Richard Harris [NPR Reporter]: Mintzer says the lesson here is not that we should abandon lithium batteries, but that we need to be better prepared to switch to alternatives if the need arises. And unfortunately, the federal government and industry has [sic] focused a huge percentage of battery research solely on lithium-ion technology.
if china is the middle east of neodymium, bolivia may be the saudi arabia of lithium:
In the rush to build the next generation of hybrid or electric cars, a sobering fact confronts both automakers and governments seeking to lower their reliance on foreign oil: almost half of the world's lithium, the mineral needed to power the vehicles, is found here in Bolivia -- a country that may not be willing to surrender it so easily. ...
See also comments about the world's supply of lithium in gmoke's Electric Cars for Everyone - Tomorrow diary. Truth unfolds in time through a communal process.
Is that the U.S or the German federal governemt? For wind turbines surely it's the latter that is more relevant?...
