Sam Jaffe: Global Market for Lithium-ion Batteries Will Double by 2020

At this year’s Cathodes conference in Newport Beach, part of Benchmark Minerals Week, the Investing News Network sat down with Sam Jaffe, managing director of Cairn ERA, to talk about the future of lithium-ion batteries, new cathode and anode technologies and what’s ahead for the sector.

Jaffe said he expects that by the end of the year about 130 GWh of lithium-ion batteries will have been shipped, but by 2020 that’s going to go up to almost 300 GWh.

“Already in the next two years batteries are going to double in growth,” he said.

According to the expert, the increasing demand is being driven by the automotive sector, but also to some extent by stationary storage and price reductions in the batteries.

Jaffe also shared his insight on lithium metal anodes, and said his view is more pessimistic than most people in this space.

“Lithium metal is going to be a very expensive technology, it is going to be very difficult to make mass production. It is going to take that part of the industry a decade or more to figure out how to do it right and for the costs to come down,” he said. 

Looking over to cathodes, he said that nickel–cobalt–manganese (NCM) is “the king and will continue to reign over the next 10 years, and grow in proportion of the market,” he said.

Listen to the interview above for more insight from Jaffe, including his thoughts on what’s next for lithium-ion batteries, battery pack prices and factors to watch. You can also click here to listen to our full Cathodes interview playlist on YouTube.

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Securities Disclosure: I, Priscila Barrera, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

Editorial Disclosure: The Investing News Network does not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the information reported in contributed article. The opinions expressed in these interviews do not reflect the opinions of the Investing News Network and do not constitute investment advice. All readers are encouraged to perform their own due diligence.