EV battery suppliers face glut of lithium, tight supply of other materials

2017 Nissan Leaf showing battery pack (Source: Nissan)Lithium is a critical ingredient for today’s electric-vehicle batteries. Although a host of chemistries show promise—such as sodium-ion, fluoride-ion, or iron-ion—lithium-ion is proven, and the demand for it has been increasing rapidly as electric cars take off. And yet lithium has become unexpectedly plentiful and a lot cheaper...