Is Tesla moving away from lithium?

Tesla is changing the battery cell chemistry that it uses in its standard range vehicles, the automaker said Wednesday in its third-quarter investor deck. The new batteries will use a lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) chemistry rather than nickel-cobalt-aluminum which Tesla will continue to use in its longer-range vehicles.

What will Tesla use instead of lithium?

LFP: Lithium-iron-phosphate, aka “the new guy”

Tesla announced in fall 2021 that they would be switching to LFP batteries in all standard range Model 3 and Model Ys.

Will Tesla have enough lithium?

“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."

Will we run out of lithium for electric cars?

While the world does have enough lithium to power the electric vehicle revolution, it's less a question of quantity, and more a question of accessibility. Earth has approximately 88 million tonnes of lithium, but only one-quarter is economically viable to mine as reserves.

Is lithium going away?

FastMarkets corroborates Lowry and Global Lithium's fears, but indicates that supply would collapse by 2026.

Tesla Reportedly Interested in Lithium Acquisition, More Price Increases, China Update

Is the US running out of lithium?

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.

What year will lithium run out?

Even though the price of lithium has surged more than tenfold over the past two years, there's enough capacity to meet anticipated demand until around 2025—and potentially through 2030 if enough recycling operations come online. After that, chronic shortages are expected.

Is lithium mining worse than oil drilling?

Lithium mining does have an environmental impact, but it is no worse than oil drilling. This is especially true when you consider the carbon emissions produced from petroleum products during their usage, as compared to lithium-ion batteries that have little to no GHG emissions during their use.

Where will Tesla get its lithium?

The metal for Tesla will now be sourced from Sayona Mining Ltd.'s North American Lithium project in Quebec— it was originally going to come from Piedmont's North Carolina project, which is still in the pre-permitting phase.

Why are we running out of lithium?

Lithium supply faces challenges not only from surging demand, but because resources are concentrated in a few places and over half of today's production is in areas with high water stress. Future developments with batteries or manufacturing methods could eventually alleviate some lithium shortages.

Which country has the most untapped lithium?

World lithium reserves 2022, by country. In 2022, reserves of lithium in Chile amounted to an estimated 9.3 million metric tons, the largest worldwide. That same year, the United States had total lithium reserves of approximately one million metric tons.

Who has the largest supply of lithium?

With 8 million tons, Chile has the world's largest known lithium reserves. This puts the South American country ahead of Australia (2.7 million tons), Argentina (2 million tons) and China (1 million tons). Within Europe, Portugal has smaller quantities of the valuable raw material.

Why is lithium not mined in the US?

Despite dozens of potential lithium mines in the United States and in Canada, most projects are in various stages of development and many are years away from production, particularly with environmental lawsuits delaying development due to multiple entry points for litigation in U.S. regulatory law.

What is replacing lithium?

Sodium-ion batteries are an emerging technology with promising cost, safety, sustainability and performance advantages over commercialised lithium-ion batteries.

What is the lifespan of a Tesla battery?

Tesla car batteries can last for 300,000 to 500,000 miles, or 1,500 battery cycles. That's around 22 to 37 years if you're driving 40 miles per day.

Why does Elon Musk want lithium?

Musk says it would be the first lithium refinery in the U.S. An expert says Musk needs to get into the lithium business to ensure the supply he needs to power Tesla car batteries.

Which country is rich in lithium?

The three largest producers of lithium are Australia, Chile and China. The demand for lithium is expected to reach 1.5 million tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent by 2025 and over 3 million tonnes by 2030.

Where does the U.S. get most of its lithium?

An aerial view of the Silver Peak Lithium Mine in Silver Peak, Nevada. The facility is the U.S.' lone lithium producer. Much of that demand comes from the booming global EV market, with sales reaching historic levels last year and on track to do so again in 2022, according to the International Energy Agency.

Are lithium mines destroying Earth?

The demand for lithium for EV batteries is driving a mining boom in an arid Andes region of Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia, home to half the world's reserves. Hydrologists are warning the mines could drain vital ecosystems and deprive Indigenous communities of precious water.

How dirty is it to mine lithium?

According to a report by Friends of the Earth (FoE), lithium extraction inevitably harms the soil and causes air contamination. As demand rises, the mining impacts are “increasingly affecting communities where this harmful extraction takes place, jeopardising their access to water,” says the report.

What's worse fracking or lithium mining?

While it's true that chemicals are used to refine lithium after it is collected, potential dangers pale compared to those from fracking, which involves pumping harsh chemicals underground to break up shale layers to free natural gas, which can lead to groundwater pollution and even cause minor earthquakes.

Does lithium have a future?

Supply and demand

This conventional lithium supply is expected to grow by over 300% between 2021 and 2030. However, like several other critical transition metals, the supply of lithium comes from a small group of producing countries.

What is the next generation battery after lithium?

Sodium-ion batteries have great promise. They're energy dense, nonflammable, and operate well in colder temperatures, and sodium is cheap and abundant. Plus, sodium-based batteries will be more environmentally friendly and even less expensive than lithium-ion batteries are becoming now.

Is the lithium boom over?

The global lithium market is emerging at a rapid rate with the potential to be worth $182.53 billion by 2030. According to Grand View Research it is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 18.1 per cent from 2022 to 2030.