There is a shortage of battery metals, and the supply of electric vehicle batteries may slow down

According to foreign media reports, Moody's Investors Service wrote in a note to customers that there is a shortage of cobalt, copper, lithium, nickel and other metals, which may slow down the production of electric car batteries. . As the output of Tesla and other auto companies increases, the demand for metal for their on-board batteries also rises. In addition, with the electrification of the automotive industry, many companies are committed to building a network of electric vehicle charging stations, aiming to increase the penetration rate of electric vehicles, which in turn increases the demand for the aforementioned battery metals. However, due to the limited supply of metals such as copper and nickel, the output of electric vehicles may slow down accordingly. At present, the supply gap of refined copper-nickel metals will widen, and the supply demand for cobalt may appear next year. If the output of electric vehicles is lower than expected, after 2019, there will be an oversupply of lithium metal. At present, the mining industry needs to invest in new mines in order to meet the rising demand, but the current mining funds are relatively small, because the industry is still paying for the hot mergers and acquisitions caused by the miscalculation of the situation four years ago, and the major mining companies are committed to achieving revenue. Support balance. In most cases, cobalt metal is a companion of copper or nickel, and its output increase depends to a large extent on the mining of new copper and nickel mines. Rising metal prices will benefit miners, but it will cause market price fluctuations. Batteries are the most expensive component of electric vehicles, and rising battery metal prices will force the automotive industry to explore new alternative battery materials.