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Low Supply For Lithium Is Driving Up Prices

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According to Bloomberg Markets, the supply of lithium to keep up with demand is struggling. In an article authored by Laura Milan Lombrana and Johnathan Gilbert, lithium mines are having difficulties getting the raw materials out. Extracting the minerals from areas such as South America are proving to be more difficult than expected, and the result is a change in the market that is driving up prices. “The uncertainty on the supply side is driving prices up and making investors nervous,” said Daniela Desormeaux, CEO of Santiago-based lithium consulting firm SignumBOX. “We need a new project entering the market every year to satisfy growing demand. If that doesn’t happen, the market will be tight.”

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, Australia is the largest lithium producer, with Chile and Argentina accounting for 67 percent of global reserves. In one example, Orocobre Ltd., an Australia based company mining in South America, forecasted it would produce 15,000 metric tons for the year through June but ended up at 11,862 tons. The discrepancy was attributed to additional disruptions from bad pumps and bad weather that have slowed production.

The Bloomberg article goes on to say that expansions by established producers, including China’s Tianqi Lithium Corp. and North Carolina’s Albemarle Corp. will more than likely leave a small global surplus by year end, but supply disruptions could put the market back into deficit, CRU’s Fuentes said. If annual demand for Tesla’s Model 3 reaches 700,000 units, as Musk says could happen, the industry will need additional supplies from lithium newcomers. Click Here for the full story on BloombergMarkets.com.

Dutt Electronics Found U.S. Battery Products Provided Optimum Performance For Its New Energy Save OE Power System

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Dutt Electronics, a manufacturer of alternate energy inverters for the OE market, found that U.S. Battery products were the best choice for energy storage for its new Energy Save power system, which has been nominated for the 2016 EnerTIC Award in the category of Smart Industry.

“We conducted a detailed study of existing storage technologies,” said Ramon Ugarte of Dutt Electronics. “Our Energy Save application required a mature technology and low cost. Initially, Lithium-Ion batteries would have worked, but for a quick return on investment and low cost for our customers, deep-cycle flooded lead-acid batteries were the best choice.”

The Save Energy system uses 36 U.S. Battery 185E batteries with XC2™ formulation and Diamond Plate Technology® which deliver more watt-hours per liter and watt-hours per kilogram than any other flooded lead-acid battery on the market. “There are plenty of battery brands available,” said Ugarte. “But we wanted to use U.S. Battery products because their technical characteristics were the best fit, and they offer the support of a solid company with more than 90-years of history.”

The Dutt Energy Save system is an integrated unit that combines a bi-directional inverter, monitoring system, and battery pack all in one unit. With autonomous operation, it balances power output between stored energy consumption and battery charging during peak energy hours to reduce overall energy costs.

For more information on U.S. Battery’s line of performance products, contact U.S. Battery Manufacturing, 1675 Sampson Ave. Corona, CA 92879. (800) 695-0945. Visit www.usbattery.com.

 

About Dutt Electronics: Dutt is an electronics manufacturer in Spain whose field of interest covers any sector that requires control and conversion of energy and/or power; such as solar, industrial, energy storage and more. The company has nearly 20 years of experience in providing OEM solutions for inverters and hybrid converters. Visit www.duttelectronics.com/en/site/solutions.

Lead Recycling Threatened By Lithium-ion Batteries

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The Battery Council International raises concerns over Lithium-ion batteries contaminating the near perfect record of lead battery recycling

New information distributed by the Battery Council International, warns about the introduction of lithium ion batteries entering the lead battery collection and recycling process. According to BCI, lead-acid batteries are recycled at the highest rate of any commercial product – a rate of 97 to 99 percent. With the increase of lithium-ion battery use, the introduction of these batteries into the lead recycling system has resulted in a number of safety incidents as reported by the International Lead Association, ILA.

The BCI warns he risks of fires and explosions can occur during transport, storage, battery breaking and smelting processes of used lead-based batteries if lithium-ion batteries are mistakenly or knowingly added into the recycling process. Since both types of batteries look similar, proper identification is required when recycling plants receive pallets or bins containing used batteries.

To properly inform recyclers the lead recycling and battery industries of North America and Europe, the International Lead Association (ILA), the industrial and automotive battery manufacturing and recycling associations of Battery Council International (BCI) and Europe (EUROBAT), and the Association of Battery Recyclers (ABR), have created a joint initiative to warn about lithium battery contamination. These organizations urge battery collectors to:

1) Look for the proper labeling – Battery labels contain a Pb symbol on lead batteries and a Li symbol on lithium batteries. It may also be possible to distinguish the chemistries by their manufacturer.

