How a handful of metals could determine the future of the electric car industry

  • 📰 WBUR
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 37 sec. here
  • 2 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 18%
  • Publisher: 63%

Malaysia News News

Malaysia Malaysia Latest News,Malaysia Malaysia Headlines

Automakers want to sell you an electric vehicle, but to do that, they'll need the world to dig a lot more minerals out of the ground. The challenge is transforming both mining and the auto industries.

A worker assembles Volkswagen electric cars at the company's plant in Zwickau, Germany on Jan. 27. Automakers like Volkswagen are racing to secure enough metals to power the batteries needed to make electric vehicles. Companies are betting hundreds of billions of dollars on electric cars and trucks. To make them, they'll need a lot of batteries. And that means they need a lot of minerals, like lithium, cobalt and nickel, to be dug up out of the earth.

It's not just profits on the line. Climate experts say the world needs to phase out gasoline-powered vehicles quickly to limit the worst effects of climate change. "We like to say we're in competition with China, but it verges on to the point of conflict," says Mary Lovely, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.

But in the U.S., many communities are understandably reluctant to allow a new mine or refinery to open. This is a major shift for automakers who typically rely on a network of suppliers who deliver the parts and components they need exactly when they want them. That's like buying ice cream from the store today, because you want it now.

We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 274. in MY
 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.

Malaysia Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Malaysia Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Insiders Debate How to Secure America's Future Energy Needs at the Industry's Biggest GatheringEnergy industry executives gathered in Houston at a pivotal time, as Russia’s war on Ukraine brings energy security and the shift to renewables to the fore.
Source: NBCDFW - 🏆 288. / 63 Read more »