Electric cars to account for 79% of lithium demand by 2030 – Chile

The electric car industry will dominate demand for lithium over the next ten years, Chilean state mining agency Cochilco said on Wednesday, accounting for more than three quarters of the ultralight battery metal’s consumption by 2030, up from one third in 2019. Cochilco said demand for lithium for electric vehicles had been muted this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, expected at around 75 000 t, but would surge to 1.4-million tonnes by 2030.