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ion Batteries",74.53,71.3,4.53,-1.6,-20.88,[337,338,340,343,346,349,352,355,358,361,364,367],{"date":329,"value":331},{"date":339,"value":332},"2025-02-28",{"date":341,"value":342},"2025-01-31",71.45,{"date":344,"value":345},"2024-12-31",75.74,{"date":347,"value":348},"2024-11-29",76.98,{"date":350,"value":351},"2024-10-31",77.34,{"date":353,"value":354},"2024-09-30",77.43,{"date":356,"value":357},"2024-08-30",80.56,{"date":359,"value":360},"2024-07-31",82.99,{"date":362,"value":363},"2024-06-28",87.2,{"date":365,"value":366},"2024-05-31",90.7,{"date":368,"value":369},"2024-04-30",93.2,"/battery-gigafactory/prices",{"publishedDate":372,"updateFrequency":6,"updateFrequencyText":7,"label":373,"today":374,"last":375,"percentageChange":376,"yearToDate":377,"yearOnYear":378,"oneYearIndexTrend":379,"url":411,"subscription":49,"isProtected":50,"hasAccess":51},"2026-05-21","Black 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Earths",172.27,182.38,-5.54,20.73,54.49,[421,422,424,427,430,432,435,437,440,443,445,447],{"date":413,"value":415},{"date":423,"value":416},"2026-03-05",{"date":425,"value":426},"2026-02-19",179.86,{"date":428,"value":429},"2026-02-05",155.4,{"date":431,"value":429},"2026-01-22",{"date":433,"value":434},"2026-01-08",145.37,{"date":46,"value":436},142.69,{"date":438,"value":439},"2025-12-11",141.67,{"date":441,"value":442},"2025-11-27",136.29,{"date":211,"value":444},132.15,{"date":213,"value":446},139.82,{"date":216,"value":448},145.27,"/rare-earths/prices",{"publishedDate":213,"updateFrequency":188,"updateFrequencyText":188,"label":451,"today":452,"last":453,"percentageChange":454,"yearToDate":455,"yearOnYear":456,"oneYearIndexTrend":457,"url":370,"subscription":49,"isProtected":50,"hasAccess":51},"LFP",111.93,124.92,-10.4,-2.67,-3.42,[458,459,460,462,464,466,469,471,473,475,477,479],{"date":213,"value":452},{"date":216,"value":453},{"date":219,"value":461},109.9,{"date":222,"value":463},100.47,{"date":225,"value":465},103.62,{"date":467,"value":468},"2025-04-30",109.47,{"date":329,"value":470},115.87,{"date":339,"value":472},117.3,{"date":341,"value":474},114.57,{"date":344,"value":476},115,{"date":347,"value":478},117.82,{"date":350,"value":480},111.9,{"publishedDate":213,"updateFrequency":188,"updateFrequencyText":188,"label":482,"today":483,"last":484,"percentageChange":485,"yearToDate":486,"yearOnYear":487,"oneYearIndexTrend":488,"url":370,"subscription":49,"isProtected":50,"hasAccess":51},"NCM High-Nickel",99.44,96.91,2.61,2.37,-3.84,[489,490,491,493,495,497,499,501,503,505,506,508],{"date":213,"value":483},{"date":216,"value":484},{"date":219,"value":492},97.09,{"date":222,"value":494},94.93,{"date":225,"value":496},97.13,{"date":467,"value":498},97.89,{"date":329,"value":500},101.4,{"date":339,"value":502},93.25,{"date":341,"value":504},98.94,{"date":344,"value":496},{"date":347,"value":507},98.69,{"date":350,"value":509},101.87,{"publishedDate":213,"updateFrequency":188,"updateFrequencyText":188,"label":511,"today":512,"last":513,"percentageChange":514,"yearToDate":515,"yearOnYear":516,"oneYearIndexTrend":517,"url":370,"subscription":49,"isProtected":50,"hasAccess":51},"NCM Mid-Nickel",103.5,99.73,3.78,13.78,6.78,[518,519,520,522,524,526,528,530,532,534,536,538],{"date":213,"value":512},{"date":216,"value":513},{"date":219,"value":521},99.19,{"date":222,"value":523},96.02,{"date":225,"value":525},98.23,{"date":467,"value":527},99.24,{"date":329,"value":529},101.29,{"date":339,"value":531},87.61,{"date":341,"value":533},92.44,{"date":344,"value":535},90.96,{"date":347,"value":537},92.24,{"date":350,"value":539},95.09,{"id":541,"uuid":542,"name":543,"slug":544,"full_slug":545,"content":546,"relatedArticles":685,"relatedVideos":686},112473299951450,"e03fe61a-d446-45be-b580-f12410f5d15c","Price rises hit peripheral battery