EV industry must work closer with lithium suppliers, executives say

Automakers must work closer with lithium producers to guarantee supply of specialized types of the white metal that boost an electric vehicle's range and performance, Albemarle Corp and Livent Corp executives told the Reuters Next conference https://reutersevents.com/events/next on Wednesday. As EVs go mainstream, automakers are planning models that can run longer before recharging and handle different weather conditions. Batteries for such EVs typically are made with a type of lithium known as hydroxide that cannot be stored for long periods of time and thus must be made in custom batches.