Lithium

Great news for EVs: Lithium Nevada got the green light for a $2.26 billion loan from the US Department of Energy to finance a lithium carbonate processing plant.

Stardust Power, a lithium refiner supplying the EV sector, is going to build the US’s largest battery-grade lithium refinery in Oklahoma.

California’s infamous Salton Sea has been a known hotbed of lithium for years, but no one had a sense of how much “white gold” was found there. Now a new study quantifies that, and it’s impressive: The huge underground reserve of scorching hot brine located underneath the lakebed contains enough lithium to build batteries for 375 million electric vehicles, making it one of the largest lithium brine deposits in the world.

As part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Biden administration announced that a new round of federal funds to support the US battery manufacturing industry is becoming available. This $3.5 billion package is the second part of a large $6 billion-plus program that awarded funds to its first applicants last year.

The evil empire of ExxonMobil is taking a slight reprieve from birthing oil barons to invest its time and money into a promising new venture – lithium. The carbon-clad gasoline company has begun drilling for a different earth material in the US, with an aim to become a leading supplier of lithium vital to current EV battery chemistry by the end of the decade. Do you think they’re using zero-emissions equipment yet?

Chile’s president, Gabriel Boric, wants to create a plan to require state involvement in and control of any lithium contracts going forward in the country with the world’s largest lithium supply.

Boric says that the plan will protect biodiversity and indigenous rights and will help to distribute the gains from Chile’s mineral wealth more broadly among Chileans.

General Motors announced that GM Ventures is leading a $50 million Series B financing round in EnergyX – a company specializing in direct lithium extraction and refinery technologies. As part of the investment, GM will help fund the commercialization of EnergyX’s sustainable extraction technology in exchange for lithium to be exclusively used for EV production.

One of the largest lithium producers globally, Albermarle Corp, announced plans Wednesday to make Chester County, South Carolina home to its new $1.3 billion Mega-Flex lithium processing facility. The plant, once open, is expected to support the production of roughly 2.4 million EVs each year.

During a press conference yesterday, supervisors in Imperial County, California, announced they had voted unanimously to offer tax rebates, property tax deductions, and the potential for further incentives to any and all battery manufacturers willing to produce Lithium products within the county’s lines. The county shared it is also seeking federal funding and state programs to support its “Lithium Valley” project with hopes of bringing more battery manufacturing to California.

A US district court judge has upheld the federal government’s decision to approve the Thacker Pass lithium mine – North America’s largest known lithium source – after a permit issued in 2020 faced legal challenges.

Researchers at Stanford University and the US Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have identified what causes lithium metal batteries to short-circuit and fail – and this could help avoid the problem in future battery production.

Carbon-conscious mining company Snow Lake Lithium and battery production specialist LG Energy Solution announced they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to establish a domestic supply chain of lithium in North America. When Snow Lake’s lithium mining operation gets up and running in 2025, it plans to supply LG with the precious Earth material essential to current EV battery chemistry. This domestic supply chain could help several automakers qualify for US federal tax credits as well.

Compass Mineral International, a leading supplier of essential minerals like salt and sulfate of potash (used in plant fertilizer), has been pivoting to focus on the “new gold” rush, lithium. The minerals company, which has deals to supply lithium for EV leaders like Ford and LG Energy, is doubling down by using a new extraction technology to obtain the mineral with minimal impact on the environment.

In its latest bold move to lock up raw materials for electric vehicles, Mercedes-Benz is announcing a new deal with Rock Tech Lithium for 10,000 tons of battery-grade lithium annually.

According to new forecasts, the lithium market is expected to double by 2030 as soaring EV demand accelerates.

Toyota Motors is boosting its US EV capacity with a new supply agreement with Ioneer LTD’s Rhyolite Ridge mining project. According to the new deal, Ioneer will supply 4,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate annually to the Toyota-Panasonic battery venture.

Lithium is a vital component of EV batteries, and Winnipeg, Canada-headquartered Snow Lake Lithium says it’s committed to operating a fully renewable and sustainable lithium mine. What does that mean?

President Joe Biden will today authorize the use of Title III of the Korean War-era Defense Production Act (DPA) to rapidly step up US production of minerals for electric vehicle and storage batteries.

Tesla has been ramping up deals to secure future supply of critical battery metals at upcoming mines lately, and it’s now adding another lithium contract with a new mine in Australia.

Tesla (TSLA) has signed a contract to secure lithium supply from an upcoming mine in Australia developed by Liontown.

The critical material to battery production is expected to start flowing in 2024.

Most of the materials required for batteries and other clean energy technology are dirty to mine. They’re also mostly controlled by China. Can a recycling technology startup change that?

Electrek spoke with Megan O’Connor, cofounder and CEO of Nth Cycle, a Beverly, Massachusetts-based developer of a recycling technology that extracts critical metals from batteries for a second life, about how to enable a clean, domestic, and streamlined supply of critical minerals for the clean energy transition. Nth Cycle’s technology was developed at Harvard and Yale universities.

In April, Nth Cycle received $3.2 million in seed funding led by Boston-based clean energy venture capital company Clean Energy Ventures.