The Great Battery Supply Chain War: Cobalt, Lithium and Geopolitics

Perspective: Global Resource Dynamics
Word Count: 620

Critical Material Hotspots

1. Lithium Triangle (Chile/Argentina/Bolivia):

• Holds 58% global reserves but only 29% production (USGS 2024)

2. Cobalt:

• 70% from DRC mines, 80% processed in China

Trade Policy Shifts

• U.S. Inflation Reduction Act:

• 50% battery components must be North American by 2026

• Tesla adjusts sourcing: 12% lithium now from Nevada clay

• EU Critical Raw Materials Act:

• 10% lithium from recycling by 2030

Corporate Strategies

• BYD’s vertical integration:

• Controls mines in Chile → cell production → EV assembly

• Glencore’s blockchain tracking:

• Ensures conflict-free cobalt from DRC to GM

Future Battlegrounds

• Seabed mining:

• 27,000 polymetallic nodules/km² in Clarion-Clipperton Zone

• UN regulations pending 2025

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