Tesla mints nickel deal with Aussie mining giant by AFP Staff Writers Sydney (AFP) July 22, 2021 Anglo-Australian mining firm BHP said Thursday it had reached a deal to provide Tesla with supplies of nickel -- a metal vital in producing high-powered batteries for electric cars. Under the agreement, the innovative carmaker will lock in supplies from a mine in Western Australia, one of the world's largest sources. Most nickel today is used in the production of stainless steel. But demand for the metal is projected to explode over the next decade, as electric vehicles become more common. Mercurial Tesla CEO Elon Musk has previously voiced concern about future nickel shortages -- which could put a brake on the efficiency and storage capacity of batteries, as well as making them more costly to produce. BHP chief commercial officer Vandita Pant predicted demand will "grow by over 500 percent over the next decade" in large part thanks to the nickel-for-batteries business. No details of the duration or value of the deal were disclosed. President Joe Biden's administration has prodded US companies to develop supply chains that are not overly reliant on raw materials or production facilities in China that are vulnerable to diplomatic crosswinds. Australia holds around a quarter of the world's nickel supply. Tesla recently reached a similar supply deal with the Goro nickel mine in New Caledonia. A raft of Chinese companies are vying to challenge Tesla's position as the world's leading electric car producer, including BYD, Nio, Li Auto and XPeng -- which this month listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange. arb/hr/jah
Plans drafted for another UK battery gigafactory London (AFP) July 14, 2021 Regional officials in central England said Thursday that plans were being submitted for a battery gigafactory near Coventry that could create up to 6,000 jobs. The city's council is submitting blueprints for a 5.7 million square feet (1.7 million square metre) electric car battery plant in partnership with Coventry Airport, where it would be built. Promoters say the site could be operational by 2025 and could attract Pounds 2 billion ($2.7 billion, 2.3 billion euros) in investment. The Japanese ca ... read more
|
|
The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |