If you follow automotive news avidly, you probably know that electric cars use a lot of lithium. With the advent of electric cars, global demand for what we now call “white gold” has skyrocketed and continues to grow.

Faced with widespread electrification, some experts fear a mad race for lithium that could lead to shortages, mainly due to supply not meeting demand. Another concern with lithium, which is somewhat paradoxical given the goal of clean electric vehicles, is its production. Indeed, lithium mining is currently very polluting, although new methods are gradually being introduced to make the process more environmentally friendly.

India, the new lithium gold mine?

It is well known that lithium reserves on Earth are not unlimited. For example, in 2018, global reserves were estimated at approximately 14 million tons. However, a recent discovery in India could change that. According to the Indian Ministry of Mines, An underground lithium oxide deposit of approximately 5.9 million tons was recently discovered in the country. The discovery could increase known global lithium reserves by more than 40%.

Global distribution of lithium reserves

In 2020, various studies provided estimates of lithium reserves by country. For example, Bolivia held approximately 21 million tons of lithium, Argentina 17 million, Chile 9 million, the United States 6.8 million, Australia 6.3 million and China 4.5 million. France is not left out, with a lithium oxide deposit of around a million tonnes due to be developed soon. This field should allow the production of 34,000 tons of lithium per year for about 25 years. It fits production of about 700,000 electric cars per year with current technology, and probably a bit more in the future as batteries require less and less resources. Some manufacturers are already developing lithium-free batteries, such as CATL, which is due to introduce the first sodium battery, which does not require lithium. Another aspect that should be explored is the recycling of electric vehicle batteries.

The latter are quite recyclable, and some manufacturers, such as Volkswagen, which recently announced a recycling rate of almost 100% of its batteries, are actively working to create an almost closed loop.

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