The Elements of Innovation Discovered
The Elements of Innovation Discovered
Sorted by date Results 76 - 97 of 97
Vanadium, which is in high demand today for its ability to strengthen steel alloys – specifically for manufacturing high-strength, low alloy rebar used in earthquake-resistant construction around the globe, as well as automotive, aerospace and military applications – is gradually gaining ground in the renewable energy sector. The hard, silvery-gray metal is the 22nd most abundant element in the Earth's crust, though it is rarely found naturally in its metallic form. Ins... Full story
Adapting to a future of renewable energy, trendsetters are focusing on recycling lithium-ion batteries to create a more efficient repurposing of one of the most vital and important technologies of today and possibly the future. Lithium-ion batteries have been around for decades but as we see a forward push for an electric future, the demand has changed to necessity. Global climate concerns, finite resources and the sheer growth of technology that requires mobile energy all... Full story
Tesla Inc. has joined a growing effort to address artisanal cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo, not by boycotting this much maligned source of the lithium-ion battery metal but by investing in it. The iconic electric automaker has joined the Fair Cobalt Alliance, an organization with a vision of making the small but often dangerous cobalt mines in DRC a better place to work for men and women who have few other livelihood options. Artisanal mining in DRC has... Full story
Tesla wants low-carbon nickel from a future mine at Giga Metals' Turnagain nickel-cobalt deposit in northern British Columbia, Canada, according to Reuters. Citing three unnamed sources, the global news agency said Tesla is in discussion with the Canadian miner to advance development of a mine that would produce nickel and cobalt, both vital ingredients in the lithium-ion batteries that power its electric vehicles. These reports have not been confirmed by either company....
The ability to charge an electric vehicle in just 15 seconds would wipe out many of the barriers to EV ownership – slow charging times, battery degradation, and range anxiety. Skeleton Technologies, a global leader in graphene-based ultracapacitor energy storage, believes it is on the verge of such an ultra-fast charging battery breakthrough and has partnered with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany to complete the development of SuperBattery, a graphene b...
While debate rages over whether lithium-ion and vanadium reflow energy storage systems will usher in the next wave of power generation, another technology, batteries that store energy using zinc, is moving into the market. Zinc batteries, especially the technology being marketed by Vancouver, British Columbia-based Zinc8 Energy Solutions, has attracted considerable attention in recent weeks with a new type of viable, lower-cost energy storage option for many large customers...
In what has been series of moves toward expanding its electric vehicle lineup, BMW Group has signed a 2 billion euro (US$2.28 billion) long-term supply contract with Northvolt, a Swedish manufacturer with a mission to build the greenest rechargeable batteries in the world. Northvolt's commitment to sourcing 100% of the energy it needs to produce battery cells from wind and hydroelectric power generated in northern Sweden was a deciding factor for BMW as it looked for new...
BMW Group has secured a deal for 100 million euros worth of the sustainably sourced cobalt needed for the lithium-ion batteries that are powering its expanding line-up of electric vehicles. This important but oft-controversial battery metal will be acquired from Managem Group, a Moroccan mining company that produces cobalt, copper, fluorite, gold, silver, and zinc at its seven mines in Morocco and one in Sudan. The agreement with Managem will provide BMW with about 20% of its...
Manganese X Energy Corp. said recent tests have improved the efficiency and economics of recovering manganese from the exploration company's Battle Hill project in New Brunswick, Canada. Manganese is an increasingly important ingredient in lithium-ion and emerging battery technologies. "The demand for energy storage is too great for one technology to satisfy it, so we're looking for environmentally friendly, safe, inexpensive alternatives," said Jason Croy, a physicist at U.S....
VanadiumCorp Resource Inc. has positioned itself along the entire vanadium-based energy storage supply chain, from Canadian mineral exploration projects that could provide future supplies of this critical metal, to new technology to sustainably produce battery-grade vanadium, and even developing its own brand of vanadium redox flow batteries. "Whether you believe in climate change, reducing pollution, or simply making the world a better place, we can all agree there is no...
First Cobalt Corp. has taken a critical step toward its goal of supplying North American and European electric vehicle and lithium-ion battery manufacturers with 25,000 metric tons of battery grade cobalt sulfate per year. With an initial investment of only US$56 million, First Cobalt's already established refinery in Ontario could be churning out enough cobalt for the batteries powering more than 500,000 EVs annually by 2022. "This is an important milestone in our efforts to...
