companies

UK-based Johnson Matthey (JM) is ramping up investment in developing its “ultra-high energy” battery cathode material and plans to open customer application testing centres in the UK and Japan.

JM said it has made “significant progress” in commercialising its enhanced lithium nickel oxide (eLNO) material— and has signed its first long-term supply agreement for raw materials with Canada’s Nemaska Lithium. 

Indian lead producer and recycler Gravita has started commercial production of lead from its new battery scrap recycling plant in Tanzania, East Africa.

The company said its Gravita Tanzania subsidiary has a production capacity of around 3,000 metric tonnes per annum and the facility is the group’s first “export oriented recycling plant” in the country.

Swiss battery technology company Innolith has announced two key appointments as part of its push into the North American and Chinese markets.

Former Younicos executive Stephen Wiley has been appointed VP for US business development. Wiley is also a former senior VP at BrightSource Energy, working on the development of a concentrated solar power facility in the US.

German car giant Audi has opened a 1.9MWh second-life battery energy storage system (BESS) in Berlin as part of a research project.

Audi said the facility on the EUREF campus— a “climate-neutral-powered” centre for start-ups and innovation— uses lithium-ion batteries from development vehicles to test “interaction scenarios between electric cars and the power grid”. 

Swiss mining company Glencore has signed a deal to supply cobalt hydroxide for Umicore’s battery materials operations.

The long-term revolving agreement comes just days after Umicore announced it was expanding with its planned acquisition of Freeport Cobalt’s cobalt refining and cathode precursor activities in Finland.