大衆未能爲電動車落實長期電池原料供應
An attempt by one of the world’s biggest carmakers to secure long-term supplies of cobalt for its push into electric vehicles has been shunned by leading producers of the metal.
世界最大的汽車製造商之一大衆汽車(Volkswagen)試圖落實鈷的長期供應，以便爲量產電動車做好準備，但遭到這種金屬的主要生產商的冷遇。Volkswagen issued a tender last month seeking a minimum of five years of supply at a fixed price, according to people familiar with the process, but struggled to find any takers.
據知情人士透露，大衆汽車上月發佈一項招標，尋求以固定價格保障至少五年的供應，但難以找到感興趣的供應商。The carmaker put off miners by suggesting a price that was well below current market prices, which have jumped by more than 80 per cent this year, the people said.
這些人士稱，這家汽車製造商提議的價格遠低於當前的市場價格，這使礦商不滿。今年以來鈷價飆漲80%以上。
“They’re being arrogant because they’re automotive and they’re used to doing it,” one trader said. “They completely misjudged the contents of the tender. There’s no point negotiating — it’s not even a discussion point.”
“他們有點傲慢，因爲他們是汽車業巨擘，他們習慣於這麼做，”一名交易員表示。“他們在招標內容上判斷完全錯誤，以至於談判沒有任何意義；這甚至不是一個討論點。”The pushback is a sign of the difficulties carmakers face securing long-term supplies of battery raw materials as they gear up to produce electric vehicles for the mass market.
這個挫折表明，在汽車製造商準備面向大衆市場生產電動車之際，它們在落實電池原材料的長期供應方面遇到困難。“Volkswagen is looking for long-term strategic solutions for important e-mobility raw materials in order to ensure capacity and price stability,” a spokesman for the company said, declining to comment on ongoing sourcing processes.
“大衆汽車公司正在爲重要的電動車原材料尋找長期戰略解決方案，以確保產能和價格穩定，”該公司的一名發言人表示。此人拒絕評論正在進行的採購過程。Electric vehicle batteries require much larger quantities of raw materials than those found in smartphones and iPads. That is challenging small markets for lithium and cobalt, which have seen dramatic price rises.
與智能手機和平板電腦的電池相比，電動車電池需要的原材料數量大得多。這一點在鋰和鈷等傳統上較小的市場具有挑戰性；這些市場近來都出現了迅猛的價格上漲。
More than 60 per cent of cobalt is mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has raised fears among automakers over security of supply. The DRC’s president Joseph Kabila has not set a date for elections, after he failed to step down before a deadline last December.
全球60%以上的鈷是在剛果民主共和國開採的。這使各家汽車製造商擔心供應安全問題。剛果民主共和國總統約瑟夫?卡比拉(Joseph Kabila)未能在去年12月的截止日期卸任，而且至今沒有設定選舉日期。Cobalt production in the DRC is dominated by a handful of producers including Glencore and China Molybdenum. Outside the large companies, cobalt is mined by hand before it is collected and sent to China. Last year Amnesty International said that process often involved child labour.
剛果民主共和國的鈷生產由少數幾家生產商主導，包括嘉能可(Glencore)和洛陽鉬業(China Molybdenum)。除了大公司之外，還有一些鈷被手工開採，然後收集起來發運至中國。大赦國際(Amnesty International)去年表示，這個過程往往涉及童工。
