In this episode, we focus the limelight on lithium, a pivotal player in the global energy transition

The recycling of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries remains at a nascent stage in Europe as we approach LME Week 2024, with weak lithium prices and a lack of buyers for LFP black mass keeping its economic viability low.

The price of standard-grade cobalt has fallen to its lowest so far this year in the week ending Friday September 20, on slow demand and continued oversupply.

Chinese steelmakers are strengthening their position as global leaders in electrical steel after China's introduction of new motor efficiency standards, but experts have warned that supply may soon outpace demand and that overcapacity in high-end electrical steel products could generate downward pressure on prices.

Europe's automakers are increasingly vocal about the challenges they face in meeting the EU's stringent decarbonization targets, citing growing concerns over economic uncertainty, consumer reluctance to adopt electric vehicles (EVs) and shrinking production margins.

Delays in US policy support for its domestic anode supply chain have made investment decisions harder, even as expectations for a medium-term supply shortage persist, Shaun Verner, chief executive officer of Australia-listed Syrah Resources, told Fastmarkets in an interview in August

The move to place tariffs on electric vehicles (EVs) imported from China by many countries to varying degrees has resulted in changing trade flows and affected supply chains. Looking at the trade data however, not much has changed yet with EVs still arriving on European shores in volume.

Fastmarkets has compiled a unique, comprehensive overview of electric vehicle (EV) import duties across key markets, including policy announcements, illustrating the disparities and shifting approaches.

Trade, tariffs and protectionist measures were all topics of discussion during the US presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump on Tuesday September 10.

The outlook for nickel in North America remained bullish, with battery capacity installed in electric passenger vehicles expected to grow sixfold between 2020 and 2035, Fastmarkets’ International Critical Minerals and Metals Summit heard on Friday September 6.