China's lithium prices are plunging faster than expected this year, down 34% in the last four weeks alone, hit by a slump in demand for electric vehicles in the world's biggest market that has left stocks of the metal piling up.
South Korea's LG Energy Solution Ltd (LGES) said on Friday it would invest 7.2 trillion won ($5.58 billion) to build a battery factory in Arizona, reviving a project paused last year due to adverse economic conditions.
Chinese battery giant CATL plans to start this year the mass production and delivery of batteries based on a new materials technology, M3P, which will perform better and cost less than nickel and cobalt-based ones, its chairman said.
Germany's transport ministry is softening its stance in a conflict between Berlin and Brussels over a phase-out of combustion engines, presenting a compromise proposal to the EU Commission via email, the Spiegel news website said on Friday.