- Battery makers are turning to manganese-rich chemistries due to the lower cost, said Euro Manganese CEO Matt James.Euro Manganese is a battery materials company focused on its Chvaletice project, a decommissioned mine in the Czech Republic. Euro Manganese plans to remediate and reprocess the old tailings. The company says that it is the only sizable manganese orebody in the European Union.
In the company's presentation, Euro Manganese states that manganese is an essential raw material in most lithium-ion batteries. Nickel-manganese-cobalt cathodes are currently the dominant chemistry in electric vehicle batteries with about 50% market share."It's becoming more important, because it's the most affordable," said James."The cathode companies or battery companies are developing manganese-rich chemistries to lower the cost of the battery.