How much lithium is in a car battery?
How much lithium does an EV need? A lithium-ion battery pack for a single electric car contains about 8 kilograms (kg) of lithium, according to figures from US Department of Energy science and engineering research centre Argonne National Laboratory.
A typical electric car battery has: 25 pounds of lithium 60 pounds of nickel 44 pounds of manganese 30 pounds cobalt 200 pounds of copper 400 pounds of aluminum, steel, and plastic The first 4 ingredients are from limited sources and will continue to rise in cost.
That's about one-half teaspoon of sugar. A typical EV can have about 5,000 battery cells. Building from there, a single EV has roughly 10 kilograms—or 22 pounds—of lithium in it.
1/ Superior “Useable” Capacity
Unlike with lead acid batteries, it is considered practical to regularly use 90% or more of the rated capacity of a lithium battery bank, and occasionally more.
For a lithium-ion cell, this is calculated at 0.3 times the rated capacity (in ampere-hours). Example: A 2Ah 18650 Li-ion cell has 0.6 grams of lithium content. On a typical 60 Wh laptop battery with 8 cells (4 in series and 2 in parallel), this adds up to 4.8g.
In rough terms, it requires the energy equivalent of about 100 barrels of oil to fabricate a quantity of batteries that can store a single barrel of oil-equivalent energy.
It might sound like the start of a joke, but it's most certainly not one. The answer to the question is lithium, and the bad news for the world is that it potentially has nowhere near enough of it to power all the electric vehicle (EV) batteries it wants – and needs.
Where is lithium available from? With 8 million tons, Chile has the world's largest known lithium reserves. This puts the South American country ahead of Australia (2.7 million tons), Argentina (2 million tons) and China (1 million tons).
Lithium mining destroys the soil structure and leads to unsustainable water table reduction. In the end, it depletes water resources, leaving the land too dry and exposing ecosystems to the risk of extinction.
T&E's study shows that there would be enough lithium and nickel (1) metals to make up to 14 million battery electric cars (BEV) globally in 2023 – 55% higher than the current market projections.
Can you use 100% of a lithium battery?
You can safely have 100% of the advertised capacity of a lithium battery - this is not the same as draining a cell below 2.8 volts, which is a lot more than the advertised capacity.
On 12v batteries the use of a low voltage cutoff takes the place of the BMS by preventing the overall battery voltage going under 11.5v no cell damage should occur. On the other end charging to no more than 14.2v no cell should be overcharged.
If a lithium-ion battery is discharged below 2.5 volts per cell, a safety circuit built into the battery opens and the battery appears to be dead.
To calculate the lithium content of the battery, simply multiply the grams (g) of lithium metal by the number of cells in the battery.
How Much Lithium is in a Lithium Ion EV Battery? The best estimate is around 160 g of Li metal in the battery per kWh of battery, or if you prefer, about 850 g of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) in the battery per kWh.
| Chemistry | IEC name | Typical capacity (Wh) |
|---|---|---|
| Alkaline | LR03 | 1.3–1.8 |
| Li-FeS2 | FR03 | 1.8 |
| NiMH | 1⁄2 AAA 10.4mm 22.7mm | 0.42 - 1.2 |
| Li-ion | 1⁄3 AAA | 0.4 |
So even if the electricity and fuel costs were completely equal, an electric car should, in theory, be cheaper to own than a gasoline car. But, of course, you don't generally get a huge discount on fuel costs for nothing.
We found that electric vehicles could displace oil demand of 2 million barrels a day as early as 2023. That would create a glut of oil equivalent to what triggered the 2014 oil crisis. Compound annual growth rates as high as 60 percent can't hold up for long, so it's a very aggressive forecast.
A typical American EV needs 66 kWh to charge. On average, cars in America use 70 pounds of coal per charge (or about 8 gallons of oil). It's important to consider the energy mix at your local power grid, since most aren't powered by coal or oil alone. Some used renewable sources like wind or incorporate solar energy.
Running Out of Lithium
Global lithium reserves are estimated at over 14 million tons, and (depending on who you ask) the amount of lithium needed to meet current goals is somewhere between 0.5 and 1.3 million tons. In 2021 lithium extraction peaked at an industry record of 100,000 metric tons.
What will replace lithium?
Salt. Salt, or sodium, is a close chemical cousin to lithium. While a very similar element, it does not have the same environmental impact, meaning it could be a feasible option to replace it. The solution could be sodium-ion batteries.
This is Why Electric Cars will NOT be the Future! Are Electric ... - YouTube
Although lithium reserves are distributed widely across the globe, the U.S. is home to just one active lithium mine, in Nevada.
Ukraine is not a big producer of lithium currently, but the country attracted attention for its own reserves prior to the invasion. Production in the region has stalled as a result of the war. The majority of the world's cobalt comes from mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where human rights abuses are rampant.
While there is only one operational lithium mine in the U.S. at present, a number of companies are pressing to get mining projects operational. Lithium Americas is planning a mine at Thacker Pass in Northern Nevada, while Australia-based Ioneer USA Corp.