From John Kopp
Owen Clarke expressed concern about “peak lithium” and the limits it might place on the production of electric-car batteries (11 October, p 20). A lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 60 kilowatt-hours would contain about 5 kilograms of lithium, according to www.batteryuniversity.com.
The US Bureau of Mines reported in 1990 that the available world resources of lithium are about 13 million tonnes, although geologist R. Keith Evans estimates 28 million tonnes. Either figure allows for the production of several billion batteries for several billion cars. And the lithium is recyclable, so batteries can be renewed without requiring new lithium. “Peak lithium” is not a concern in the same sense as is “peak oil”.
Nipomo, California, US
