Hyperdrive
How Much Lithium Will the World Need? It Depends Who You Ask
- Estimates vary on whether lithium faces surpluses or deficits
- Surging prices for metal crucial to EVs stoke supply concerns
Lithium is at the center of the car sector’s electrification plans.
Photographer: Carla Gottgens/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Lithium’s vital role in electric-vehicle batteries means automakers, miners and investors are racing to figure out how much supply the world will need in the coming years -- and also how much it’s going to get.
The problem is the predictions vary wildly.