Symposium 3
Global Battery Raw Materials
June 19-20, 2017 | Marriott Marquis Hotel | San Francisco, CA
Part of the 17th International Advanced Automotive Battery Conference
Understanding the complexities of the global supply chain for battery component materials is critical to the successful commercialization of EV applications. An examination of the drivers of end user demand with a focus on major new projects in the pipeline and how that demand will evolve over the near and long term will be presented. This symposium will cover the global markets from multiple angles including advances in mining and processing with an emphasis on sourcing and cost control strategies by manufacturers with an outlook on the forecasted consumption trends for China, Japan, Korea, Europe and the United States. Don’t miss your opportunity to network with the major players within the global battery supply chain.
Final Agenda
Monday, June 19
12:30 pm Symposium Registration Open
1:30 Chairperson’s Opening Remarks
Simon Moores, Managing Director, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, United Kingdom
1:35 The Supply Chain Heat Map for Key Materials in Li-Ion Batteries
Kurt Vandeputte, Vice President, Rechargeable Battery Materials Business Unit, Umicore
The number and complexity of Li-ion battery applications are still growing significantly and, combined with an acceleration of demand for Li-ion batteries, this has resulted in increasingly complex raw-material supply chains. Insights into the supply-demand balance for a number of key materials used in Li-ion batteries will be presented. A more detailed analysis will be given, using specific examples, resulting in a supply chain heat map for key materials used in Li-ion battery production.
1:55 Advancing Next Generation Lithium Batteries
Marina Yakovleva, Global Commercial Manager for New Product and Technology Development, FMC Corporation
FMC continues its focus on customer applications and emerging technologies through its R&D efforts in developing new products and technologies that can meet the demand for higher energy density systems. The presentation will review FMC’s outlook on the rechargeable Li-ion market. The role of Lithium precursors in the development of the advanced cathode materials and FMC’s road map for the advancements of the Li-ion and beyond Li-ion systems will also be discussed.
2:15 Genuine Demand, Speculation or Government Policy - What Have Been the Key Drivers in the Fluctuating Price Developments in Battery Raw Materials
Barbara O’Donovan, Editor, Industrial Minerals
This presentation will review the price trends in lithium, graphite, cobalt and nickel and focus on the key issues which have driven the markets in the last 18 months, particularly the spikes in lithium prices and bull run in cobalt. The focus will be on the battery grade materials for each of these commodities. The challenges facing new suppliers in the market and the ongoing trends in material substitution.
2:35 Production of Lithium Hydroxide at Lower Cost
Jean-François Magnan, Technical Manager, Nemaska Lithium
Nemaska proprietary technology allows to produce Lithium hydroxide directly at a lower cost than most of the actual Lithium carbonate producers. Lithium hydroxide is required for the production of high-grade nickel cathode material having high energy density such as NCA and NMC. Also, depending on the chemistry and the process to synthesize the cathode material, Lithium hydroxide has many technical advantages over Lithium carbonate.
2:55 Refreshment Break
3:15 North American Supply of Premier Graphite Anode Materials
Jeremy Schrooten, Senior Engineer, Research & Development, Pyrotek
Pyrotek has processed graphite anode materials for lithium-ion batteries since the early 1990s. Our proprietary, low-emission furnace technology utilizes clean, renewable hydroelectric power as a North American source for graphitization and purification of graphite anode materials. This presentation will provide an overview of our technological and environmental advantages that show state-of-the-art performance is attainable at a competitive price point.
3:35 Designing Cells for Cost and Scale by Enabling Diversification in Supply Chain
Rick Chamberlain, CTO, Boston-Power
I will present Boston-Power’s plans for scaling Lithium-ion battery production to meet the demands of EVs, with focus on the China market. I will cover aspects of cell design and how they relate to supply chain and influence the ability to scale production volumes and achieve cost targets.
3:55 Accelerate the Launch of New Lithium-Ion Cell Technologies via Rapid Prototyping and Collaborative Partnerships: The View from the Early Stage Material Developer
Nick Gurnon, Scientist, Polaris Battery Labs, LLC
There are significant new material inventions in Lithium ion and other advanced battery chemistries in the U.S. that can have a dramatic impact on product performance. Some key questions that will be addressed include 1). Why it’s so hard to bring a new battery chemistry to market, 2). The process for launching a new material, electrode or cell into full production, and 3). Manufacturing challenges, make vs. buy, Asia. Our labs accelerate new Lithium-ion battery developments with emphasis on early stage raw material inventions.
4:15 Toward Better Understanding of the Cost Associated with Upstream and Downstream Manufacturing Processes of Lithium-Ion Batteries for Automotive Applications
Ahmad Mayyas, Ph.D., Research Engineer, Strategic Energy Analysis Center, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
This work focuses on cost associated with extraction and purification of raw materials used in Li-ion batteries such as Co, Ni, Mn and graphite. This work also attempts to expand cost analysis to cover costs associated with cells and modules packaging. Value chain analysis will be used to facilitate understanding of costs in the manufacturing processes of Li-ion batteries.
