Volkswagen (VW) has taken a major step in securing the future of its bold electric vehicle (EV) production targets by locking in a long-term lithium supply deal with China’s Ganfeng Lithium.

While the details of the MOU have not been disclosed, the company said it would provide the foundation for the introduction of 70 electrified models over the coming 10 years.

VW Group Board Member for Components and Procurement, Dr. Stefan Sommer, said that the deal represented “crucial strategic significance for implementing Volkswagen’s electric offensive”.… Read more

Exports of spodumene concentrate from Australia continued to ramp up in 2018 – with three new mines beginning shipments from ports across Western Australia.

Incremental increases were seen from all three of the country’s established producers; with Greenbushes, Mt Marion and Mt Cattlin recording 12%, 22% and 4% increases in shipments respectively.

Whilst the 23% growth in exports year-on-year was modest in comparison to the dramatic 109% increase seen in 2017, the introduction of further supply from three new operations marks a defining year for an Australian market that, prior to 2017, had only a single operating mine.… Read more

Benchmark Mineral Intelligence is delighted to announce the launch of two new lithium price indexes. The two dedicated price indexes – lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide – draw from the data collected by our analysts across 11 market prices to give the most accurate, independent and reliable industry insights.

The two indexes build on the original Benchmark Lithium Price Index, which was launched in 2015 to provide an overview of lithium chemical price trends from Benchmark Minerals’ monthly Lithium Price Assessment.… Read more

Last week, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence hosted a Wall Street breakfast to discuss the potential for Exchange Traded Lithium.

The breakfast was attended by an excellent cross section of those that are set to be affected most by the introduction of  new financial instruments for lithium.

The London Metal Exchange (LME) presented at the breakfast together with Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, Deutsche Bank on the current state of play for lithium and Rho Motion’s expert insights into the downstream portion of the lithium ion battery to electric vehicle space.… Read more

To subscribe to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence’s Lithium Price Assessment service contact: [email protected].

A new year for the lithium market has already begun to spark fresh concerns about oversupply, but despite the ramp up in new operations major supply chain questions linger.

A furore around anticipated new supply engulfed the lithium market in early-2018, however through the haze of Chinese lithium price declines, massive oversupply concerns were eventually dispelled. 

Incremental new volumes have undoubtedly reached the market throughout 2018 but accompanied by continued growth in demand the industry remains finely balanced as we fast approach the age of the battery megafactories.… Read more

The Benchmark Lithium Price Index has been cited by the Financial Times as global interest in lithium prices continues to grow. This follows The Wall Street Journal’s article citing the Benchmark Lithium Price Index earlier this week.

The Financial Times’ piece, “Electric cars: will Australia’s battery gamble pay off?”, profiles Western Australia’s lithium prospects and the lithium mining boom in the age of electric vehicles.

The feature includes the Benchmark Lithium Price Index and notes that, with reference to Benchmark Minerals’ data, lithium carbonate prices have dropped by a third in Asia.… Read more