Europe's plans to ban all fossil fuel-powered vehicles by 2035 might be thwarted by the world's lithium supply not being large enough, according to a Financial Times report published Sunday. If the European Union is to switch to electric cars, demand for lithium will skyrocket and there would not be as much supply, the article noted.
Bolivian President Evo Morales Sunday opened a potassium chloride industrial plant in Uyuni, department of Potosí, which is expected to have a yearly output of 350 thousand tons and is a part of the country's strategy for the industrialization of lithium.
The age of electrification across the transportation sector, the solar panel revolution, and Tesla's battery giga-factory are igniting a battle for the cheapest battery. That will transform lithium into a boom-time mineral and the hottest commodity on the energy investor's radar. It has been easy to take lithium for granted.
The world leading lithium producer SQM has won a tender to develop a lithium concession in Chile, which produces around 40% of the metal, used widely in hybrid vehicles and computer and smart-phone batteries, the Mining Ministry said on Monday.