Graphic - Harvesting of salt in the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia, the largest lithium reserves in the world (source: Wikimedia Commons )
Arrival Market Li-ion high-performance was undoubtedly the trigger for the impending revolution in road transport. But are there enough lithium to power a billion cars on the planet, ultimately?
To answer this, we need to know, first, that by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the reserves of lithium on the planet is estimated at 11 million metric tons . But these estimates do not include reserves of Argentina that the company Orocobre made known recently (3 million tons). A very informative report on global lithium and markets is available on the website of this company . This report by Martin Place Securities can be downloaded by clicking on the "News" of March 31, 2008 Olaroz project. Side the United States, the company Western Lithium is currently conducting geological expertise of a large clay deposit of lithium in Nevada, in King Valley. The estimated reserve is 2.08 million tonnes of lithium (11 million tons of lithium carbonate, Li2CO3) and is not recognized either in evaluating the USGS. By updating the assessment USGS is arrived at based global reserves of 16 million tons of lithium .
In addition, the USGS reported world annual production of 25,000 tons of lithium for 2007. At this rate of exploitation, we have for hundreds of years. This abundance and low price of lithium, until recently, obviously did not stimulate the exploration of new deposits. We can therefore expect that global reserves are higher than 16 million tons.
Now, in the report Martin Place Securities mentioned above, we learn that the e recovery of lithium from the reserves is around 50% on average. Thus, with 16 million tons of reserves it would be 8 million tonnes of lithium available for industry.
reserves of lithium are found in 75% salt form, mainly lithium carbonate is recovered even in the deserts of salt. The key is found in South America (pictured top) and also in Tibet. Lithium carbonate is the raw material used by the battery industry (5.3 kg of carbonate yield 1 kg of lithium). At
Now for a plug-in hybrid car through a battery giving a range of 100 km in electric mode currently requires storing 20 kWh of electrical energy. In addition, the company LG Chem , which provides the Li-ion batteries for the Chevy Volt GM, through its subsidiary Compact Power , says on its website (in the section Technology FAQ page ) they need 140 g per kWh lithium battery, which gives 2.8 kg of lithium to 20 kWh, which we round down to 3 kg. Remember that this with 3 kg of lithium, a midsize car now runs 100 km in electric mode .
In addition, advanced hybrid cars of the 2020s will be lighter, more aerodynamic and will be equipped with groups of traction wheel motors consume less energy. These intermediate cars of tomorrow will consume about 12 kWh/100 km instead of 20 km kWh/100 mentioned above (see my book Roll without oil). So rather 2 kg of lithium per car it would take until 2025. Thus, for a billion vehicles (there are currently 800 million on the planet) , we would need about 2 million tonnes of lithium, a quarter of global reserves base , available after extraction .
So there enough lithium on the planet for plug-in hybrid cars. But if we wanted to go all-electric cars with batteries 400 km of autonomy, there would be problems. It is always preferable to use the smallest battery possible to travel 80% of our km.
Now, we must realize that the Li-ion batteries are recycled more than 95%. Finite reserves of lithium may therefore be compared with finite reserves oil, which is totally lost in an internal combustion engine .
Some critics of the electrical mobility are also dangled about 60% of world reserves are located in South America and we find ourselves in a similar situation in the Middle East for oil. But, as lithium is of value, we have not finished discovering deposits everywhere. The only deposit King Valley in Nevada, contains sufficient lithium for 500 million cars advanced intermediate with a range of 100 km in electric mode .
Illustration - A draft mining company Lithium Canada Corporation, near Val d'Or, Quebec, could produce enough lithium to equip all Canadian vehicles with a battery providing a range of 100km in electric mode. (Source: Lithium Corporation Cadada )
company Lithium Canada Corp. . account also use an old mine near Val d'Or, Quebec . We think we can get out the equivalent of 55 million kg of lithium, enough for 25 million cars advanced intermediate with a range of 100 km in electric mode, what meet all the needs of Canadians .
