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.
Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. unveiled an electric-car battery it said has a range of over 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) on a single charge and is 13% more powerful than one planned by Tesla Inc., a major customer.
CATL, as the world’s biggest maker of electric-car batteries, is known, will start manufacturing the next-generation “Qilin” next year, according to a video the Chinese company streamed online Thursday. The battery charges faster than existing cells, and is safer and more durable, CATL said.
The Qilin battery, named after a mythical Chinese creature, has an energy density of up to 255 watt-hours per kilogram, Ningde, Fujian-based CATL said.
“It’s an important advancement for CATL as it keeps them at the forefront on the innovation side,” said Tu Le, managing director of Beijing-based consultancy Sino Auto Insights. “Being the lowest cost provider isn’t enough to command loyalty, there needs to be more to it — and that seems to be the Qilin battery for CATL.”
CATL’s shares climbed 5.9% in Shenzhen, closing at the highest since Feb. 9.
The company said Wednesday it raised 45 billion yuan ($6.7 billion) in a private placement of shares, with the proceeds intended for the production and upgrade of lithium-ion battery manufacturing in four Chinese cities, as well as research and development.
CATL has experienced a wave of volatility this year, grappling with soaring prices of raw materials as well as rumors of trading losses. Its first-quarter net income slid 24% from a year earlier to 1.49 billion yuan. The company hasn’t explained a 1.79 billion yuan derivatives liability, the first such charge since it listed.
(By Danny Lee)
Comments
Jamie Capurso
So this is still using the LPA chemistry still?