Lithium‐Ion Batteries: Possible Materials Issues

摘要

The transition to plug‐in hybrid vehicles and possibly pure battery electric vehicles will depend on the successful development of lithium‐ion batteries. But, in addition to issues that affect performance and safety, there could be issues associated with materials. Many cathode materials are possible, with trade‐offs among cost, safety, and performance. Oxides of cobalt, nickel, manganese, and aluminum in various combinations could be used, as could iron phosphates. The anode material of choice has been graphite, but titanates may be used in the future. Similarly, different materials could be used for other parts of the cell. We consider four likely battery chemistries and estimate the quantities of all of these materials that could be required if vehicles with large batteries made significant market inroads, and we compare these quantities to world production and resources to identify possible constraints. We identify principal producing countries to identify potential dependencies on unstable regions or cartel behavior by key producers. We also estimate the quantities of the materials that could be recovered by recycling to alleviate virgin material supply restrictions and associated price increases.