While the question of the supply of lithium for EV batteries is a valid one to raise, the abundant supply of lithium means it is unlikely that the world will ever run out of this vital resource.
U.S. geological survey the world is getting better at mining battery metals including lithium. As of 2021, it was estimated that the world had 88 million tonnes of lithium resources.
Earth has approximately 88 million tonnes of lithium, but only one-quarter is economically viable to mine as reserves. The average lithium mine takes at least a few years to get up and running, which presents problems.
Lately, much has been made about a potential shortage of lithium. There is not enough of this element, many argue, to fuel the demand for clean energy in the form of electric vehicles and solar power storage.
Researchers at Vienna University of Technology have developed an oxygen-ion battery based on ceramic materials that has a longer lifespan than lithium-ion batteries. The new battery can be regenerated and does not require rare elements, making it an ideal solution for large energy storage systems.
Zinc-based batteries work much like lithium-ion batteries with zinc ions flowing from the battery's anode to cathode. This class of new battery technology includes zinc-bromine, zinc-manganese dioxide, zinc-air and zinc-ion batteries.
There are many other alternatives to lithium-ion batteries that can be used for renewable energy storage today, though, including long-living flow batteries, massive water batteries, and batteries that store electricity as heat in bricks, sand, and other solid materials.
Running Out of Lithium
An inability to produce enough lithium would result in severe delays to the roll out and implementation of electric transport and renewable power – as such, it is fair to question whether there is enough of the prized element to meet global needs.
Bolivia. Bolivia has the highest identified lithium resources in the world with 20 million tonnes, as per the US Geological Survey data.
Chile holds the world's largest lithium reserves and is the world's second-largest producer. Lithium is currently produced from hard rock or brine mines.
A typical EV battery has about 8 kilograms of lithium, 14 kilograms of cobalt, and 20 kilograms of manganese, although this can often be much more depending on the battery size – a Tesla Model S' battery, for example, contains around 62.6 kg (138 pounds) of lithium.
The process of extracting lithium consumes significant amounts of water and energy, and lithium mining can pollute the air and water with chemicals and heavy metals. In addition, mining lithium can disrupt wildlife habitats and cause soil erosion, leading to long-term ecological damage.
This means, around 250,000 tonnes of lithium would be required annually to produce enough electric cars to replace their petrol equivalents. At this rate, the 14m tonnes of proven reserves would be exhausted within 51 years. The recycling of lithium from used batteries is not taken into account here.
“Yes, we'll [eventually] have enough, but not by that time. There's going to be a real crunch to get the material. We don't have enough in the world to turn that much [lithium] production in the world by 2035."
The surge in demand for lithium batteries amidst a China-led EV boom—in the face of a largely constrained global supply of lithium that could not keep pace with it—underpinned the blistering price rally observed throughout 2021 and much of 2022.
Li-ion batteries, or those contained in electronic devices, should therefore be recycled at certified battery electronics recyclers that accept batteries rather than being discarded in the trash or put in municipal recycling bins.
The report confirms Australia's status as the world leader in the production of five important commodities - bauxite, iron ore, lithium, rutile and zircon. In fact, we produced more than half of the world's lithium with record production in 2021, producing 55 kilotonnes compared to 40 kilotonnes the previous year.
The world's largest hard-rock lithium mine, the Greenbushes mine, is in Western Australia. It is co-operated by the Chinese company Tianqi Lithium and the Australian companies Talison Lithium and IGO Limited. In 2021, it contributed 40% of the lithium mined in Australia.
Who is the biggest lithium producer in Australia. Pilbara Minerals (PLS) is by far the biggest lithium mining company in Australia. Owning the world's largest hard-rock lithium operations, Pilbara produces over 377,000 metric tons of lithium every year.
Most lithium comes from Australia, Chile and China, which also dominates in processing lithium and making batteries. Brine from underground aquifers is pumped to the surface and into evaporation ponds.
According to the United States Geological Survey, global consumption increased by 41 per cent from 2021 to 2022. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, dubbed lithium-based batteries "the new oil."
Availability on the Moon
Lithium is available in the lunar regolith. Average concentration is low at 10 ppm.
Lithium's close chemical cousin, sodium, has been the basis for research into new batteries for years now. One half of sodium chloride, or table salt, it sits in the square below lithium on the periodic table, also in group 1, but weightier.
The most important use of lithium is in rechargeable batteries for mobile phones, laptops, digital cameras and electric vehicles. Lithium is also used in some non-rechargeable batteries for things like heart pacemakers, toys and clocks.
Scientists have studied sodium as a possible replacement for lithium in rechargeable batteries. Sodium is an attractive candidate because it is found everywhere on earth. However, a sodium ion is over 25% larger than a lithium ion.