Lithium surge lacks staying power

…The excitement around new battery technology is understandable, given that energy storage is one of the biggest bottlenecks of innovation facing the planet. What’s not as justified is the fixation on lithium-ion batteries.

Just ask William Tahil, research director with Meridian International Research, a technology consultancy based in France. Tahil recently authored a paper titled, “The Trouble With Lithium,” in which he concludes that the rapid embrace of lithium-ion batteries is misguided and bound to backfire.

One big reason: there’s simply not enough lithium available in the Earth’s crust to stick a lithium-ion battery in the world’s 900 million cars, and at the same time expect the auto market to grow. It’s just not sustainable.

“Analysis shows that a world dependent on lithium for its vehicles could soon face even tighter resource constraints than we face today with oil,” wrote Tahil, pointing out that lithium-rich South America would become the new Middle East. “Concentration of supply would create new geopolitical tensions, not reduce them.”

Toronto Star