Automaker Stellantis has a supply agreement for battery-grade lithium hydroxide, for use in its North American electric vehicle production. The source for a reported 25,000 metric tons/year of low-carbon lithium will be Controlled Thermal Resources Ltd., which recovers lithium from geothermal brines in California’s Salton Sea.
“Ensuring we have a robust, competitive, and low-carbon lithium supply from various partners around the world will enable us to meet our aggressive electric-vehicle production plans in a responsible manner,” according to Carlos Tavares, Stellantis CEO.
Stellantis announced a similar supply deal last year for its European production programs.
Lithium is the raw material of choice for the current wave of battery-electric vehicles being developed by all the major automakers in North America. Stellantis has said it will introduce 75 BEV models by 2030, targeting 5 million electric vehicle sales per year by that time – though there is some reported concern among automakers about a shortage of lithium-ion batteries once they begin to roll out their BEV models around 2024.
CTR is the same company working with General Motors to develop lithium brines into material for that automaker’s battery program. “Securing clean lithium produced with energy from a renewable resource helps to further decarbonize the battery supply chain, which in turn delivers cleaner cars with less environmental impact,” according to CEO Rod Colwell of CTR CEO.
The CTR closed-loop process uses renewable energy and steam to produce battery-grade lithium from geothermal brines, without need for evaporation ponds, open pit mines, or fossil-fueled processing.
