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  • Nouveau Monde Graphite Becancour Quebec Canada General Motors POSCO Chemical

    Lithium Battery Valley emerges in Quebec

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Aug 17, 2023

    Becancour, a small Quebec town along the shores of the St. Lawrence River about midway between Montreal and Quebec City, is rapidly emerging as an epicenter for producing the advanced materials needed for lithium-ion batteries powering the electric vehicle revolution. This rural Canadian town of around 12,800 people surfaced in the battery space about a year ago when Nouveau Monde Graphite Inc. announced plans to build a facility there to produce the coated spherical purified...

  • Electra Battery Materials Ontario eco-park EV cobalt recycling refinery nickel

    Electra Battery Materials Park on schedule

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Jun 8, 2023

    Electra Battery Materials Corp. is making headway on upgrades and expansions of North America's only battery-grade cobalt refinery, the centerpiece of an emerging eco-industrial park in Ontario that will supply battery materials to the lithium-ion battery and electric vehicle plants in North America. Electra's cobalt refinery is a hydrometallurgical facility that previously operated in Ontario for a decade. Since acquiring this asset, the company has been advancing a strategy...

  • Tesla lithium-ion battery and EV megafactory near Austin, Texas.

    A DOE boost for Vidalia graphite plant

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Apr 16, 2023

    To support American production of graphite active anode material, the single largest ingredient in most lithium-ion batteries powering electric vehicles, the U.S. Department of Energy's Loan Programs Office has allotted $107 million to fund the expansion of Syrah Resources Ltd.'s Vidalia graphite processing facility in Louisiana. With this and further expansions to follow, Vidalia is expected to produce enough natural graphite-based active anode material, also known as coated...

  • A chunk of graphite found at Quebec deposits for lithium-ion batteries.

    Quebec graphite companies join forces

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Apr 16, 2023

    In a landmark deal that is expected to further solidify Quebec as a major North American hub for the enormous quantities of graphite needed for the lithium-ion batteries powering the electric vehicle revolution, Nouveau Monde Graphite Inc. has agreed to invest in advancing Mason Graphite Inc.'s Lac Guéret graphite project toward development. Under an option and joint venture agreement announced on May 16, Nouveau Monde will invest up to C$5 million into the equity of Mason...

  • Stacks of boxes storing drill core at the Turnagain nickel project in BC.

    Mitsubishi invests in BC nickel project

    Shane Lasley, Data Mine North|Updated Aug 23, 2022

    Japanese industrial giant Mitsubishi Corp. has entered into a deal to gain a foothold in a potential nickel-cobalt mine at Giga Metals Corp.'s Turnagain project in Northern British Columbia, Canada. Best known for manufacturing automobiles, Mitsubishi is involved with a broad spectrum of businesses including industrial materials and mineral resources. The Turnagain project offers this diversified company a potential carbon-neutral source of the nickel and cobalt that are in...

  • The tops of several AA-sized batteries commonly used in electronic devices.

    Rechargeability looms for zinc batteries

    Rose Ragsdale, For Metal Tech News|Updated Aug 10, 2022

    For years, researchers have sought a viable method for making the common zinc alkaline battery rechargeable. Now, a team of international researchers has developed a technique for doing just that. Prolonged research led the scientists to develop a new electrode design that is set to enable the rechargeability of alkaline zinc, one of the most common types of non-rechargeable batteries used in our daily lives. The technique also sheds light on a potentially wider application of...

  • Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickup under bright lights at the Rouge EV Center.

    The ABCs of securing metals for Ford EVs

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Aug 2, 2022

    Looking to secure the materials required for the lithium batteries that will deliver power to more than 2 million electric vehicles per year by 2026, Ford Motor Company is adding the clout of its Blue Oval emblem to mining companies and projects that can offer low-carbon supplies of the aluminum, battery materials, and copper needed to build its envisioned e-mobility future. "Ford's new electric vehicle lineup has generated huge enthusiasm and demand, and now we are putting...

  • An artist rendering of a lithium-ion battery.

    Vital link to Ontario's EV supply chain

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Jul 26, 2022

    Umicore to invest C$1.5B on lithium battery materials plant in Ontario. To establish the missing link between Ontario's abundant lithium battery metal resources and the established automotive industry in the Canadian province, Belgium-based Umicore plans to invest C$1.5 billion (US$1.2 billion) to build a plant that will feed cathode battery materials into the North American EV supply chain. "Canada and the Ontario province have all it takes for Umicore to establish a...

