The worth of nickel has doubled to over US$100,000 (RM418k) per tonne on account of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, CNBC experiences. Russia is a key provider of the uncommon earth steel, however is now dealing with widespread sanctions following its invasion of Ukraine.
Nickel is a key ingredient in the making of lithium-ion battery cells used for electrical autos. Automakers not too long ago found that including extra nickel to the cathode can increase battery density, however its abrupt worth surge could drive up the entry price of EVs.
Morgan Stanley auto analyst Adam Jonas mentioned: “As of this writing, nickel is up 67.2% just today, representing around a US$1,000 (RM4,184) increase in the input cost of an average EV in the US.” Jonas additionally famous that traders and automakers ought to scale back the earnings expectations and EV gross sales penetration over the following few years.
Vehicles almost certainly to be impacted by the hike are higher-end EVs, which usually have batteries with a lot larger nickel content material. More reasonably priced EVs use lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, which haven’t any nickel or cobalt in the cathode, however this additionally outcomes in decrease vary.
Automakers in China have already been utilizing LFP batteries (below authorities strain to encourage EV adoption) in their lower-cost EVs for the previous few years, and the battery gained additional recognition when Tesla began introducing LFP in its entry-level “standard range” fashions final 12 months.
With nickel prices skyrocketing, maybe different automakers will observe Tesla’s lead as soon as once more.
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