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Lithium is more abundant by far than lead. Global lead production is larger than current lithium production.

• Workaccount2 5y ago
  Cobalt and nickel are the issue.
• BugsJustFindMe 5y ago
  It sounds like they're more concerned about Cobalt, Nickel, and child labor in the DRC.
  • nicoburns 5y ago
    My understanding is that there are already battery chemistries without these elements (LFP batteries) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium_iron_phosphate_battery https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium_iron_phosphate_battery, and while they're currently not quite as good as the cobalt/nickel batteries, they're not far off and they're expected to improve (and they're mainstream enough that Tesla is already using them in some of their cars).
    • Reason077 5y ago
      LFP does have somewhat lower energy density compared to nickel-based chemistries. But it also has excellent durability and and stability properties (long cycle life, no fires).
  • api 5y ago
    Not sure about cobalt and nickel, but child labor is a problem for all kinds of resources and not just those that go into batteries. This is a political problem not a technical problem.
    • BugsJustFindMe 5y ago
      > This is a political problem not a technical problem. I don't think the article suggests otherwise. Political problems are part of the "how" of production.
  • Reason077 5y ago
    Elon Musk said recently that he expects much of the car industry will move towards to lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) cell chemistry, which contains no cobalt or nickel. LiFePO4 has somewhat lower energy density compared to nickel-based chemistries, but significant cost advantages. Tesla already uses LiFePO4 cells in many of its standard-range Model 3 vehicles.
    • Reason077 5y ago
      For those downvoting this, here is the source: "Tesla uses no cobalt in the iron phosphate packs and almost none in the nickel-based chemistries. I think probably there is a long-term shift more in the direction of iron-based lithium-ion cells rather over nickel ... I think probably we'll see a shift -- my guess is probably to two-thirds iron, one-third nickel, or something on that order. And this is actually good because there's plenty of iron in the world. There's an insane amount of iron. But nickel, there's much less nickel, and there's way less cobalt." - Elon Musk -- Chief Executive Officer Tesla (TSLA) Q2 2021 Earnings Call Transcript: https://www.fool.com/earnings/call-transcripts/2021/07/27/tesla-tsla-q2-2021-earnings-call-transcript/ https://www.fool.com/earnings/call-transcripts/2021/07/27/te...