Demand for battery minerals is increasing — how can we keep up?
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This week:
Electric vehicles are more popular than ever, and widespread adoption of them is a key part of global plans to decarbonize the transportation sector.
But the batteries powering these vehicles require a variety of critical minerals — like lithium, cobalt, manganese and nickel — which has some experts concerned about runaway demand.
"Can the supply match the demand or not? If we cannot match the demand, that means we are going to face some bottlenecks," said Fengqi You, a professor in the department of engineering at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.
You authored a recent study that predicts demand for lithium could rise by roughly 3,000 to 7,000 per cent by 2050, while demand for nickel, cobalt and manganese could also increase by thousands of per cent. Making sure we don't run into supply constraints with these minerals is a key challenge, You warns, and will require careful thought.
His recommendation: prioritize the electrification of certain types of transportation over others.
The Cornell researcher found that heavy-duty vehicles — like buses, semis and large passenger trucks — would account for more than 60 per cent of critical mineral demands, while only accounting for four to 11 per cent of the road fleet and roughly 30 per cent of total transportation emissions.
In other words, it may not be an efficient use of resources to put batteries in heavy-duty vehicles, given that the electrification of light- and medium-duty vehicles would reduce more emissions overall while using fewer mineral resources.
Adam Thorn, director of the transportation program at the Pembina Institute, a Canadian energy think-tank, expects these constraints to ease as countries continue to develop extraction, manufacturing and recycling systems. But he notes the short-term supply crunch may affect our ability to make a rapid transition to EVs.
"What is quite different and distinct about this mode of transportation that we're shifting to is that it's material-intensive," said Thorn. "We know that it's going to require significant amounts of critical minerals."
Thorn says different vehicles may require different decarbonization solutions — especially in the diverse heavy-duty vehicle sector.
"There are lots of ways that we can decarbonize without just a one-to-one transition from an internal combustion engine to an electric vehicle," Thorn said.
Jenelle Hughes says she worries every time her two older children take their car to get to Fanshawe College in London, Ont., from their home in Dutton.
Oil prices fell Monday morning after President Donald Trump said the U.S. would hold off on striking Iran’s energy infrastructure amid productive talks between the two countries.
While spring technically started late last week, Newfoundland and Labrador isn't free from winter weather just yet.
The Sudbury School Bus Consortium is suspending all school buses in Greater Sudbury as the community continues to clean up following a major storm.
Two large corporate landlords owning a combined 9,008 rental units in Halifax are reporting smaller annual increases in their average rents for 2025 than the previous year.
The Holt government has reached a deal with Ottawa on compensation for tens of millions of dollars in lost sales tax revenue from the Christmas season in 2024.
The government of Saskatchewan has announced plans to reduce the length of non-resident game bird hunting licences to combat illegal guiding.
An 87-year-old Alberta man is fighting extradition to the United Kingdom to stand trial for historical allegations of physical and sexual assault involving minors.
Eight casinos across southwest B.C. have been sold to First Nations in the last two years, with the province's gambling scene set to be reshaped as a result.
Hamilton hosts the Junos Sunday, and the musical awards show is bringing tourists, musicians, concerts and a ton of themed events to the city this week.
The multi-million-dollar deal at the heart of a high-profile fight between the Canadian government and one of the world’s biggest carmakers contains multiple clauses about the company’s footprint in Ontario, according to a copy obtained by CBC Windsor.
In recent months, Calgary police have carried out three day-long safety blitzes, parading out dozens of officers to flood an area with their increased presence — at least, temporarily.
A national organization is seeking people with experience in Canada's forestry sector as they put together a working group that will examine ways to improve forest recovery following wildfires.