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EV and lithium-ion battery OEMs launch artisanal cobalt mining project in DRC

Training of artisanal miners has begun in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as part of a cross-industry initiative to develop an independent, ethical and sustainable cobalt supply for the lithium-ion battery industry.

Training of twelve artisanal mining cooperatives involving more than 1,500 miners in Kolwezi, DRC, begun last month as part of the ‘Cobalt for Development’ initiative launched by vehicle OEM BMW and lithium-ion battery makers Samsung and BASF.

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Samsung in talks with Hyundai to supply its lithium-ion pouch cells for EV applications

Representatives from battery giant Samsung and vehicle OEM Hyundai Motor Group have met in Korea to discuss use of a lithium-ion solid-state cell in next-generation electric vehicles.

The meeting between Samsung Electronics vice chairman Jay Y. Lee and Hyundai Motor Group's executive vice chairman Chung Eui-sun was made on 12 May at the battery plant of Samsung Display in Cheonan, near Seoul, reported the country’s media outlet Aju Business Daily.

Samsung’s 900Wh/L solid-state battery could open up EV possibilities

Samsung has revealed a prototype solid-state battery that boasts an energy density up to 900Wh/L at around 50% smaller by volume than a conventional lithium-ion battery.

The prototype pouch cell would enable an EV to travel up to 800km on a single charge, and features a cycle life of more than 1,000 charges.

Image: (From left) Yuichi Aihara, Principal Engineer from SRJ, Yong-Gun Lee, Principal Researcher and Dongmin Im, Master from SAIT

Apple picks Samsung SDI exec for batteries post

Apple has appointed a former top executive of Korean battery giant Samsung SDI as its global head of battery development.

Soonho Ahn (pictured), who was senior vice-president of next generation batteries and materials innovation at Samsung SDI until last month, confirmed his new appointment on his LinkedIn profile.

Ahn joined Samsung SDI in 2016 when he was put in charge of lithium-ion cell and pack developments for the company. He is also a former director of batteries R&D for LG Chem.

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LG Chem, Ford in blockchain pilot to trace ‘ethical’ battery materials

Tech giant IBM has teamed up with battery maker LG Chem, the Ford Motor Company and others to use blockchain technology “to trace and validate ethically-sourced materials” for batteries and other products.

The group, which includes Chinese mining firm Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt and auditing specialist RCS Global, is starting with a pilot focused on cobalt sourced in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

The move comes amid increasing pressure on electric vehicle producers and their battery suppliers to ensure an ethical approach for procuring raw materials— and hot on the heels of another ‘sustainable cobalt’ initiative launched by South Korea’s Samsung SDI and Samsung Electronics, Germany’s BMW and chemicals group BASF.

Zheijang Huayou Cobalt

South Australia connects grid-scale BESS

A new grid-scale battery energy storage system has entered into service in Australia to bolster power grid security across five of the country’s six states.

The 30-megawatt/8-megawatt-hour lithium-ion BESS in South Australia is owned and developed by transmission provider Electranet— and is adjacent to the company’s Dalrymple substation.

The ‘ESCRI’ (Energy Storage for Commercial Renewable Integration) BESS comprises Samsung rechargeable batteries integrated via invertors, controller and transformers from power company ABB. The system has a 12-year design lifetime.

Samsung 'to expand China battery production'

Korean electronics giant Samsung is to invest US$2.4 billion in order to expand battery manufacturing in Tianjin, northern China, according to a report by the state-run Xinhua News Agency.

The Tianjin municipal government has reported that the investment will be used to expand the power battery lines for automotive batteries, and to establish a multi-layer ceramics capacitors (MLCC) factory in the city.

Tianjin is already a well-established manufacturing base for Samsung, with 10 affiliated companies currently in the municipality, pumping out products reportedly worth a combined total of around CNY84bn ($12.2bn) annually.

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Korean-German partners launch ‘sustainable cobalt’ project in DRC

South Korean firms Samsung SDI and Samsung Electronics are teaming up with German car giant BMW and chemicals group BASF for a joint pilot cobalt mining project to “enhance sustainable mining” for batteries production.

The companies have signed a contract with the German overseas development support agency— Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)— to launch the pilot in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Democratic Republic of the Congo

VW adds SK Innovation to battery cells suppliers group

Volkswagen has expanded its Asian network of electric vehicle battery suppliers to include South Korean manufacturer SK Innovation (SKI).

VW’s board member for procurement, Dr Stefan Sommer, said SKI would supply batteries along with South Korean peers LG Chem and Samsung, plus China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL).

Solid Power ‘to scale-up’ with investments boost

The venture capital arm of Belgium-based battery materials firm Solvay has made an equity investment in US-headquartered next-generation solid-state batteries developer Solid Power.

Solvay Ventures’ move came after Solid Power announced it had generated US$20 million in a Series A investment round, which drew funding from companies including Samsung, Hyundai cradle, Sanoh, and A123 Systems.