Israeli company StoreDot Ltd. has manufactured the first battery for electric vehicles that can be charged in just five minutes, a step toward making refueling as fast as cars at a gas station. The lithium-ion samples were produced by StoreDot’s strategic partner in China, Eve Energy Co., and have been used as a demonstration in a two-wheeled scooter. StoreDot said that rapid charging batteries could overcome range and charging anxiety, a critical barrier to mainstream EV adoption. However, batteries that charge this quickly may not be achievable at scale for years with existing plug-in infrastructure. Degradation relating to use of fast-charging also is an under-appreciated issue.
He said being Chinese-based puts them in a good position to manage their supply chain relationships. Because of their location in China they work very closely with many Chinese battery producers, he said. [China is] very, very important when it comes to electric vehicles and battery manufacturing and also in processing key raw materials. And because of that Ganfeng is really well positioned to continue to capture the opportunity in the electric vehicle market.
Next, Palandrani has a positive outlook on
Livent (
), a Philadelphia-based company that operates in lithium-rich Argentina. Livent s location, like Ganfeng, gives it an advantage. [Argentina sits] at the low-end of the cost curve when it comes to producing lithium, he said. South America is very well known for having that very low cost of production, so companies that operate there tend to have a competitive advantage relative to the rest of the world.