW, 400 kWh (16 Leaf packs)

SOURCE: https://blog.ucsusa.org/hanjiro-ambrose/the-second-life-of-used-ev-batteries

Two UK Battery Startups Eye £4 Billion EV Battery “Gigafactory” SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals $LMR.ca $CJC.ca $SRG.ca $NGC.ca $LLG.ca $GPH.ca $NOU.ca

Posted by AGORACOM at 8:41 AM on Tuesday, May 26th, 2020

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  • The UK needs to manufacture 130GWh of electric car batteries a year if it is to maintain its position as the fourth largest car maker in Europe.

A potentially landmark agreement to explore the construction of an electric car “gigafactory” has been signed between two UK startups, AMTE Power and Britishvolt.

The growth of the electric car industry in the UK as car makers wind down petrol and diesel car production has sparked a warning from the UK government-backed Faraday Institution that without more investment in the local battery manufacturing industry, a major opportunity in the form of more than 100,000 jobs could be missed.

Currently, the UK electric car battery industry is led by a battery factory alongside Nissan’s car factory in Sunderland with an annual 2GWh capacity.

A joint venture announced in 2018 between Williams Advanced Engineering and Unipart Manufacturing Group outlined a plan to build another battery making facility in Coventry to build 10,000 battery packs a year, and Unipart has also been chosen as a key player in Jaguar Land Rover’s battery assembly plant.

But these are small fry, in light of the recently released Faraday report which suggests the UK needs to manufacture some 130GWh of electric car batteries a year if it is to maintain its position as the fourth largest car maker in Europe.

If successful, the new memorandum of understanding between AMTE Power and Britishvolt would see as much as £4 billion invested in a new “gigafactory” with a potential 35GWh capacity, enough to rival the likes of Northvolt which has plans to output 32GWH a year at its Swedish battery factory in Skellefteå by 2024, and 24GWH from its German factory in Salzgitter.

While its still a far cry from plans of true electric car battery giants such as the proposed 60GWh that China’s CATL intends to output at its German factoryin Erfurt, or LG Chem’s planned 70GWh in Wroclaw, Poland, AMTE Power and Britishvolt’s vision is big.

“We are delighted to be working with Britishvolt exploring the creation of a large scale manufacturing facility in the UK,” said Kevin Brundish, CEO at AMTE Power in a statement of the proposed battery factory, which it is diplomatically referring to as a “GigaPlant”.

“The recent global crisis has further highlighted the importance of having a robust onshore supply chain, and the creation of a GigaPlant would place the UK in a strong position to service automotive and energy storage markets.

“The scalable production of lithium ion cells is key to electrifying vehicles and would drive new manufacturing revenues and new employment, and can be built on AMTE’s focus on the supply of specialised cells, thereby continuing the country’s tradition of excellence in battery cell innovation.”

For the relatively young Britishvolt, the chance to align with Scottish AMTE Power, which began life as AGM Batteries Limited, a joint vcenture between  Mitsubishi Materials and AEA Technology, GS (GS Yuasa), is a potential coup.

“Aligning our objectives with AMTE Power, who are looking to add to their current manufacturing capabilities in the UK, our ambition is to build a 30+ gigawatt hour factory with the support of the British Government, creating up to 4,000 jobs in the proces,” said Lars Carlstrom, Britishvolt CEO, in a statement.

“Meeting Road to Zero targets and moving the UK into a low carbon economy will necessitate the unprecedented electrification of vehicles, and reliance on renewable energy will require extensive battery storage.

“It is costly and carbon-intensive to have lithium ion batteries imported from the Far East, and this GigaPlant would cement a solid onshore supply chain to ensure quality and eliminate future uncertainty of supply.”

But it will take work. According to The Guardian, AMTE Power is initially looking to expand its operations which currently include a small battery plant near Thurso, Scotland to include a 1GWh plant either in Dundee oe Teesside, while Britishvolt is considering five sites for a 10GWh capacity plant to be followed by a further 20GWh depending on funding.

Ian Constance, CEO of APC, who introduced the two companies thinks that changes in UK consumer perception of electric vehicles as well as technological advances in battery innovation mean the market landscape is ripe.

“The UK is a highly credible location for green growth investment,” Constance said in a statement.

“It has a rich and diverse supply chain, a rapidly decarbonising energy supply and an innovation culture, and government support through a strong industrial strategy.

“As the pace and scale of change accelerates towards new net zero targets the UK is in a prime position to design, develop, manufacture and export high-value battery technologies. It is a positive testament that AMTE power and Britishvolt recognise the full potential of the UK and have identified it as a priority for their battery industrialisation explorations.”

Source: https://thedriven.io/2020/05/25/two-uk-battery-startups-eye-4-billion-ev-battery-gigafactory/

GM Says It’s Developing EV Battery To Last 1 Million Miles SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals $LMR.ca $CJC.ca $SRG.ca $NGC.ca $LLG.ca $GPH.ca $NOU.ca

Posted by AGORACOM at 8:20 PM on Friday, May 22nd, 2020

SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals is focused on the exploration and development of minerals for the new green economy such as lithium and graphite. Lomiko has an option for 100% of the high-grade La Loutre graphite Property, Lac Des Iles Graphite Property and the 100% owned Quatre Milles Graphite Property. Lomiko is uniquely poised to supply the growing EV battery market. Click Here For More Information

Not long after it was revealed that Tesla is edging closer to making a million-mile electric vehicle battery, General Motors has stated it is on the verge of doing the same.

