L R AS Published on Monday 19 March 2018 - n° 225 - Categories:battery materials
A quarter of the world's cobalt production is used by smartphones
Apple cannot afford to be overly dependent on raw materials. But cobalt is the essential component
the batteries of his iPhone. Almost a quarter of the world's cobalt production is used today in the production of smartphones.
Apple would negotiate not with the middlemen, but with the mining companies that extract it. Apple would seek to secure several thousand tonnes of cobalt per year over five years or more. Apple is not the only company looking for long-term cobalt supply offers. German carmaker BMW is seeking its own 10-year delivery contract for its electric car programme, says Bloomberg. Electric cars will double global demand for cobalt by 2025 and quadruple it by 2030.
L'Usine Nouvelle of 21 February
