dexterbland

Lithium Batteries: Nothing But Illusion

To reach higher levels of lithium production requires investment - that is all. There is no shortage of sources of lithium, just that as yet the demand has failed to materialize (in fact there is currently excess capacity). Should that demand occur in sufficient volume as to lead to price rises then there a multitude of new sources that can be brought on-line. AS you say the Salar de Uyuni is (at current prices) unlikely to be viable, at higher prices it would be. As would lower grade spodumenes and hectorite clays from Canada and Australia, low grade brines (including from the US), geothermal brines, even potentially seawater. Not only that but the existing (and vast) known reserves of the Salars can be pumped at a much higher rate - and yes mechanical evaporation is feasible - at the right price. Currently we are exploiting only the highest grade tip of the iceberg because that's all that we need to do to meet present demand.

The key is price and lets not forget that lithium was once produced exclusively from spodumene at much higher price. There is plenty of room to raise prices without effecting the economics of batteries . Raw lithium carbonate currently accounts for 1% of the cost of the battery. So, should they get the right price signal - all the junior explorers warming up on the sidelines will be ready to jump. They are waiting for the moment that they can convince investors that their projects are feasible.

Lithium Unicorns and Alternative Energy Storage

Zinc-Air is interesting but isn't rechargeable (except by replacing the electrolyte which is more like refueling). So it suffers from the same problem as hydrogen and many other alternative fuels - lack of infrastructure to support it.

Ultimately its energy density (storage capacity) is likely to fall far short of lithium's potential too (though this is dependent on laboratory advances being rolled out commercially).

On Jan 08 07:00 PM Captcoxx wrote:

> I was eagerly wanting to hear more about zinc... especially in the
> Jack Lifton interview, but I was left with nothing. How does he
> feel the future of Zinc-Air Fuel Cells and Batteries? Power Air
> Corporation it seems is poised to be a very big player. What do
> you think about a company like this? From what I have read, Zinc
> is abundant, easy to get to, and has a high power density. It is
> also recyclable and renewable. I would love to hear all of your
> thoughts on this.

Lithium Unicorns and Alternative Energy Storage

John,
at current prices the amount of lithium carbonate that would be needed for a car like the Chevy Volt (2 kg) would cost around $12. If expanding lithium demand were to raise prices by 1000% to $70/kg the material cost would still be around 2% of the total cost of the car's battery pack. Yet at this price lithium would be economic to extract from a vast number of sources starting with lower grade salt lakes, spodumene, geothermal brines, perhaps even seawater. It would also be economically feasible to recycle it.