  • Graphite is the single largest ingredient in lithium-ion batteries.

    Low-CO2 Nouveau Monde graphite affirmed

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Jul 19, 2022

    The carbon dioxide emissions of electric vehicles are not measured by exhaust from the tailpipes, but from the greenhouse gasses associated with building and charging these zero-emission vehicles. Understanding this, Nouveau Monde Graphite Inc. has gone to great lengths to minimize the CO2 footprint of the battery-grade graphite anode material it will produce in Quebec. An independent life cycle assessment verifies that the Canadian company's production of coated spherical...

  • Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares presentation at the Dare Forward 2030 conference.

    Stellantis invests in Zero Carbon Lithium

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Jul 12, 2022

    To further secure supplies of sustainably produced lithium for the batteries powering the electric vehicles manufactured by Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Maserati, Opel, Peugeot, and its other European brands, Stellantis has expanded and extended its partnership with Vulcan Energy Resources Ltd., which is advancing the Zero Carbon Lithium project in Germany's Rhine River Valley. To produce the zero-carbon lithium promised by the project's name, Vulcan will draw lithium-enriched...

  • Electra Battery Materials’ cobalt refinery in Ontario.

    Electra considers Quebec cobalt refinery

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Jul 12, 2022

    As it advances the development of a lithium-ion battery materials park centered on its cobalt refinery in Ontario, Electra Battery Materials Corp. is considering the potential of building a second similar facility in a battery materials park being developed near the town of Becancour in the neighboring province of Quebec. "Given a forecasted deficit in domestic cobalt sulfate production by 2025, we have received significant interest from industry and government stakeholders...

  • Scientist observes battery cathode material produced with Nano One technology.

    Nano One's battery cathode Instant Pot

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Jul 12, 2022

    Global mining and metals company Rio Tinto has entered into a strategic partnership that includes a roughly US$10 million (C$12.5 million) investment in Nano One Materials Corp., a British Columbia-based company that has developed a technology equivalent to the "Instant Pot" of lithium battery cathode materials. While there has been a lot of buzz about the hundreds of factories being constructed around the globe to manufacture the lithium batteries needed for the electric...

  • Mud pots above geothermal lithium sources near Salton Sea in CA.

    Stellantis orders Hell's Kitchen lithium

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Jul 12, 2022

    Another major automaker has gotten in line to purchase future supplies of low-carbon lithium that Controlled Thermal Resources Ltd. will be cooking up from geothermal brines at its Hell's Kitchen project in the Salton Sea area of Southern California. On June 2, Stellantis signed a binding offtake agreement with CTR for up to 25,000 metric tons of battery-grade lithium hydroxide per year for the batteries going into Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, and other electric vehicles it wil...

  • Silicon, the atomic number 14, is found below carbon on the periodic table.

    Korea backs NEO Battery Materials plant

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Jul 12, 2022

    In a major step toward achieving its mission to help accelerate the mass adoption of electric vehicles by providing an alternative to the graphite anode materials typically used in the lithium-ion batteries that power them, NEO Battery Materials Ltd. plans to invest US$20 million (C$25 million) to build and expand a silicon anode plant in the province of Gyeonggi, South Korea. As an anode material, silicon has demonstrated the potential to have up to 10 times more storage...

  • Prototype silicon anode battery packs by Sila Nanotechnologies.

    Sila Nano silicon anode for Mercedes EVs

    A.J. Roan, Metal Tech News|Updated Jul 12, 2022

    In a significant step forward for the electric vehicle industry, Mercedes-Benz announced the next step in its partnership with Sila Nanotechnologies, to incorporate Sila's silicon anode chemistry in batteries for its upcoming Mercedes-Benz G-Class electric vehicles. Aptly located in Silicon Valley, Sila Nano has developed a silicon-based anode battery technology that is expected to enable lighter, safer, and higher energy density batteries for EVs, longer-lasting portable...

  • Manganese, 25th element on the periodic table, is used in alloys and batteries.

    Manganese X preps for Battery Hill pilot

    Shane Lasley, Mining News|Updated Jul 12, 2022

    Manganese X Energy Corp. is rapidly advancing plans to become a North American producer of manganese, an oft-overlooked metal critical to lithium-ion batteries. The company recently published a preliminary economic assessment that outlines a financially robust mine at its Battery Hill project in New Brunswick that would produce an average of 68,000 metric tons of battery-grade, high-purity manganese sulphate sulfate monohydrate (HPMSM) annually for 47 years. This long-lived...

