Channel 7’s Spotlight On Evs, Fails To Identify Any Ev Maker That Actually Uses ‘dirty Nickel’ From Indonesia

Last night, Channel 7 aired nan latest section of their Spotlight program. The attraction was connected Indonesian mining practices that reportedly consequence successful emanation betwixt 9 and 11x higher than Australian operations.

While it’s clear that workplace wellness and information practices successful Indonesia are intelligibly lacking compared to our standards here, nan main attraction and header of nan communicative targeted electrical vehicles.

The show title was ‘The EV con: Spotlight investigation into nan deadly broadside of electrical vehicles sold successful Australia’.

During nan episode, nan presenter spent overmuch of nan clip attempting to make EV owners consciousness blameworthy for their conveyance purchase, suggesting they are fueling issues successful nan proviso chain.

The problem pinch this conclusion, is that it’s not recovered successful evidence.

Firstly, Nickel is utilized crossed galore industries including Aerospace, Electronics, Chemical, Medical, Stainless Steel accumulation and yes, Automotive.

Battery chemistry is besides important to break down. The show grounded to differentiate betwixt artillery types, of which different automakers usage different types.

NMC (Nickel Manganese Cobalt)
This artillery uses communal ratios for illustration NMC 811 (80% nickel, 10% manganese, 10% cobalt) trust heavy connected high-purity nickel to maximize power density, which extends EV range.

NCA (Nickel Cobalt Aluminum)
Used successful immoderate high-performance EVs (e.g., Tesla models), besides depends connected Class I nickel for akin reasons.

LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate)
Battery chemistry is simply a type of lithium-ion artillery that uses lithium robust phosphate arsenic nan cathode material. Unlike high-nickel chemistries for illustration NMC aliases NCA, LFP batteries do not incorporate nickel. Instead, they trust connected robust and phosphate, offering a different group of advantages specified arsenic improved safety, thermal stability, and little cost, though they person little power density compared to nickel-based batteries.

No we understand artillery chemistry a small better, we tin now attraction connected different cardinal point.,

The request for Class I nickel has surged owed to nan EV boom, pinch companies for illustration Tesla, CATL, and LG Chem driving nan request for high-purity supplies. Major producers of Class I nickel, specified arsenic Canada (Vale, Glencore), Russia (Nornickel), and Australia (BHP), are cardinal players successful supplying this grade, often from sulfide ore deposits.

Meanwhile, efforts are underway to upgrade immoderate Class II nickel (from laterite ores successful places for illustration Indonesia) into battery-grade material, but this requires costly and energy-intensive conversion processes.

In short, nan Nickel coming retired of a soiled excavation successful Indonesia is not apt to meet nan standards artillery manufacturers require.

Now here’s nan kicker.

At nan extremity of nan interview, nan Channel 7 journalist claimed that ‘with overmuch of nan nickel utilized successful electrical vehicles sold successful Australia coming from Indonesia…’

This is simply not accurate.

Tesla and BYD predominate EV income charts successful Australia and some make their vehicles successful China, Tesla successful Shanghai and BYD successful crossed Xi’an (Shaanxi), Shenzhen (Guangdong), Changsha (Hunan), Zhengzhou (Henan), Changzhou (Jiangsu), Jinan (Shandong), and Hefei (Anhui). These plants nutrient nan electrical and plug-in hybrid vehicles that are shipped to Australia, specified arsenic nan BYD Atto 3, Dolphin, Seal, Sealion 6, and Shark 6.

Statements from EV makers

At nan extremity of nan program, we heard that EV makers were asked to remark connected nan proviso concatenation and alternatively of including that detail, nan assemblage were pointed to nan show’s website (which a mini percent will really do).

Well, I did and you tin excessively (here).

Honda, Volkswagen, Ford, Hyundai, Chery, BMW, and Deepal each made efforts to respond to Spotlight’s questions regarding nan usage of nickel from Indonesia successful their EV batteries.

Spotlight also contacted GWM (Great Wall Motors. which owns Haval), GM, Zeekr, Tesla, MG, Volvo, and Audi, but these companies didn’t respond.

All companies were asked if they root nickel from Indonesia straight aliases indirectly, done a third-party artillery supplier.

The problem for Channel 7 and their communicative astir ‘The EV con’.. is that nary of these statements corroborate nan usage of nickel from Indonesia’s ‘dirty mines’ which featured successful nan show.

It’s really disappointing to spot accusation being presented arsenic truth erstwhile there’s simply not nan grounds to backmost it up. It’s difficult to cognize what nan circumstantial motivations where, but fixed it’s predetermination time, authorities are an unfortunate apt root of motivation.