No bubble in lithium, cobalt and graphite, analysts tell Mining Indaba
Soaring prices are underpinned by real-world demand as the market for electric cars develops, anaysts say
Soaring prices of lithium, cobalt and graphite are not a bubble as they are underpinned by real growth in the electric vehicle market and supply trends, analysts said at the Investing in African Mining Indaba on Tuesday. Lithium and cobalt prices have risen sharply in the past year and remained high, while graphite prices have softened from recent high levels. Africa has various lithium, cobalt and graphite projects. Andrew Grant, data analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance, said among the electric vehicle manufacturers, Tesla favoured nickel-cobalt-aluminium batteries, General Motors favoured nickel-manganese-cobalt while Chinese manufacturers favoured lithium-ion-phosphate but were moving towards a nickel-manganese-cobalt blend to improve quality. Grant said electric vehicles were expected to be 35% of the automotive market by 2030. The increase in self-driving cars and car sharing would increase the market for electric vehicles because their running costs were lower than convent...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.