Cobalt supply

[oil pan 4]

The cobalt price has quadrupleed in the last 2 years.
Mining is up, care about the environment is down and demand for labor is way up, to the point of child labor/slavery.

I know everyone says over on the other post "lithium is the 3rd most comments element on earth" which implies we will never run out.
But batteries don't only use lithium.
Sure you can use LiFePO4 and really narrow your operating temperature range. With out lots of active heating and cooling an LiFePO4 electric vehicle wouldn't have a very long battery life.

Electric Cars Are Driving More Than Just Passengers - Kitco

[samwichse]

Tesla's batteries is 1/10 the cobalt anyone else does.

And just out: article on a new method to recycle cobalt electrodes from lithium batteries:

https://m.slashdot.org/story/343662

[oil pan 4]

Too little too late since the cobalt price has already quadrupleed.
Thats good the tesla battery only requires 10% of the slave mined element.
They had to use less cobalt because there isn't enough to keep making batteries the same way and making way more of them.

Someone is going to have to take the risk and open a new mine, which is great for the environment or their needs to be a battery tech shift like kind of like the shift away from nickel.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

Thats good the tesla battery only requires 10% of the slave mined element.

I'm not finding a source to substantiate the claim that cobalt in particular utilizes slave labor.

If Cobalt prices have quadrupled, then those who are mining it are likely earning more than ever, unless as you say, slave labor is occurring.

[ksa8907]

And of course, when a resource becomes scarce and/or expensive, go to an alternative.

Colbalt-less lithiun-ion batteries
https://cleantechnica.com/2018/04/16...ion-batteries/

[oil pan 4]

The Congo has an estimated 52,000 people held in slavery.
Slaves and mining go together like peanut butter and jelly for as long as the world has had slavery and mining.

Hopefully battery tech that doesn't need cobalt will work.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

The Congo has an estimated 52,000 people held in slavery.
Slaves and mining go together like peanut butter and jelly for as long as the world has had slavery and mining.

Hopefully battery tech that doesn't need cobalt will work.

I'm against slavery, unless it was voluntary. I'd also be against contracting with companies or individuals that used slave labor.

Panasonic recently dropped one of their cobalt suppliers due to some of that supply coming from Cuba, which is not a legal US trade country.

I'd hope Panasonic and others would likewise drop any suppliers that utilized slave labor.

[oil pan 4]

I would take Cuba over the Congo any day of the week.

Then the problem becomes smuggling. Like the African blood diamonds. The producers will find ways to infiltrate the "clean supply" with "dirty supply".

[oil pan 4]

Get an electric car they said. End our dependency on scarce natural resources they said.
Lol.

[Piotrsko]

You have. How much cobalt have you purchased recently?