We have no issue with lithium scarcity - it's tremendously abundant on earth, and we could recycle old batteries if we gave a damn... the lithium is just not cu

We have no issue with lithium scarcity - it's tremendously abundant on earth, and we could recycle old batteries if we gave a damn... the lithium is just not currently worth recovering, that's how damned common it is. The problem now is the huge demand outstripping the on-hand supply, which has caused lithium prices to soar... but this year has seen a surge in new lithium projects and companies like Albemarle have seen their share prices surge accordingly. We've also seen numerous new projects in the Americas start producing lithium. Just let supply and demand fix this market, and it'll be smooth sailing. ...Cobalt, otoh, is more worrisome in the upcoming future and much, much worse to mine. Western demand for L-ion batteries has had China turn Africa into a wasteland (https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/business/batteries/congo-cobalt-mining-for-lithium-ion-battery/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/business/batteries/c...) in search for more and more cobalt and copper to keep electrification projects going. But it's not all bad news. There are alternative lithium chemistries that use less or no cobalt, just to date they either don't offer the same energy density or are not practical for mass production yet (lithium-sulfur).