Nornickel is looking for a new market for palladium with EVs that use a catalyst for lithium-sulphur battery

Nornickel, a Russian company, said it would 'complete the development of a Palladium-based catalyst?for Li-S batteries in three years. This could create a'major new source of demand for palladium?in e-cars.

In theory, Li-S batteries offer a higher energy density and lower weight as well as lower costs than the lithium-ion battery currently used in many EVs. They have not yet reached a mass-market due to their very short service life.

Nornickel,?the largest palladium producer in the world and responsible for 40% of global output, is working on a project to extend the life of Li-S battery to over 1,000 charging cycles.

"I believe that we have a 3-year horizon to refine the technology in order to compete with current solutions." "Overall, the lithium-sulphur technology looks quite promising when it comes to energy density (driving distance)," said Nornickel Vice president Vitaly Busko.

Nornickel estimated that if the technology is successful, "it would open up huge new markets for palladium". He estimated a potential demand of 1.5 million ounces per year.

Nornickel opened this week a laboratory for palladium in Moscow. The lab will be used to find new uses for the metal beyond autocatalysts, which account for over 80% of worldwide?demand.

The metals giant will invest $100 million into a program that will generate around 1.7 million ounces per year of palladium demand by 2030-2035. This is to offset the potential losses due to EV adoption. They have already identified an application for fibreglass in China.

(source: Reuters)