TECHNOLOGY
54 recognise is growing fast . “ Integration needs to happen step by step through greater collaboration ,” he advises .
With a potential boom , is lithium eventually at risk of becoming devalued due to oversupply ? Ledoux Pedailles argues that analysts , with their limited experience of lithium , have had their forecasts proved wrong already . “ Just look at 2018 , the amount of lithium that comes out of South America which was , historically , the largest supplier of lithium chemicals is actually flat year on year .” He points out that when you start a new lithium plant historical rates show first year produce at 10 % capacity , the second year at 25 %, the third year at 30 %... “ The ramp-up is extremely slow because the process is far from easy ,” he adds . “ Lithium , like electric mobility , is a long-term story … Over the next 20 years , there is not enough investment in the lithium world to supply sufficient product to all the batteries that are going to be fitted in electric cars . It ’ s just not possible with the amount of money invested in lithium so far …”
The EV industry has come a long way since its early days when concept cars such as the Tesla Roadster and Nissan
FEBRUARY 2019