  • Workers in an underground nickel mine in Ontario, Canada.

    Tesla buying low-carbon nickel from Vale

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Jul 12, 2022

    The rumors are true, Tesla Inc. will be buying nickel for the lithium-ion batteries powering its vehicles from Vale's Canada operations. "We are pleased to have the leading electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla among our customers," said Vale Executive Vice President of Base Metals Deshnee Naidoo. A Brazil-based mining company with operations around the globe, Vale is the world's largest nickel producer. Under a long-term contract confirmed by both companies, Vale will supply...

  • Bags of black mass that will be sent to a Li-Cycle hub facility for processing.

    Glencore invests $200M into Li-Cycle

    A.J. Roan, Metal Tech News|Updated Jul 12, 2022

    Lithium-ion battery recycling company Li-Cycle Holdings Corp. has entered into a strategic partnership with Glencore plc, with an initial investment of $200 million toward improving the electric vehicle supply chain. "We are thrilled to have Glencore as a long-term strategic investor and global commercial partner," said Li-Cycle CEO Ajay Kochhar. "Bringing our complementary capabilities together will accelerate the path to a circular economy for critical materials in the...

  • Alabama Graphite refinery on the way

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Jul 12, 2022

    Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey and Congressman Mike Rogers joined other state and local government officials and business leaders during the groundbreaking ceremony at the site of a $202 million processing facility being developed by Westwater Resources Inc. that will produce the high-quality graphite needed for the lithium-ion batteries that power electric vehicles. Being built at Kellyton, which is about 50 miles north of Montgomery, this graphite refinery will transform Alabama into...

  • nickel London Metals Exchange Benchmark Mineral Intelligence LME Tsingshan

    Shot across the bow for battery metals

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Jul 12, 2022

    Rising demand, tight supply, war, and a short squeeze on a China-based stainless steel titan came into perfect alignment to rocket the price of nickel to historic heights. The price for a pound of nickel soared nearly 250% over two days to a brief altitude above US$100,000 per metric ton, or US$45 per pound, on March 7. This prompted the London Metal Exchange to halt trading of the battery metal to deal with the aftermath of the largest move in the price of a metal in LME's...

  • Electra Battery Materials ecopark lithium nickel cobalt North American supply

    Talon joins Electra battery park vision

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Jul 12, 2022

    Intrigued by Electra Battery Materials Corp.'s vision of developing a hydroelectric-powered battery materials park in Ontario, Talon Metals Corp. has joined a partnership that will investigate the potential of using this emerging Canadian facility to upgrade nickel produced at its coming Tamarack Mine in Minnesota into the battery-grade nickel sulfate needed for the lithium-ion batteries powering electric vehicles. This partnership, which also includes the Ontario government a...

  • Statevolt's proposed lithium-ion battery factory near California's Salton Sea.

    SoCal EV battery gigafactory unveiled

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Apr 26, 2022

    Lars Carlstrom, who has already founded two companies building lithium-ion battery gigafactories in Europe, has launched a third enterprise that plans to build a 54-gigawatt-hour battery facility in Southern California that will be supplied with geothermal power and lithium from Controlled Thermal Resources' Hell's Kitchen project in Imperial Valley. Carlstrom is a pioneering industrialist in the automotive sector who founded Britishvolt, which is developing a 30 GWh battery g...

  • CellCube US Vanadium VRFB redox flow batteries electrolyte Enerox low-carbon

    CellCube secures US Vanadium electrolyte

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Mar 8, 2022

    Getting ahead of the expected growing demand for vanadium redox flow batteries in North America, Austria-based Enerox GmbH has significantly expanded its agreement to buy electrolyte for its CellCube VRFB from US Vanadium LLC. "As part of our go-to-market in North America, we want to use electrolyte which has been regionally processed within North America ensuring long-term deliverability at a competitive price," said CellCube CEO Alexander Schoenfeldt. After an expansion...

  • Zentek graphene antimicrobial mask COVID lithium-ion battery silicon anode

    Graphene shell to protect silicon anode

    Shane Lasley, Metal Tech News|Updated Mar 1, 2022

    Now that masks made with its patented ZENGuard antimicrobial graphene coating are being commercially produced, Zentek Ltd. is looking at other ways to leverage the superlative qualities of the graphene it produces to make the world a better place. This includes research into making better lithium batteries with graphene-coated silicon as the anode. As an anode material, silicon has shown the ability to have up to 10 times more storage capacity than the graphite that is...