Originally Posted by
lpranal
That's really interesting, I did not realize that. I'm really curious to see what happens though, because increased production SHOULD drive down costs, in theory, because of economies of scale. I'm also not sure how much this would actually drive up costs, as I'd hope companies would already be handling lithium batteries with certain amounts of care already. I can think of a few things already considered "hazardous materials" that aren't very expensive. In any case, thanks for the heads up!
Originally Posted by
lpranal
That's really interesting, I did not realize that. I'm really curious to see what happens though, because increased production SHOULD drive down costs, in theory, because of economies of scale. I'm also not sure how much this would actually drive up costs, as I'd hope companies would already be handling lithium batteries with certain amounts of care already. I can think of a few things already considered "hazardous materials" that aren't very expensive. In any case, thanks for the heads up!
There have been handling/storage precautions in place for a long time. However, the hazardous material (HAZMAT) designation will be rather onerous. Analysts are predicting a noticeable impact on the cost of consumer products that have internal batteries, which has some industries jittery, given the recession.
Most LIFEPO4 and other Lithium batteries are made in China. As far as increased production reducing costs, I'm not sure there will be much increased production available for foreign markets, given the Chinese government's mandated move away from SLA batteries for e-bikes. It's quite likely that increased domestic demand in China will actually diminish the volume of LIFEPO4 batteries available for sale to foreign markets. Revised UN transportation safety regulations will also affect the cost of international shipping/handling.