Hyperdrive
The Battery Metal Really Worrying China Is Lithium, Not Nickel
Electric car producers and policymakers are urging more action to tame surging prices of the key material.
A barge pumps brine from an evaporation pond operated by Qinghai Salt Lake Industry Co. in Golmud, Qinghai province, China.
Photographer: Qilai Shen/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
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Nickel has captured much of the limelight among battery metals in recent weeks, and understandably so. Wild price swings, including an unprecedented 250% advance over two trading sessions amid a short squeeze, and concerns tied to Russia’s role as a key supplier have added to longstanding worries among automakers about securing enough of the material.