Arrival Market Li-ion high-performance was undoubtedly the trigger for the impending revolution in road transport. But are there enough lithium to power a billion cars on the planet, ultimately?
To answer this, we need to know, first, that by U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the reserves of lithium on the planet is estimated at 11 million metric tons . But these estimates do not include reserves of Argentina that the company Orocobre made known recently (3 million tons). A very informative report on global lithium and markets is available on the website of this company . This report by Martin Place Securities can be downloaded by clicking on the "News" of March 31, 2008 Olaroz project. Side the United States, the company Western Lithium is currently conducting geological expertise of a large clay deposit of lithium in Nevada, in King Valley. The estimated reserve is 2.08 million tonnes of lithium (11 million tons of lithium carbonate, Li2CO3) and is not recognized either in evaluating the USGS. By updating the assessment USGS is arrived at based global reserves of 16 million tons of lithium .
In addition, the USGS reported world annual production of 25,000 tons of lithium for 2007. At this rate of exploitation, we have for hundreds of years. This abundance and low price of lithium, until recently, obviously did not stimulate the exploration of new deposits. We can therefore expect that global reserves are higher than 16 million tons.
Now, in the report Martin Place Securities mentioned above, we learn that the e recovery of lithium from the reserves is around 50% on average. Thus, with 16 million tons of reserves it would be 8 million tonnes of lithium available for industry.
reserves of lithium are found in 75% salt form, mainly lithium carbonate is recovered even in the deserts of salt. The key is found in South America (pictured top) and also in Tibet. Lithium carbonate is the raw material used by the battery industry (5.3 kg of carbonate yield 1 kg of lithium). At
Now for a plug-in hybrid car through a battery giving a range of 100 km in electric mode currently requires storing 20 kWh of electrical energy. In addition, the company LG Chem , which provides the Li-ion batteries for the Chevy Volt GM, through its subsidiary Compact Power , says on its website (in the section Technology FAQ page ) they need 140 g per kWh lithium battery, which gives 2.8 kg of lithium to 20 kWh, which we round down to 3 kg. Remember that this with 3 kg of lithium, a midsize car now runs 100 km in electric mode .
In addition, advanced hybrid cars of the 2020s will be lighter, more aerodynamic and will be equipped with groups of traction wheel motors consume less energy. These intermediate cars of tomorrow will consume about 12 kWh/100 km instead of 20 km kWh/100 mentioned above (see my book Roll without oil). So rather 2 kg of lithium per car it would take until 2025. Thus, for a billion vehicles (there are currently 800 million on the planet) , we would need about 2 million tonnes of lithium, a quarter of global reserves base , available after extraction .
So there enough lithium on the planet for plug-in hybrid cars. But if we wanted to go all-electric cars with batteries 400 km of autonomy, there would be problems. It is always preferable to use the smallest battery possible to travel 80% of our km.
Now, we must realize that the Li-ion batteries are recycled more than 95%. Finite reserves of lithium may therefore be compared with finite reserves oil, which is totally lost in an internal combustion engine .
Some critics of the electrical mobility are also dangled about 60% of world reserves are located in South America and we find ourselves in a similar situation in the Middle East for oil. But, as lithium is of value, we have not finished discovering deposits everywhere. The only deposit King Valley in Nevada, contains sufficient lithium for 500 million cars advanced intermediate with a range of 100 km in electric mode .
Illustration - A draft mining company Lithium Canada Corporation, near Val d'Or, Quebec, could produce enough lithium to equip all Canadian vehicles with a battery providing a range of 100km in electric mode. (Source: Lithium Corporation Cadada ) company Lithium Canada Corp. . account also use an old mine near Val d'Or, Quebec . We think we can get out the equivalent of 55 million kg of lithium, enough for 25 million cars advanced intermediate with a range of 100 km in electric mode, what meet all the needs of Canadians .
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