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> Democratic Republic of Congo produces more than 70 percent of the world’s cobalt... The article talks about where certain raw materials are currently being p

> Democratic Republic of Congo produces more than 70 percent of the world’s cobalt... The article talks about where certain raw materials are currently being produced (cobalt, nickel, lithium, etc.) without discussing where those materials could be produced (reserves). There might be vast reserves of those same materials in areas where it is forbidden to mine or where things like permits and regulations make it unprofitable to refine. Does the DRC really have 70 percent of all cobalt on the Earth, or is it just cheap to mine there due to slave labor and lax environmental laws?

judge2020 4y ago
To add, this is the entire point of the EV tax credit that goes into effect this year, with a requirement for 50% of the raw battery material to come from North America, with it increasing 10% every year until it hits 80%.
- ralph84 4y ago
  Only problem is the Biden admin decided to ignore Congress and say nah, forget about that requirement, we'll get to it later. And if you lease the car, just forget about it completely.
  - klooney 4y ago
    It's so weird that the USA keeps saying "yeah we need to reopen Mountain Pass" and then never does it for years and years. There's lots of places you could mine in the USA, it's a big country.
  - pkulak 4y ago
    Are you referring to how the credit temporarily applies to more vehicles for the next few months? It can take a bit to implement new laws, especially complicated ones. I don't see anyone "ignoring congress".