據今日油價網站1月10日消息，隨著主要汽車制造商汽車電氣化的拋物線式增長增加了需求，鋰價格正創下歷史新高。

世界各地的礦業公司都在爭先恐后地增加產量，開發世界上最輕金屬的新來源。

全球最大的電池生產國上周報告稱，碳酸鋰的基準價格約為300000元（剛剛超過每噸47美元），比2021年1月增長了約六倍。隨著特斯拉等電動汽車制造商報告美國、歐洲和該國的汽車價格呈指數級增長，汽車價格飆升。

鋰是電池技術中的基本元素之一，為穩步取代內燃機的電動汽車提供動力。隨著電動汽車份額的增加，對鋰的需求將增加。因此，傳統觀點認為，在電池行業開發新的采礦項目以擴大產量之前，鋰價格將保持高位。

據彭博社NEF統計，2021年度全球電動汽車銷量約為560萬輛，高于2020年的310萬輛。銷售額的大幅增長主要因全球最大電池生產國的需求飆升。2022年電動汽車的進一步銷售只會表明鋰的需求將超過產量并耗盡庫存，從而有助于保持價格居高不下。

伍德麥肯茲電池原材料研究主管加文·蒙哥馬利表示，鋰價格今年不會像往年那樣暴跌。

蒙哥馬利表示：“未來幾年，我們將進入一個鋰定價的新時代，因為增長將非常強勁。”

好消息是，在過去十年中，鋰離子電池組變得更加廉價。2010年，電池組每千瓦時為1200美元，但自那時以來已降至2021年的132美元。然而，今天不斷飆升的價格可能會在2022年將電池組增加到每千瓦時135美元。

因此，電池行業面臨的壓力是確保新的鋰供應，以保持電池組價格低廉，同時讓電動汽車變得更便宜，從而推進綠色能源革命。

王磊 摘譯自 今日油價

原文如下：

Record High Lithium Prices Are Here To Stay

The price for lithium is hitting fresh record highs as the parabolic growth in the electrification of vehicles by major automakers increases demand.

Mining companies worldwide are scrambling to increase production and develop new sources of the world's lightest metal.

The largest battery-producing country, reported last week that the benchmark price of lithium carbonate was about 300,000 yuan (just over $47k per ton), an increase of about six times from January 2021. Soaring prices come as electric-car makers, such as Tesla, report exponential growth in the US, Europe, and this country. 

Lithium is one of the essential elements in battery technology powering electric vehicles that steadily replace combustion engines. As the share of electric cars increases, demand for lithium will increase; thus, conventional wisdom would suggest lithium prices will remain elevated until the battery industry develops new mining projects to expand output. 

According to Bloomberg NEF, global electric car sales were about 5.6 million in 2021, up from 3.1 million in 2020. The significant increase in sales is due to soaring the largest battery-producing country's demand (as shown in the chart above). Further electric car sales in 2022 will only suggest the demand for lithium will outstrip production and deplete stockpiles, helping to keep prices high. 

Gavin Montgomery, research director for battery raw materials at Wood Mackenzie, said lithium prices would not crash this year as they've done in previous years. 

"We're entering a sort of new era in terms of lithium pricing over the next few years because the growth will be so strong," Montgomery said.  

The good news is that lithium-ion battery packs have become more affordable over the last decade. In 2010, battery packs were $1,200 per kilowatt-hour but had since plummeted to $132 by 2021. However, today's soaring prices could increase battery packs to 135 per kilowatt-hour in 2022. 

So the pressure is on for the battery industry to secure new lithium supplies to keep battery pack prices low while allowing electric cars to become more affordable for widespread adoption of the green energy revolution.