Why are battery prices rising?

Prices of nickel, lithium and cobalt — key raw materials for battery manufacturing — were already rising because of global demand. But war has sent the cost of such commodities skyrocketing © Seong Joon Cho/Bloomberg | SK On Co. battery cells for electric vehicle displayed at the InterBattery exhibition in Seoul

Why do batteries cost so much?

And so more and more of the technological innovations introduced into the battery are aimed at reducing costs, even if at the same time features such as vehicle range tend to deteriorate. The largest single contributor to the cost of battery cells is the materials used in them, especially the cathode materials.

What contributes to the cost of battery cells?

The largest single contributor to the cost of battery cells is the materials used in them, especially the cathode materials. In addition to lithium, the transition metals manganese, iron, cobalt and nickel are used in particular.

Which battery raw materials have experienced significant price fluctuations over the past 5 years?

Battery raw materials like lithium carbonate (Li 2 CO 3), lithium hydroxide (LiOH), nickel (Ni) and cobalt (Co) have experienced significant price fluctuations over the past five years. Figures 1 and 2 show the development of material spot prices between 2018 and 2023.

Why did battery prices fall in 2019?

The global economic slowdown due to the Covid19 pandemic, for example, may have led to the expectation of decreasing demand for battery raw materials. As a result, prices fell in 2019 and the beginning of 2020.

What factors influence the price of battery materials?

The materials under investigation are predominantly used in the battery value chain, so that the dynamics are essentially shaped by battery demand and the expansion of production capacities for materials. Their price therefore particularly reflects market factors such as supply and demand fluctuations.