Battery Supply Chain for Electric Vehicles with Simon Moores and Vivas Kumar

Central to the discussion on the future of electric cars (EVs) is the batteries they require. Without a steady battery supply chain for EVs, the technology could not take off. We have Simon Moores and Vivas Kumar from Benchmark Mineral Intelligence here to discuss the often under-appreciated topic of battery supply chain and look at the present and future of the electric car battery industry.

Benchmark is a London-based IOSCO-regulated[1] price reporting agency (PRA) and proprietary data provider, and market intelligence publisher for the lithium-ion battery to electric vehicle supply chain. Their resources are used by private companies and governments alike. Our guests had a recent visit to the White House to discuss progress in the American market. Simon and Vivas do a great job of breaking down the key concepts from types of batteries to the minerals necessary for production. We talk about mining, processing, and the complexity of this industry. We discuss different types of market innovations and where we need a combination of business, investment, and government actions to push things forward. Listeners can look forward to hearing about the behind the scenes details of an industry that we should pay attention to.

Key Points From This Episode:

• A little bit about Benchmark Mineral Intelligence and the data they compile
• Differences in available mineral composition for batteries in the US, EU, and China
• The battery supply chain and where each component is mined
• Current capacities for electric car batteries and future predictions
• Challenges for mining and production of the important raw materials
• The complexities of lithium; the two sources in South America and Australia
• Potential for innovation in the mining industry; stagnation and the reasons for this
• Examples of where this innovation might already be happening
• China’s role in the supply chain and the all-important part of processing minerals
• The growth of battery plants and the progress being made by private companies
• Government involvement and ways to stimulate growth
• Misconceptions about the battery supply chain;
• Developments in utility-scale energy storage and what it means for the market.

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  IOSCO: The International Organization of Securities Commissions