2) Notice the weight difference – Although they have similar dimensions lithium batteries are much lighter than lead batteries.

“The lead battery industry has the most successful recycling program in the world,” says Mark Thorsby, Executive Vice President of BCI. “In no way do we want to jeopardize our success or compromise our commitment to sustainability. Preventing lithium-ion batteries from entering the lead battery recycling process is critical to achieving that outcome.”

While it’s important to carefully read the battery labels before collecting or sending batteries to a lead recycling plant, another solution is now being developed. The U.S. Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and the International Electrotechnical Committee (IEC) are proposing to develop standardized labels that are color-coded to allow for better identification between lead-acid and lithium-ion batteries.

 

For more information on properly identifying flooded lead-acid batteries and lithium-ion batteries, contact U.S. Battery Manufacturing, contact the Battery Council International at www.batterycouncil.org. Or contact U.S. Battery Manufacturing at 1675 Sampson Ave. Corona, CA 92879. (800) 695-0945. Visit https://www.usbattery.com.

Lithium vs Flooded Lead-Acid Batteries

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Comparing The Real Cost Benefits For Use In Golf Cars And Other Industrial Uses

By Fred Wehmeyer, Senior VP Engineering for U.S. Battery Manufacturing, and Zachary Cox, Product And Process Engineering, U.S. Battery Manufacturing

With the popularity of small electronics and new battery technology, we often hear that “lithium is the way of the future.” In many ways, lithium has proven to be beneficial for hand-held electronics and high dollar electric vehicles. But for many other industrial applications, like in the golf car industry, lithium doesn’t always add up.

When it’s time for a new set of batteries in your golf car, lithium sounds like a good alternative for many of the popular reasons, including no maintenance and a seemingly environmentally friendly footprint. Taking a closer look, however, we can see that switching to lithium in golf cars, is not limited to simply swapping out a set of batteries.

The facts are that lithium batteries require a new charger and a Battery Monitoring System, an on-board computer known as a BMS. The BMS monitors each cell individually and regulates charge and discharge for cell balancing and safety. The BMS must communicate with a charger that is capable of reading the BMS communication protocol. This is not required for lead-acid batteries.

With operational costs being a major concern for anyone with a golf car fleet, it’s important to point out that there is the initial cost of a lithium iron phosphate pack (LiFePO4), plus the required additional equipment necessary to operate it. A single LiFePO4 cell has a nominal voltage of 3.2 volts, thus requiring 15 cells in series for a 48-volt pack. The average retail price of one 100 Ahr (amp-hour) cell is $155, putting the pack cost at $2325. A compatible BMS and charger cost $290 and $1075 respectively. Altogether, a conversion would cost $3690 and will provide a reported 2000 cycles at a lower energy content of 4800 watt-hours vs 7200 watt-hours for a comparable flooded lead-acid battery pack.

When comparing the costs, (see the chart below) you can see that for a 48-volt pack, you can buy four 12-volt lead-acid batteries for about $640 retail. That will get you around 150 Ahr and 750 or more cycles with no additional equipment needed. Overall, the flooded lead-acid battery pack will deliver more energy per cycle at a lower cost per kilowatt-hour on each cycle by a factor of over 3:1.

Lithium batteries are also touted as the “green” alternative to lead-acid because they do not contain lead or corrosive materials. The facts are, however, that lead-acid golf car batteries are recycled at a rate of 97-99 percent, with the recycled lead going back into new golf car batteries, not the environment. The recycling infrastructure of lead-acid batteries is a closed loop process that more than pays for itself, while recycled lithium rarely goes back into new batteries due to the high cost of recycling.
For golf courses and golf car fleets intent on lowering operating costs, it’s clear that lead-acid batteries remain the best choice because of their lower operating cost, proven track record, and a great recycling system that produces a small environmental footprint.

The chart demonstrates the direct cost comparison between lithium and FLA batteries as they pertain to the golf car industry and the voltage vs amp-hour requirements. For additional information on deep-cycle flooded lead-acid batteries for golf car and other industrial uses, visit U.S. Battery Manufacturing, www.usbattery.com.

 

COST COMPARISON CHART

LithiumVsFLA-CostChart