How the U.S. Is Investing Billions to Compete With China’s Lithium Supply Chain | WSJ U.S. vs. China

The U.S. used to be a global leader in lithium processing, but it lost its market control to China in the early 2000s. Since then, China has developed its own lithium supply chain, controlling 55% of the market. Now, the U.S. is trying to secure its own supply in a race for independence.

Lithium is a critical component in batteries and the world’s transition to green energy. Demand for the light metal has surged and is expected to reach nearly 2.5 million metric tons by 2028.

WSJ explores China’s major supply chain vulnerability and the U.S.’s long road to build its own.

0:00 Lithium’s importance
0:52 China’s strengths: processing
2:41 China’s vulnerability and the U.S.’s potential strength
7:01 The U.S.’s slow-growing domestic supply chain

U.S. vs. China
This original video series explores the rivalry between the two superpowers’ competing efforts to develop the technologies that are reshaping our world.

#Lithium #China #WSJ

[SW-fypq]

The problem is that the United States doesn't want to contaminate its own land, so what it does is let other countries process the lithium for American companies at a cheaper price. The same goes for Australia. They transport raw materials from Western Australia to our country, Malaysia, for dirty processing, and then transport the refined rare earths back to Australia. They get the final product, we get the contamination. Another good example is plastic recycling, where waste is collected in the West including Australia, Canada, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, etc. and then dumped in Malaysia. The wealthy West gets clean land and we get trash, all in the name of recycling. You can easily google those facts online.

[ChickensAndGardening]

A massive volcanic lithium reserve was just discovered in the northwest of the U.S. But the American lithium industry needs to build up its refining and processing capacity; until they do, China will remain the dominant supplier.

[Blau_Max]

UN: "The world must come together to reach the climate goals."
US: "Anything, that is not controlled by us, is a national security risk."

[kawayisanji]

Wow the lady spoke with such poise and clarity. I wish to speak like her

[shellyu]

China is ahead of the US in EV tech because unlike the US, China has to import most of its oil and gas.
The EV industry will help China become greener and more self-reliant when it comes to energy imports

[IbrahimNgeno]

When discussing lithium mining in Zimbabwe but show gold prospecting and cobalt mining elsewhere ....

[sodazman]

The US needs to spend money looking after its own people rather than having a cold-war mentality focusing on war and outdoing other countries. It breaks my heart seeing all these people living in tents after my last visit. The future is about countries working together, not against each other.

[litestuffllc]

The achilles heel of lithium is it's massive water use in refining. 500, 000 gallons per ton. It already uses 1% of all fresh water on the planet, but BEVs are only 2.5% of the new light vehicles. To get to 25% of all new vehicles would required the equivent of all the water in the Great Lakes Michigan and Erie combined! So no matter how much Lithium ore you find most cannot be refined due to a lack of water.

[MetaView]

Lithium is plentiful. There is no need to fight for lithium. The value of lithium is tied to the ability to process the mineral.

[ulikemyname]

The US has a huge potential to become independent when it comes to lithium. They have the 3rd largest reserves of resources in the world. The 2nd and 1st are located in Argentina and Bolivia so close to the US. Canada also has large amounts of the resource and so does Mexico to a smaller extend. Australia is also rich and is already a leader when it comes to mining.

[temper]

Now imagine if the US and China could just get along instead. The two countries are good at different things, they should complement each other economically.

[fnanfne]

Why do you add two full stops in U.S.?

[JoeyPerry]

China's BYD is going to announce sodium ion battery powered cars by next year. This will drastically reduce the price of their low range vehicles. Lithium will still be used but sodium ion will be what will revolutionize the EV space. Lithium will slowly be used for niche vehicles. Ie: Only for long range vehicles.

[BenAdam-qh]

China is winning the race for batteries not because of resources but technology and know-how. Today, the Chinese are 10 years ahead in battery technology. The US needs to run double the speed but the Chinese are willing to double the efforts to keep their advantage. I personally don't think America will catch up... The only solution is to cooperate with china in a win-win deal. America lost the monopoly of power and technology, it must completely change policies. Times of invasions and endless wars of agression are over, we're entering times of either cooperation or annihilation of all...

[nuqwestr]

Salton Sea California lithium extraction not mentioned?

[jarednovel]

China already has a cheaper and eco friendly alternative to Lithium in the form of Sodium ion batteries. China is targeting the production of very cheap EVs to capture the entire global market including those in the poorest parts of the world like Africa. If anything, Lithium will loose value as China create more affordable Alternative batteries technologies that employ abundant raw material.

[exxodas]

US has probably the most undiscovered lithium deposits under its feet, but it will destroy the environment and the natural beauty of the US. The US should look into sodium batteries as an alternative.

[Billck]

By that time is lithium still the thing?

[marcussver]

"It's incredible how the United States and China seek every possible way to achieve their independence, while the EU doesn't innovate at all and will end up becoming a pawn of the USA or the Anglo-Saxon world like Canada, Australia, the UK, and Ireland."

[astro_poly]

Good to see we work together this well and are so smart to secure our future as a species. 😀