components","price-rises-hit-peripheral-battery-components","article/price-rises-hit-peripheral-battery-components",{"_uid":547,"date":548,"tags":549,"editor":553,"content":563,"excerpt":666,"featured":50,"reporter":667,"_editable":671,"component":672,"seo_title":543,"categories":673,"visibility":677,"author_company":49,"featured_image":678,"seo_description":666,"author_full_name":49,"author_job_title":49,"formattedDate":683,"formattedArticleDate":684},"772ee12f-b9b7-48bd-9529-2b8542e17586","2021-08-19 00:00",[550],{"slug":551,"name":552},"cells","Cells",[554],{"slug":555,"name":556,"content":557},"didi-bostock","Didi Bostock",{"job_title":558,"image":559,"bio":561,"linkedin":562},"Editor - Energy Transition & Economics",{"filename":560},"https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/512x512/2c5ca5c1a3/didi-bostock.jpeg","Didi is the Energy Transition & Economics Editor at Benchmark, covering a broad range of markets across the energy transition. His remit spans from downstream sectors such as BESS and EVs, through to midstream such as new technologies and battery production, to upstream critical minerals mining. He also leads on financial analysis across these supply chains, alongside in-depth policy analysis.\n","https://www.linkedin.com/in/didi-bostock-656342198/",{"type":564,"content":565},"doc",[566,573,578,583,588,593,598,603,634,641,646,651,656,661],{"type":567,"attrs":568,"content":569},"paragraph",{"textAlign":49},[570],{"text":571,"type":572},"Sharp price rises and supply shortages for non-active materials used in lithium ion cells are adding pressure to battery manufacturers already facing a rise in battery raw material prices.","text",{"type":567,"attrs":574,"content":575},{"textAlign":49},[576],{"text":577,"type":572},"Prices for binder and separator materials, and solvents, began trending upwards in late-2020 and have since seen sustained higher prices and constrained supply, with expansions limited to smaller Chinese operations.",{"type":567,"attrs":579,"content":580},{"textAlign":49},[581],{"text":582,"type":572},"The supply of the binder material polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) has been particularly constrained and prices have risen dramatically since mid-Q2 2021.  Price rises are a potential issue for cell makers, but a major area of concern is the lack of PVDF currently available to the market, with Benchmark understanding that major suppliers of the chemical had sold out in June 2021.",{"type":567,"attrs":584,"content":585},{"textAlign":49},[586],{"text":587,"type":572},"There are several barriers to commercial PVDF production and expanding supply to meet growing demand is relatively inflexible. In July 2021, Japanese PVDF producer Kureha announced plans to develop a PVDF 10,000 tpa production facility in Changshu, Jiangsu province, China, which would double Kureha’s current capacity of approximately 11,000 tpa. However, this new capacity is not due to enter production until 2024.",{"type":567,"attrs":589,"content":590},{"textAlign":49},[591],{"text":592,"type":572},"A large proportion of the battery supply chain relies on PVDF as it is currently the only binder material qualified at high voltage tolerances for LCO, NCM, NCA and LMO cathode chemistries. However, lower voltage LFP cathodes can use other binder materials.",{"type":567,"attrs":594,"content":595},{"textAlign":49},[596],{"text":597,"type":572},"There are ongoing efforts to develop alternative chemistries to PVDF. The threat of a changing regulatory environment in Europe, where the European Commission is working towards tightening chemicals regulations, could also drive a shift away from PVDF if substitute materials were to be successfully qualified. But for now, PVDF remains a crucial binder material.",{"type":567,"attrs":599,"content":600},{"textAlign":49},[601],{"text":602,"type":572},"While price rises and supply constraints in the PVDF market are among the starkest, recent price rises for other components, such as NMP solvent, could add further pressure on manufacturers.",{"type":567,"attrs":604,"content":605},{"textAlign":49},[606,608,616,618,624,626,632],{"text":607,"type":572},"While cell makers face pricing pressure from these peripheral materials, critical raw material prices have increased considerably since late 2020, with ",{"text":609,"type":572,"marks":610},"Benchmark’s