Some people argue that nickel is critical to the green economy going forward. That assertion, examined in more detail, could not be further from the truth.
Myths are often founded in shards of truth. Certainly, in the past, electric vehicle (EV) batteries were almost exclusively powered by lithium-ion batteries that need significant amounts of nickel, manganese and cobalt. These lithium-ion batteries had high initial energy density but many shortcomings as well.
For example, nickel/cobalt based lithium-ion batteries are very expensive due to the high cost of lithium, nickel and cobalt. Lithium sells for about $28,000 a tonne (which is a metric ton), nickel is about $21,000 a tonne and cobalt is about $33,000 a tonne. Given the large battery needed in an EV, you can see that material costs alone can be thousands of dollars for these lithium-ion batteries. Indeed, lithium ion (using nickel, manganese and cobalt) EV batteries for driving ranges above 200 miles can cost $20,000 to $30,000 or more. Thus prices for EVs tend to be high, making the vehicles are unavailable to the average buyer.
One can easily conclude that nickel/cobalt based lithium-ion batteries simply cannot be a solution for widespread EV adoption simply because they cost too much. This price only goes up with volume as lithium, nickel and cobalt are difficult to mine and are limited by a supply that is very costly to increase.
Lithium-ion batteries have many other issues. For example, you will commonly hear announcements at the airport that lithium-ion batteries must not be placed in checked bags. This is because these batteries can spontaneously explode. Further, charging lithium-ion batteries to 100% on a continual basis greatly shortens battery life. This is why we see our cellphones and laptops lose battery life in just a few years (when we are charging to 100%). Tesla recommends charging their lithium-ion batteries only to 80% to maintain a reasonable life. Of course, when you do that, your driving range decreases by 20% as well.
Battery and auto manufacturers understand all of this and have been racing to find new battery chemistries that are affordable, safe and long lasting even at 100% charge. And many solutions are available or in development. These new battery chemistries replace nickel and cobalt with iron, sulfur or sodium, all of which cost on the order of $100 to $200 per tonne compared to the high cost of nickel and cobalt.
Tesla has been a leader in replacing lithium-ion batteries with new chemistries such as a lithium ferrous phosphate battery (commonly called LFP) that has no nickel or cobalt. LFP batteries are much safer and last two to four times longer than a lithium-ion even when charged to 100%. Tesla reported in the first quarter of 2022 that nearly half of their EVs were shipping with LFP batteries and they intended to transition their entire fixed storage product line to LFP very soon. They have recently added their standard range Model Y to list of LFP vehicles.
Recently, a number of companies have announced a new lithium manganese ferrous phosphate (LMFP) battery that has the energy density of the old lithium-ion but with no nickel or cobalt. These batteries promise much better safety, faster charging, better low temperature performance and 20 to 30% lower cost. As this type of battery reaches industry scale, the old lithium-ion battery could become obsolete within the next year or two.
In addition, new battery chemistries are in development using lithium-sulfur and sodium that are all less costly, safer and perform as well if not better than lithium-ion batteries signaling the end of the nickel / cobalt based lithium-ion era.
[image_caption]Tom Anderson[/image_caption]
Technology is changing quickly and we need to dispel the green nickel myth as its implications affect Minnesota in many ways: from mining of nickel in Tamarack, Minn., to the ideas of one Minnesota politician that electric vehicles are too expensive and don’t work in cold weather (hint … you need to replace the nickel-based Li-Ion batteries with the new battery chemistries coming out).
Thomas Anderson, a University of Minnesota MSEE graduate who lives in the Duluth area, is currently a principal technologist with ATIS, a Washington, D.C., non-for-profit that develops standards and solutions for the ICT industry. He has also taught courses on EV in the Southern Oregon University OLLI program. The views expressed here are his own.
