The story today is batteries, batteries, batteries. Scaling up electrical automobile manufacturing is all about scaling up batteries, and scaling up the mineral mining and refining important to batteries. Scaling up renewable vitality era capability is all about scaling up battery storage capability to assist with the fluctuations in provide. It’s all in regards to the batteries. Fortunately, we’ve received a number of battery information. Actually, we’ve received a lot battery information that we are able to’t cowl all of it. Under are 4 battery tales I’ll run via shortly.
Battery Recycling Facility Opens In Alabama
Li-Cycle has opened one other battery recycling facility — its 4th “Spoke” in North America. The Alabama Spoke commenced operations this previous week.
Picture courtesy of Li-Cycle.
“The Alabama Spoke makes use of Li-Cycle’s patented and environmentally pleasant expertise to recycle and instantly course of full EV battery packs with none dismantling via a submerged shredding course of that produces no wastewater. Moreover, Li-Cycle’s full pack processing functionality improves effectivity and is match to course of the rising number of EV battery architectures, together with cell-to-pack codecs which have restricted choices for dismantling, which additional differentiates the Firm’s worth proposition.”
The Alabama Spoke is concentrated on serving the US Southeast. The brand new battery recycling facility is larger than 100,000 sq. toes in measurement, plus has one other 120,000 sq. toes of warehouse capability. The design is identical because the Arizona Spoke that opened earlier in 2022. The Arizona Spoke is already working near its whole goal throughput. In whole, the annual processing capability of the Alabama Spoke is 10,000 tonnes of lithium-ion battery materials (however that may be expanded in the way forward for course).
Including up the battery recycling capability of all 4 Spokes, Li-Cycle can course of as much as 30,000 tonnes of lithium-ion battery materials per yr. What does that imply when it comes to EVs or variety of battery packs? In response to Li-Cycle, that’s roughly 60,000 EV batteries a yr.
Except for Gilbert, Arizona; and Tuscaloosa, Alabama; Li-Cycle’s different two spokes are in Kingston, Ontario; and Rochester, New York.
Li-Cycle is aiming to succeed in 65,000 tonnes of battery recycling capability throughout the US and Europe by the tip of 2023.
ACC × Siemens = Sustainable Battery Manufacturing unit
Siemens and Automotive Cells Firm (ACC) are collaborating on what they name “sustainable options for battery manufacturing.” The purpose can be for these to be large-scale options, and ACC plans to construct gigafactories utilizing the options in Billy-Berclau Douvrin, France; Kaiserslautern, Germany; and possibly Termoli, Italy.
Battery module designed and manufactured by ACC.
The collab falls beneath the Siemens Xcelerator program. “The partnership is a part of the Siemens Xcelerator open digital enterprise platform, launched in June this yr, the place a curated portfolio of IoT-enabled {hardware} and software program and dedication to sturdy partnerships goals to speed up digital transformation. This partnership will make it simpler and sooner for ACC to progress in direction of its deliberate gigafactories at scale.
“Siemens will present ACC with entry to its Digital Enterprise portfolio of {hardware} and software program: from manufacturing design to product design, from product lifecycle administration to vitality administration methods. As a place to begin, Siemens and ACC plan to create complete digital twins of the battery and the manufacturing traces. Leveraging Completely Built-in Automation and Teamcenter software program from Siemens Xcelerator, ACC will have the ability to higher join design and manufacturing to scale-up manufacturing.”
Not a lot is talked about within the press launch about what precisely is supposed by “sustainable options for battery manufacturing,” however one factor that’s famous is the objective of making carbon internet zero factories.
SK On Getting Lithium From Australia’s Lake Sources
High 10 EV battery producers globally. Chart by Zach Shahan | CleanTechnica.
South Korean EV battery producer SK On (aka SK Innovation) has acquired a ten% stake in Lake Sources. Battery-grade lithium might be delivered as early because the 4th quarter of 2024, and the off-take settlement is initially for five years, however an extra 5 yr contract is open to be added on.
“SK On can be provided with 15,000 tons of lithium for the primary two years and 25,000 tons of lithium from the third yr, which means the Korean battery maker can safe a complete of 230,000 tons of lithium.” What does that imply when it comes to electrical autos? That’s sufficient batteries for roughly 4.9 million EVs, based on SK On.
SK On has a battery manufacturing unit in Georgia in the US the place it might use this lithium, and one other manufacturing unit in Georgia is meant to enter operation in 2023 the place SK On might use the lithium.
Except for these two Georgia factories, SK On has a brand new three way partnership with Ford, BlueOval, that can construct two EV battery factories in Kentucky and one in Tennessee. These battery factories are anticipated to go surfing in 2025.
“Established in 1997, Lake Sources at present develops 4 lithium brine tasks in Argentina. Of them, Lake Sources will provide high-purity lithium from its flagship Kachi Undertaking.
“The newest deal additionally matches SK On’s dedication to ESG (environmental, social, governance) ideas as Lake Sources produces lithium utilizing a direct lithium extraction (DLE) approach, an environmentally pleasant extraction technique developed by its U.S. accomplice Lilac Options. The DLE approach from Lilac Options delivers a noticeable discount in brine, water use and land use as its extraction course of contains brine reinjection.”
On the information of the brand new partnership, Lake Sources CEO David Dickson stated, “The settlement cements the power of Lake Sources to scale up environmentally accountable manufacturing. … We look ahead to an extended and useful relationship with SK On.”
SK On Getting Lithium From
SK On additionally just lately signed a deal with Australian firm International Lithium Sources for lithium. Not as many particulars had been offered on this case. Nonetheless, the main target is on getting extra lithium from Australia through offtake agreements with International Lithium Sources.
The corporate talked about in that announcement that it has 7 battery factories around the globe. Except for the aforementioned battery manufacturing unit in Georgia, SK On has battery factories in Hungary, China, and South Korea. Along with the 7 current battery factories, SK On is at present developing one other 7 battery factories.
SK On was the ninth largest battery producer on this planet in 2019, however it has moved as much as fifth globally in 2022. It has 7% of the general international EV battery market.
Respect CleanTechnica’s originality and cleantech information protection? Contemplate changing into a CleanTechnica Member, Supporter, Technician, or Ambassador — or a patron on Patreon.
Do not wish to miss a cleantech story? Join day by day information updates from CleanTechnica on e mail. Or observe us on Google Information!
Have a tip for CleanTechnica, wish to promote, or wish to recommend a visitor for our CleanTech Speak podcast? Contact us right here.
