Will a lithium-ion battery supply increase?

Rare cases of sponsored projects are clearly indicated. An increased supply of lithium will be needed to meet future expected demand growth for lithium-ion batteries for transportation and energy storage.

Why are lithium ion batteries better than other batteries?

Lithium-ion batteries have higher voltage than other types of batteries, meaning they can store more energy and discharge more power for high-energy uses like driving a car at high speeds or providing emergency backup power. Charging and recharging a battery wears it out, but lithium-ion batteries are also long-lasting.

Are lithium-ion batteries safe?

And recycling lithium-ion batteries is complex, and in some cases creates hazardous waste. 3 Though rare, battery fires are also a legitimate concern. “Today's lithium-ion batteries are vastly more safe than those a generation ago,” says Chiang, with fewer than one in a million battery cells and less than 0.1% of battery packs failing.

Are lithium-ion batteries bad for the environment?

(Lead-acid batteries, by comparison, cost about the same per kilowatt-hour, but their lifespan is much shorter, making them less cost-effective per unit of energy delivered.) 2 Lithium mining can also have impacts for the environment and mining communities. And recycling lithium-ion batteries is complex, and in some cases creates hazardous waste. 3

Are new batteries pushing the energy density frontier beyond lithium-ion?

Some new types of batteries, like lithium metal batteries or all-solid-state batteries that use solid rather than liquid electrolytes, “are pushing the energy density frontier beyond that of lithium-ion today,” says Chiang.

Is there a lithium-ion battery supply deficit by 2030?

Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, an information provider on the lithium-ion battery supply chain, estimates a 300,000 tLCE supply deficit by 2030 in its business-as-usual demand scenario. Albemarle, one of the largest lithium producers, estimates a 500,000 tLCE deficit by then.