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.

世界最大的汽车制造商之一大众汽车(Volkswagen)试图落实钴的长期供应，以便为量产电动车做好准备，但遭到这种金属的主要生产商的冷遇。

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.

据知情人士透露，大众汽车上月发布一项招标，寻求以固定价格保障至少五年的供应，但难以找到感兴趣的供应商。

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.

这些人士称，这家汽车制造商提议的价格远低于当前的市场价格，这使矿商不满。今年以来钴价飙涨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.”

“他们有点傲慢，因为他们是汽车业巨擘，他们习惯于这么做，”一名交易员表示。“他们在招标内容上判断完全错误，以至于谈判没有任何意义;这甚至不是一个讨论点。”

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.

这个挫折表明，在汽车制造商准备面向大众市场生产电动车之际，它们在落实电池原材料的长期供应方面遇到困难。

“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.

“大众汽车公司正在为重要的电动车原材料寻找长期战略解决方案，以确保产能和价格稳定，”该公司的一名发言人表示。此人拒绝评论正在进行的采购过程。

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.

与智能手机和平板电脑的电池相比，电动车电池需要的原材料数量大得多。这一点在锂和钴等传统上较小的市场具有挑战性;这些市场近来都出现了迅猛的价格上涨。

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%以上的钴是在刚果民主共和国开采的。这使各家汽车制造商担心供应安全问题。刚果民主共和国总统约瑟夫•卡比拉(Joseph Kabila)未能在去年12月的截止日期卸任，而且至今没有设定选举日期。

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.

刚果民主共和国的钴生产由少数几家生产商主导，包括嘉能可(Glencore)和洛阳钼业(China Molybdenum)。除了大公司之外，还有一些钴被手工开采，然后收集起来发运至中国。大赦国际(Amnesty International)去年表示，这个过程往往涉及童工。