Where’s the Lithium? NYT Notices a Lot More Lithium Needed for Biden’s Electric Vehicle Push

[rangerrebew]

Where’s the Lithium? NYT Notices a Lot More Lithium Needed for Biden’s Electric Vehicle Push
22 hours ago
 

Guest essay by Eric Worrall

h/t Neil; NYT has noticed an awful lot of toxic mineral extraction and wholesale open cut ecological destruction would be required, to satisfy President Biden’s clean electric vehicle vision.

    The electric-vehicle race is creating a gold rush for lithium, raising environmental concerns.

    May 7, 2021

    The United States needs to quickly find new supplies of lithium as automakers ramp up manufacturing of electric vehicles.

    Lithium is used in electric car batteries because it is lightweight, can store lots of energy and can be repeatedly recharged. Other ingredients like cobalt are needed to keep the battery stable.

    But production of raw materials like lithium, cobalt and nickel that are essential to these technologies are often ruinous to land, water, wildlife and people, Ivan Penn and Eric Lipton report for The New York Times. Mining is one of the dirtiest businesses out there.

https://wattsupwiththat.com/2021/05/08/wheres-the-lithium-nyt-notices-a-lot-more-lithium-needed-for-bidens-electric-vehicle-push/

[Cyber Liberty]

The Lithium being mined today is in the ground in China.  The mines look like this:

[Kamaji]

Lithium, cobalt, 700+ additional new full-scale power plants ...

The fantasy list of must-haves before the transportation fleet can be all-electric continues to grow.

[Cyber Liberty]

Lithium, cobalt, 700+ additional new full-scale power plants ...

The fantasy list of must-haves before the transportation fleet can be all-electric continues to grow.

It's rayciss for us to point that out, ya know.....

[thackney]

The Lithium being mined today is in the ground in China.  The mines look like this:

Don't confuse reserves with actual production

Top six lithium-producing countries in the world in 2019
https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/features/top-lithium-producing-countries/

1. Australia – 42,000 tonnes
2. Chile – 18,000 tonnes
3. China – 7,500 tonnes
4. Argentina – 6,400 tonnes
5. Zimbabwe – 1,600 tonnes
6. Portugal – 1,200 tonnes

[Cyber Liberty]

Don't confuse reserves with actual production

Top six lithium-producing countries in the world in 2019
https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/features/top-lithium-producing-countries/

1. Australia – 42,000 tonnes
2. Chile – 18,000 tonnes
3. China – 7,500 tonnes
4. Argentina – 6,400 tonnes
5. Zimbabwe – 1,600 tonnes
6. Portugal – 1,200 tonnes

That's good to know!  I always like Aussies.

[Kamaji]

It's rayciss for us to point that out, ya know.....

I know, I know.  It's those pesky facts again.  So damned race-iss of me to insist on facts.

[Kamaji]

Don't confuse reserves with actual production

Top six lithium-producing countries in the world in 2019
https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/features/top-lithium-producing-countries/

1. Australia – 42,000 tonnes
2. Chile – 18,000 tonnes
3. China – 7,500 tonnes
4. Argentina – 6,400 tonnes
5. Zimbabwe – 1,600 tonnes
6. Portugal – 1,200 tonnes

How much of that production is from joint ventures in which China has a stake?  Just 'cause China has small production and small reserves, doesn't mean that it hasn't taken steps to control as much of the remainder as possible.

[Cyber Liberty]

How much of that production is from joint ventures in which China has a stake?  Just 'cause China has small production and small reserves, doesn't mean that it hasn't taken steps to control as much of the remainder as possible.

With a little bit of luck, China will pull on that string in time to stop the Electric Car hysteria.  I think they're smarter than that, but who knows?

[rangerrebew]

How much of that production is from joint ventures in which China has a stake?  Just 'cause China has small production and small reserves, doesn't mean that it hasn't taken steps to control as much of the remainder as possible.

Because they have small production and reserves means nothing.  If Madam Clinton can send uranium to Russia under the baloney it was done for money for their "charity,"  someone, like Uncle Joe, will send them whatever they need and call it wheat or coal.

[Kamaji]

With a little bit of luck, China will pull on that string in time to stop the Electric Car hysteria.  I think they're smarter than that, but who knows?

Except that China seems to have made a strong commitment to elextric vehicles.

[Cyber Liberty]

Except that China seems to have made a strong commitment to elextric vehicles.

Yes, I agree they have.  It would be extremely foolish for the Chinese to cut off the Lithium supply while the US consumers still haven't decided they want electric cars.

OTOH, China is in the process of killing the Hong Kong goose that lays golden eggs, so there's that.