Every major automaker has announced plans to build Lithium-Ion battery gigafactories. The aim is to build batteries at a large scale to reduce prices. Well except Japanese automakers, who have buried their heads in the sand! Tesla, VW, BYD, Ford and others have plans to build giant gigafactories. In India, OLA Electric and Tata group have plans to make cells at a large scale. But Lithium has a fundamental problem. Demand for the element is so great for applications including electric vehicles, portable electronic devices, and stationary energy units, that lithium mining companies are struggling to keep up. In addition, about 90% of the world’s supply of lithium is controlled by Chinese companies. The world needs to do something about this. And yes, changes are happening to solve this problem.
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