Modern battery technology is reliant on several rare earth minerals that are concentrated in certain parts of the world and need specialized mining practices to extract. Once the raw materials are mined, they are processed and refined into the precursors of battery materials. Next, specialized parts such as the anode and cathode, electrolytes, casings, and more are synthesized before being fabricated into complete battery units that also have electronic components such as circuitry and sensors.
EarlyBirds, the open-source intelligence platform for innovation, has announced the launch of its Battery Ecosystem Map which dynamically tracks and monitors the global supply chain and ecosystem from rare earth mining to recycling. Readers can find out more about the company by visiting earlybirds.io.
Electric vehicles are having their moment in the United States and all over the world as successful product lines from companies such as Tesla and BMW have made the cleaner form of transportation a viable option for most consumers. However, one of the primary challenges in increasing the production of EV vehicles, and consequently making them more affordable for the masses, is supplying the batteries that power them.
“EVs are not the only mass-market product that needs a large supply of high-capacity batteries,” says Jeff Penrose, the co-founder of EarlyBirds. “All manner of consumer electric devices, from cellphones to laptops, rely on modern battery technologies to deliver a pleasurable user experience. The proliferation of these devices coupled with the renaissance that the EV industry is currently going through has made it clear that supplying this growing demand is going to be a challenge for battery manufacturers.”
Modern battery technology is reliant on several rare earth minerals that are concentrated in certain parts of the world and need specialized mining practices to extract. Once the raw materials are mined, they are processed and refined into the precursors of battery materials. Next, specialized parts such as the anode and cathode, electrolytes, casings, and more are synthesized before being fabricated into complete battery units that also have electronic components such as circuitry and sensors.
Kris Poria, the other co-founder of EarlyBirds talks about the obstacles that battery manufacturers have to overcome by saying, “Right now, the mining of materials such as lithium, graphite, nickel, and cobalt, is concentrated in a few nations. For example, Australia is the top producer of lithium as it accounts for nearly half of the global supply. Over 60% of the graphite currently mined comes from China. Nearly 70% of the cobalt mined comes from the Congo, a region that is steeped in political turmoil and where production is rife with human rights abuses, adding a moral cost to the mining of the precious rare earth metals. Moreover, recent legislation in the United States, such as the Inflation Reduction Act, requires manufacturers to move parts of the supply chain to the country to be eligible for certain tax breaks. Businesses looking for solutions to these problems are urged to join the EarlyBirds platform as early adopters at https://earlybirds.io/en/early_adopter.”
EarlyBirds’ solution to help organizations address these pressing issues is the Battery Ecosystem Map. It contains startups, scaleups, and mature companies involved in the core battery themes and sub-themes such as mining, refining, and manufacturing of cells into modules and packs, and the circular economy for reuse and recycling. It also tracks industry news from numerous daily and historical news and media articles from across the world.
The Battery Domain Atlas and Domain Monitor are now available on the EarlyBirds award-winning platform. The Atlas and Monitor are ready for use with a comprehensive interface to explore and visualize results, create focused projects, and apply workflow to activities for enhanced collaboration and outputs.
The Australian open innovation ecosystem boasts a database of over 4.9 million innovators who have listed their products and services for initial sale such as pilot, trial, or proof of concept. Multiple stakeholders are invited to join including product managers, marketing professionals, sales experts, and founders and CEOs.
For early adopters, EarlyBirds offers the Explorer and Challenger Programs. The Explorer Program is for businesses who need innovation as a service to supplement existing innovation programs, or to conduct innovation projects as required. The Challenger Program is designed to solve one business or technical challenge at a time and search for relevant innovators that meet the business, technical, commercial, and business risk requirements.
Companies working on technologies that add value to any part of the battery manufacturing process are urged to join the EarlyBirds platform as innovators by visiting https://earlybirds.io/en/innovator.