Lithium shortages impact Tesla, other EV carmakers, numerous tech markets
The price of lithium has surged over the past year
As gas prices drive demand for electric vehicles, supply chain issues remain
Park West Mobility Service hasn't seen this much demand for electric vehicles in at least five years. Fuel prices going up is driving the market for electric vehicles.
Electric vehicles (EVs) have been growing in popularity amid climate initiatives to reduce carbon emissions, yet production is being hampered by a shortage of lithium, an essential element for making electric batteries.
The lithium shortage problem was highlighted at this year’s Austin Auto Show. Many of the electric vehicles on display, such as the Ford F-150, have thousands of orders already – despite not being out yet.
In a recent interview, lithium and mining expert Joe Lowry told Bloomberg that a gap will continue to grow between supply and demand over the next two years.
FILE: In this Feb. 2, 2020, file photo, the company logo appears on an unsold 2020 Model X at a Tesla dealership in Littleton, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File / AP Newsroom)
The price of lithium has surged more than 430% over the past year. Part of the reason for this is that extracting lithium is a cumbersome process.
Stocks In This Article:
Earlier this month, Tesla CEO Elon Musk noted that the price of lithium had gone to "insane levels."
He said that Tesla might get into the mining and refining directly at scale, unless the price came down.
"There is no shortage of the element itself, as lithium is almost every on Earth, but pace of extraction is slow," he tweeted.
At a Wednesday earnings call, Musk told analysts that lithium production is a hurdle to meeting EV demand and urged entrepreneurs to get into the mining business.
"Right now, we think mining and refining lithium … appears to be a limiting factor, and certainly is responsible for quite a bit of cost growth in sales," Musk said. "I think it’s the single biggest cost growth item right now,"
AS GAS PRICES SOAR, EVS OUT OF REACH
He added: "Can more people please get into the lithium business? Do you like minting money? Well, the lithium business is for you."
Tesla’s revenue for the quarter was around $18.76 billion – beating estimates of $17.85 billion. It was boosted by multiple price hikes meant to offset rising costs of lithium, nickel, cobalt, and other raw materials.
The VinFast VF e36 is shown at the AutoMobility LA auto show Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021, in Los Angeles. ( AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File / AP Newsroom)
Musk told analysts that waiting lists are long even as Tesla raised prices anticipating costs during the next six to 12 months.
"We are obviously not demand limited, we are production limited," he said.
Lithium use is exploding thanks both to the growth in EVs and the metal's use across multiple technology industries: cell phones, mobile computers, even solar-powered gadgets ultimately use some form of battery to store energy, and lithium has become the preferred metal along with other elements including cobalt.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX BUSINESS APP
China has largely cornered the market on lithium production. Other large lithium mines are located in South America and Australia. The U.S. produces only around 2% of the world’s supply but is expected to boost its mining capabilities in the years ahead. But plans for a second US operation, an open pit mine, have run into objections from environmental groups according to reports.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.