Column: Electric dreams turn into a nightmare for battery metals
A sector that was once racing to build new supply has been closing mines and deferring projects as low prices bite into the cost curve.
US-based Urbix, a company that has developed a type of natural anode-grade graphite known as coated spherical purified graphite, announced the opening of an entity in the United Kingdom whose goal will be to supply UK and European-based automakers and battery industries with its products.
In a press release, Urbix said that its short-term vision is to supply 30% of EVs in the US, UK and Europe by 2030.
“The company will work with UK battery partners to test and validate its CSPG (coated spherical purified graphite),” the media brief states. “Early results and feedback from automakers indicated that Urbix’s drop-in graphite replacement is meeting and surpassing current customer specifications. This has substantial downstream benefits, contributing to EV batteries that are more efficient, possess a longer life cycle and achieve a greater energy density at a lower cost.”
The CSPG is being developed using a process known as spheroidization and it is being tested at the firm’s lithium-ion battery fabrication facility in Mesa, Arizona, where trials are conducted at temperatures from -30 to 80°C under fast charge and discharge conditions.
According to Urbix, CSPG maintains the energy density of natural flake graphite, while still providing the longer life cycle and consistency of synthetic graphite. The spherical graphite is also 20% to 30% cheaper than its artificial counterparts.
The product is also processed using just 10% of the energy, 6% of the acid, 7% of the time and double the yield compared to existing processes.
“Urbix’s method benefits from a highly resilient supply chain as it is compatible with raw graphite from multiple global locations meaning it is not dependent on a single source of graphite and does not need to source from China,” the media statement reads. “The company is currently commissioning its 1,000-tonne capacity pilot line and expects to be at 32,000 tonnes per year full-scale production by 2024.”
While these developments are taking place, the firm decided to open its first overseas office based on studies and predictions that show that the European continent’s demand for graphite is expected to reach 916,000 tonnes annually by 2030 to supply the EV, energy storage systems and portable devices industries.
“Companies driving the global energy transition need a reliable supply of high-performing and environmentally-friendly graphite to meet projected demand for electric vehicles,” Nico Cuevas, Urbix’s CEO and co-founder, said. “The momentum in the UK and Europe is building every day and establishing Urbix’s presence here is critical to increasing supply chain capacity outside of China. We’re looking forward to growing our presence and becoming a part of the UK’s well-established and growing battery ecosystem.”