While speaking at a recent online investor conference, GM executive vice president Doug Parks revealed the car manufacturer is working on next-generation batteries that will be even more advanced than the Ultium battery that it unveiled back in March.

Parks said that the car manufacturer is “almost there” with the new long-life battery and added that “multiple teams” at GM are working on advances including zero-cobalt electrodes, solid state electrolytes and ultra-fast charging, Reuters reports.

GM’s Ultium batteries are unique because the large-format, pouch-style cells can be stacked vertically or horizontally inside the battery pack, allowing engineers to optimize battery energy storage and layout for each vehicle design. Ultium energy options will range from 50 kWh to 200 kWh allowing for up to 400 miles (644 km) or more of range on each charge and vehicles that can sprint to 60 mph (96 km/h) in as little as 3 seconds.

Most future electric vehicles produced by GM with the Ultium batteries will have 400-volt battery packs and up to 200 kW fast-charging capabilities, while the brand’s truck platform will have 800-volt battery packs and 350 kW fast-charging capability.

While GM may be close to developing a million-mile battery, Tesla looks set to beat them to the punch. Thanks to a partnership with China’s CATL, the electric automaker’s million-mile battery could premiere in Chinese-built Model 3s later this year or early next year.

SOURCE: https://www.carscoops.com/2020/05/gm-says-its-developing-ev-battery-to-last-1-million-miles/

Tesla’s ‘Million Mile’ Battery Could Change the EV World SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals $LMR.ca $CJC.ca $SRG.ca $NGC.ca $LLG.ca $GPH.ca $NOU.ca

Posted by AGORACOM at 1:46 PM on Tuesday, May 19th, 2020

SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals is focused on the exploration and development of minerals for the new green economy such as lithium and graphite. Lomik has an option for 100% of the high-grade La Loutre graphite Property, Lac Des Iles Graphite Property and the 100% owned Quatre Milles Graphite Property. Lomiko is uniquely poised to supply the growing EV battery market. Click Here For More Information

  • Experts say it would allow Tesla to sell electric vehicles for the same prices as gasoline-powered ones

A “million mile” battery that will lower the cost of EVs to the same as gasoline-powered ones?

Apparently Tesla and CEO Elon Musk are looking at exactly that for China later this year, according to a report in The Verge sourced from Reuters.

The battery is being co-developed with Chinese battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL) and was designed in part by battery experts recruited by Tesla’s Musk, the report said.

Tesla is already the industry leader when it comes to squeezing range out of lithium-ion batteries in electric cars, and it’s expected to reveal more about the new technology at an upcoming “Battery Day” for investors.

Musk told investors and analysts earlier this year that the information “will blow your mind. It blows my mind.”

The company originally planned to hold the event in April, but has had to reschedule it until at least late May thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, the report said.

The battery is expected to lower the cost per kilowatt hour (the unit of energy most commonly used to measure the capacity of the battery packs in modern electric vehicles) to under US$100.

Many experts believe that reaching that mark would allow Tesla or other automakers to sell electric vehicles for the same prices as gasoline-powered ones, thereby making them far more accessible, the report said.

That Tesla is reportedly planning to bring the technology to China first demonstrates the nation’s importance when it comes to electric vehicles.

Meanwhile, General Motors is also trying to hit that mark in its work with battery maker LG Chem, as it recently shared during its own big “EV Day” event in March, though the automaker is not expected to get there until the mid-2020s.

GM said last month that its new generation of batteries will use 70% less cobalt, an expensive and precious material that is often mined by workers who are subject to brutal conditions, the report said.

Musk has long sought to remove cobalt from the equation entirely, and Tesla is getting closer to doing that in its work with CATL, according to Reuters.

Information about Tesla’s next-generation batteries has steadily trickled out over the last year or so thanks to the experts Musk hired and their public works, like patents, academic papers, and university presentations. The group has been funded by Tesla since 2016, according to Reuters.

Tesla has also bought up a small handful of companies that are contributing to its battery advancements, like Maxwell Technologies, the report said.

And its former CTO, JB Straubel, is leading a battery recycling company called Redwood Materials that Reuters says is an “affiliate” of Tesla’s.

According to TechXplore, earlier this year, Musk told investors, “We’ve got to really make sure we get a very steep ramp in battery production and continue to improve the cost per kilowatt-hour of the batteries—this is very fundamental and extremely difficult. We’ve got to scale battery production to crazy levels that people cannot even fathom today.”

At the end of 2019, battery prices were about $156/kWh; it’s widely thought $100/kWh is the number the auto industry needs to reach to make electric cars’ cost on par with gasoline cars, Driving.ca reported.

CATL’s cobalt-free lithium-iron-phosphate battery packs have just recently fallen below $80/kWh, with battery cells dropping below $60/kWh. CATL’s low-cobalt NMC battery packs have almost reached that magic $100/kWh number.

SOURCE: https://asiatimes.com/2020/05/teslas-million-mile-battery-could-change-the-ev-world/