4 ms·

It's a good question that's been asked for years. I'm not aware of any rare earth elements used in lithium batteries. My understanding is that lithium itself

It's a good question that's been asked for years. I'm not aware of any rare earth elements used in lithium batteries. My understanding is that lithium itself is quite common and there should be enough for everyone to drive an electric car, but it's still an open question as to what future reserves will be discovered and how steeply the supply curve will rise with more investment and technology. E.g.: https://medium.com/batterybits/is-there-enough-lithium-to-make-all-the-batteries-c3a522c01498 https://medium.com/batterybits/is-there-enough-lithium-to-ma... Perhaps a bigger concern than lithium is cobalt, but there are cobalt-free chemistries so I don't believe it's a blocker. I have no idea what you mean by cars in 2040 will only be for the most privileged. There are cars rolling off assembly lines today that will still be on the road in 2040.

jmnicolas 5y ago
It's a pity I can't find the article I was referring to, so I can't answer with certainty, but there was a lot of rare materials needed just to satisfy GB goal. > I have no idea what you mean by cars in 2040 will only be for the most privileged. There are cars rolling off assembly lines today that will still be on the road in 2040. Most of the cars sold now in the EU are not electric. If the materials are as rare as claimed in the article, it won't be possible to equip everybody with an EV.
- tedsanders 5y ago
  I did my PhD on rare earth compounds. Rare earth elements are generally not used in lithium ion batteries. The metals most people worry about are cobalt and lithium. Rare earths are elements like lanthanum or ytterbium. Rare != rare earth. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rare-earth_element https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rare-earth_element (Or perhaps you're thinking about electric motors, which can use rare earths like neodymium.)

jmnicolas 5y ago

It's a pity I can't find the article I was referring to, so I can't answer with certainty, but there was a lot of rare materials needed just to satisfy GB goal. > I have no idea what you mean by cars in 2040 will only be for the most privileged. There are cars rolling off assembly lines today that will still be on the road in 2040. Most of the cars sold now in the EU are not electric. If the materials are as rare as claimed in the article, it won't be possible to equip everybody with an EV.

tedsanders 5y ago
I did my PhD on rare earth compounds. Rare earth elements are generally not used in lithium ion batteries. The metals most people worry about are cobalt and lithium. Rare earths are elements like lanthanum or ytterbium. Rare != rare earth. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rare-earth_element https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rare-earth_element (Or perhaps you're thinking about electric motors, which can use rare earths like neodymium.)