US automotive manufacturer Ford’s announcement that it would invest $3.5 billion to build a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) plant in the US state of Michigan marks the chemistry’s adoption in a nickel cobalt manganese (NCM) dominated market

Battery materials firm Umicore has started the industrialization of its high lithium, manganese (HLM) cathode active material (CAM), it said, and was targeting commercial production and use in electric vehicles in 2026

Seaborne manganese ore prices in China ticked upward in the week to Friday December 2 but doubt remained whether this was an indication of an upward trend or just a short-term shift

Chinese battery cathode materials producer Beijing Easpring plans to establish a lithium (manganese) iron phosphate (L(M)FP) project together with its compatriot, Sichuan Shudao New Material Technology Group Co

Muthu Krishna, battery cost modeller at Fastmarkets, discusses the impact of high battery raw material prices and the increasing popularity of LFP

The global trade for manganese ore and other metals shipped in containers is being constrained by weak demand despite lower freight costs and higher availability of boxes

Key battery raw materials such as cobalt and lithium were among the main discussion points at London Metal Exchange (LME) Week during the week of Monday, October 24

The Chinese battery-related nickel market has continued to show strength, with domestic prices rising and demand appearing strong for intermediate feedstock products such as nickel mixed-hydroxide-precipitate (MHP). But the international sulfate market has continued to show weakness on a spot basis with little buying interest reported.

Black mass will require a set of global specifications for recycled battery materials for it to be commoditized.

Fastmarkets explores the logistical challenges facing South African ore exports, from the perspective of chrome and manganese markets