BMW joins race to secure cobalt for EV batteries

With one eye on accelerating demand for electric vehicles, BMW AG said it’s talking to suppliers of cobalt and other battery materials amid fears that stocks will run short and push already inflated prices higher. Sourcing of cobalt and other materials is “the most important” question BMW has to address before it decides whether to produce its own battery cells, board member Oliver Zipse said at a media briefing. Currently BMW assembles, but doesn’t produce its own battery cells.