Lithium Carbonate",[611],{"type":612,"attrs":613},"link",{"href":614,"uuid":49,"anchor":49,"target":49,"linktype":615},"https://www.benchmarkminerals.com/price-assessments/#lithium","url",{"text":617,"type":572}," Index up 111.6%, ",{"text":619,"type":572,"marks":620},"nickel sulphate prices",[621],{"type":612,"attrs":622},{"href":623,"uuid":49,"anchor":49,"target":49,"linktype":615},"https://www.benchmarkminerals.com/price-assessments/#nickel",{"text":625,"type":572}," (EXW China) up 25.6%, and ",{"text":627,"type":572,"marks":628},"cobalt hydroxide",[629],{"type":612,"attrs":630},{"href":631,"uuid":49,"anchor":49,"target":49,"linktype":615},"https://www.benchmarkminerals.com/price-assessments/#cobalt",{"text":633,"type":572}," prices up 64.2% year-to-date in July 2021.",{"type":635,"attrs":636,"content":638},"heading",{"level":637,"textAlign":49},4,[639],{"text":640,"type":572},"What do non-active material price rises mean for cell costs?",{"type":567,"attrs":642,"content":643},{"textAlign":49},[644],{"text":645,"type":572},"Most Japanese and Korean cell producers are insulated from recent non-active material price rises by annual or long-term contracts. However, Chinese producers typically prefer purchasing these materials on the spot market where price rises initially develop. Usually, any sustained increase in spot market prices will eventually be seen in cell makers’ long-term contracts.",{"type":567,"attrs":647,"content":648},{"textAlign":49},[649],{"text":650,"type":572},"Traditionally, these price rises would not substantially affect cell cost reductions, but manufacturers now need to pay close attention to the bill of materials which plays a greater role than ever in total production costs.",{"type":567,"attrs":652,"content":653},{"textAlign":49},[654],{"text":655,"type":572},"Between 2014 and 2020, battery cell prices fell from $290/kWh in 2014 to $110/kWh (large contract automotive). These declines were largely driven by two factors: economies of scale and technological improvements. Due the success of these cost reductions the bill of materials now accounts for a much greater share of total production costs than before.",{"type":567,"attrs":657,"content":658},{"textAlign":49},[659],{"text":660,"type":572},"Battery makers are therefore more exposed to battery material price volatility, whether for the cathode and anode supply chains or the non-active materials. The main pricing risks are in the cathode and anode, which represent the largest inputs to the bill of materials, but non-active materials still contribute significantly enough to the overall cost of production that any price increases can eat into a cell maker’s or automaker’s margins.",{"type":567,"attrs":662,"content":663},{"textAlign":49},[664],{"text":665,"type":572},"The bill of materials is now a battery manufacturer’s main obstacle to reducing costs. In this environment, even these peripheral materials represent important marginal gains when looking to continue the downward trend in cell prices.","Sharp price rises and supply shortages for non-active materials used in lithium ion cells are adding pressure to battery manufacturers already facing a rise in battery raw material prices. Prices for binder and separator materials, and solvents, began trending upwards in late-2020 and have since seen sustained higher prices and constrained supply, with expansions limited […]",[668],{"slug":555,"name":556,"content":669},{"job_title":558,"image":670,"bio":561,"linkedin":562},{"filename":560},"\u003C!--#storyblok#{\"name\": \"article\", \"space\": \"\", \"uid\": \"772ee12f-b9b7-48bd-9529-2b8542e17586\", \"id\": \"\"}-->","article",[674],{"slug":675,"name":676},"batteries","Batteries","private",{"id":49,"alt":679,"name":679,"focus":679,"title":679,"source":679,"filename":680,"copyright":679,"fieldtype":681,"meta_data":682,"is_external_url":51},"","https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/7cebea2041/bm-battery-cell-being-handled-e1563796545672.jpg","asset",{"alt":679,"title":679,"source":679,"copyright":679},"Aug 19, 2021","19th August 2021",[],[],1783441553042]