4:35 Q&A
5:00 Close of Day
Tuesday, June 20
8:30 am Symposium Registration Open and Morning Coffee
9:00 Chairperson’s Remarks
Nick Gurnon, Scientist, Polaris Battery Labs, LLC
9:05 Battery Grade Raw Material Supply Evolution: Discussing Price Volatility, Rapid Expansion and Significant Investment Happening to Fuel the Energy Storage Revolution
Simon Moores, Managing Director, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, United Kingdom
In this presentation, I will discuss the Battery grade raw material supply evolution. Discussing price volatility, rapid expansion and significant investment happening to fuel the energy storage revolution will be presented.
9:25 Lithium-Ion Battery Raw Material Supply and Demand 2016 - 2025
Christophe Pillot, Ph.D., Battery Survey Manager, Avicenne Energy, France
This presentation includes cathode, anode, electrolyte and separator demand. It will examine the major component suppliers and include a discussion on price evolution and major technical trends.
9:45 The Road to $100/KWH
Sam Jaffe, Managing Director, Cairn Energy Research Advisors
This talk will explore the road ahead in materials sourcing and explore how battery companies can further reduce pricing to the point where EVs become a sensible economic decision for consumers. The talk will also include examples of some companies that are already taking the steps necessary to make EVs a sensible decision. Finally, the presentation will conclude with Cairn ERA’s pricing forecast for automotive traction Li-ion batteries.
10:05 Grand Opening Coffee Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing
11:00 ERG’s Metalkol Project RTR: Long Term Sourcing of Sustainable and Ethically Mined Cobalt
Tony Southgate, Head, Strategic Cobalt Marketing, Eurasian Resources Group
The globally expanding battery sector is increasingly focused on securing sustainable and ethically sourced cobalt. This presentation will explore how this goal can be achieved using ERG’s Metalkol Project RTR as a case study.
11:20 The Next Convergence - How Companies are Positioning to Capture Value Along the Lithium Ion Supply Chain
Chris Berry, Founder, House Mountain Partners, LLC
As Lithium-ion battery prices continue to fall by 8% to 14% per year and public policy lines up behind the need to de-carbonize, the implications for this shift across multiple industries, from mining, to battery manufacturer, to OEM, to utility are profound and it appears that nobody is entirely sure what the next five years hold. With interest rates at historic lows around the world and generally sluggish growth accompanying this, companies and investors alike will need to find new markets that offer high growth opportunities to survive and thrive.
11:40 Lithium-Ion Battery: Sustainable Supply Chain to Build a Sustainable Manufacturing
Shailesh Upreti, Ph.D., President, C4v; Center of Excellence, SUNY Binghamton
Recently Lithium-ion battery-based products have been analyzed critically to study their supply chain operations and related manufacturing challenges. There are certain downstream processes as well as chemical that are seriously concerning, however have still been used for many decades in refining raw materials to make them usable for Li-ion battery manufacturing. My talk would highlight some of such issues and discuss a few commercially available solutions and products that could open doors for new technologies at different stages of Li-ion battery value chain.
12:00 pm Battery Growth Opportunities Meeting the Requirements of Growing Markets and Applications
Shmuel De-Leon, Founder and CEO, Shmuel De-Leon Energy, Ltd.
The battery industry faces a new challenge – growing demand for Li-ion cells and batteries that exceeds the current manufacturing capabilities. How will that effect the cells and battery cost? When can we expect to have the breakeven between demand and supply? What are the new Li-ion rechargeable technologies that can provide us the breakthrough we are looking for? What is the timeframe?
12:20 Q&A
12:40 Networking Lunch
1:35 Dessert Break in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing
2:35 Chairperson’s Remarks
Shmuel De-Leon, Founder and CEO, Shmuel De-Leon Energy, Ltd.
2:40 Mergers and Acquisitions in the Battery and Battery Materials Market
Scott Mulcahy, Managing Director, Investment Banking, XMS Capital
Merger, acquisition and divestiture activity is quite high with record level valuations and the availability of capital. Acquirers in the battery material sector have competition for high quality targets and companies seeking strategic or purely investment capital have multiple alternatives. The battery materials sector is entering a growth phase that we expect to be marked by break-through developments. Assessing the right opportunities in a market that will have winners and losers is critical.
3:00Why Graphite Really Matters
Edward Buiel, Ph.D., Managing Director, PUREgraphite
Ed will share some recent research results that highlight the vital role of graphite in determining the battery performance and in building better batteries in the future and provide an overview on the latest PUREgraphite materials available and the results that can be expected.
3:20 PANEL DISCUSSION: Barriers and Opportunities to Meeting Global Market Demand for Advanced Battery Materials
Moderators:
Barbara O’Donovan, Editor, Industrial Minerals
Panelists:
Scott Mulcahy, Managing Director, Investment Banking, XMS Capital
Edward Buiel, Ph.D., Managing Director, PUREgraphite
Shmuel De-Leon, Founder and CEO, Shmuel De-Leon Energy, Ltd.
It is estimated that the global energy storage markets have the potential to reach over $150 billion annually. These markets represent significant opportunities for investment and R&D. This international panel of experts will discuss meeting the challenges of increasing global demand with keeping costs low while continuing to advance technology. The panel will explore which organizations are well positioned to capitalize on the growth and where the key opportunities are for investment.
4:00 Networking Reception in the Exhibit Hall with Poster Viewing
5:05 Close of Symposium