Despite global mines supplying more lithium than markets demand and the effects COVID-19 is having on the worldwide economy, Morningstar Inc. sees the 2020s as being "a transformational decade for lithium, as demand will grow over six times 2019 levels." This forecasted growth in lithium demand will be largely powered by an uptick in the adoption of electric vehicles and the lithium-ion batteries that power them. Roughly 305 metric tons of lithium was consumed globally during...
Tesla's "big battery" utility-scale Powerpack systems are emerging around the globe, proving a supplemental energy storage system that reduces costs and provides a reliable backup in cases of emergency. The Hornsdale Power Reserve in South Australia, owned by French renewable energy producer Neoen, is currently home to the largest lithium-ion battery energy storage system in the world with 100 megawatts (MW) of power storage and 129 megawatt-hours (MWh) of output capacity....
As lithium-ion battery and electric car companies seek reliable and ethical sources of cobalt, Fortune Minerals Ltd. has sights set on supplying some of that cobalt – along with copper, gold and bismuth – from its Nico mine project in Northwest Territories and associated refinery in Canada. Over the past two decades, Fortune has advanced Nico from an in-house mineral discovery to a development stage project that could produce two critical metals, a third metal vital to an ele...
Glencore Plc Jan. 10 announced that it has signed an agreement to provide Samsung SDI with a five-year supply of cobalt hydroxide, a key ingredient in the lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles, smartphones, computers and other electronic devises. Under the terms of this supply contract, Glencore will provide up to 21,000 metric tons of cobalt contained in cobalt hydroxide between 2020 and 2024. The cobalt will be sourced from Glencore's industrial mining operations...
Most people know Tesla Inc. as a world-leading electric vehicles manufacturer with a growing line of cars, trucks and SUVs. However, the company's foundation is built off its ability to make batteries that power models S, 3, X, Y, Roadster, Tesla Semi, Cybertruck and even Solar Roof. Quite literally, Tesla's EV production capacity can only grow as fast as the company can manufacture the lithium-ion batteries that power them. "So the thing we're going to be really focused on...
Tesla Inc. needs an increasing amount of lithium, graphite, nickel and cobalt for the lithium-ion batteries that power its growing lineup of electric vehicles. With its own rapid expansion, coupled with every major automotive brand in the world adding increasing numbers of EV models to their lineups, securing sustainable and ethical supplies of the lithium, cobalt, graphite, and nickel that go into the batteries that power these zero-emission automobiles has become crucial....
Half as dense as water, lithium is the lightest of all metals. Because it is highly reactive, however, it would not work to make super buoyant boats. Instead, this metal believed to be one of only three elements created with any abundance during the Big Bang (the other two being hydrogen and helium) has found a use that takes advantage of both its light weight and reactiveness – lithium-ion batteries. "Lithium consumption for batteries has increased significantly in recent y...
The advent of the lithium-ion battery at the close of the 20th century has dramatically changed how we live, work and play. This revolutionary transformation, which began by allowing us to put our phones in our pockets and computers under our arms, has expanded to almost every facet of our life – from robot vacuums dutifully keeping our floors clean to zero-emission cars travelling our highways. While we might not think too much about it, when you add up all the laptops, table...
Will gigamines be added to the front of the Tesla supply chain? While Elon Musk's offer of a "giant contract" to mining companies able to supply nickel suggests the Tesla CEO would rather not start his own mining division, subtle clues indicate that he is willing to, if needed. Musk says any bottlenecks along the entire lithium-ion battery supply chain, from mining and refining the metals that go into the batteries powering its EVs and renewable energy storage products to the... Full story
From mines to gigafactories, it is going to take a massive and coordinated effort to scale up the entire North American lithium-ion battery supply chain at a pace that meets the growing demands of the accelerating electric vehicle revolution. "To replace more of the gasoline cars that are on the road, to benefit from the promise of electrification across all vehicle types and all consumer classes, requires the supply chain to be built out in a bigger way and faster way than... Full story
The adoption of electric vehicles and renewable energy is driving increased demand for graphite, a major ingredient in lithium-ion batteries. Graphite, however, is high on a list of 35 critical minerals and metals not mined in the United States. Graphite One Inc. would like to shift America's reliance on foreign countries such as China for its graphite needs by developing a mine at Graphite Creek, a world-class deposit of graphite with some properties that make it uniquely... Full story
