Interessanter Breakdown der Kosten bei Batterien für Elektroautos. Spannend!
According to data from BloombergNEF, the cost of each cell’s cathode adds up to more than half of the overall cell cost.
Cathode: 51%
Manufacturing and depreciation: 24%
Anode: 12%
Separator: 7%
Electrolyte: 4%
Housing and other materials: 3%
Percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding.Why Are Cathodes so Expensive?
The cathode is the positively charged electrode of the battery. When a battery is discharged, both electrons and positively-charged molecules (the eponymous lithium ions) flow from the anode to the cathode, which stores both until the battery is charged again.
That means that cathodes effectively determine the performance, range, and thermal safety of a battery, and therefore of an EV itself, making them one of the most important components.
They are composed of various metals (in refined forms) depending on cell chemistry, typically including lithium and nickel. Common cathode compositions in modern use include:
Lithium iron phosphate (LFP)
Lithium nickel manganese cobalt (NMC)
Lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA)
The battery metals that make up the cathode are in high demand, with automakers like Tesla rushing to secure supplies as EV sales charge ahead. In fact, the commodities in the cathode, along with those in other parts of the cell, account for roughly 40% of the overall cell cost.
