Lithium export prices from the world’s second-largest producing nation fell in the first quarter, marking the first decline for the mineral that is key to electric vehicle batteries since at least 2014.
Chile exported lithium carbonate at an average price of $12 183 per ton, 0.9% down from the same period a year earlier, according to data from Chilean customs compiled by Bloomberg. Prices have soared 167% in the past five years.