Concerns that the world doesn’t have enough lithium to support the emergence of electric vehicles are misplaced, according to a study conducted by University of Michigan graduate students in coordination with Ford Motor Co.
The students, 2010 U-M master’s graduates Paul Gruber and Pablo Medina, published a study in the current issue of the Journal of Industrial Ecology detailing the findings of their research project examining the availability of lithium.
Raw lithium is a key element in the production of advanced batteries for use in electric vehicles — but since it’s relatively scarce, some experts have questioned whether the earth has enough lithium to support the rise of electric cars.
The new study examined 103 lithium deposits and determined that there are global lithium deposits totaling about 39 million tons.
The researchers estimated that demand for lithium over the next century would equal about 12 to 20 million tons, including demand from industries other than the automotive sector.
“Even with a rapid and widespread adoption of electric vehicles powered by lithium-ion batteries, lithium resources are sufficient to support demand until at least the end of this century,” Gruber and Medina wrote in their paper.
Gruber and Medina earned degrees from the U-M School of Natural Resources and Environment in 2010. Their co-authors in the study were U-M professors Gregory Keoleianand Stephen Kesler and Ford researchers Mark Everson and Timothy Wallington.
