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Where does the cobalt used in electric car batteries come from?
As someone looking into buying my first electric vehicle, I’m trying to learn as much about the manufacturing process as possible so that I can make the most ethical choice. I’ve noticed that a huge component of making the lithium-ion batteries in electric cars requires cobalt, but that many electric car makers are trying to transition away from using it entirely. Why is this, and where does cobalt come from?
Allison Stone · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
It’s absolutely correct that in spite of being a popular choice for electric car batteries, the practices used to acquire cobalt have come under fire lately for various reasons.
The majority of cobalt used in electric car batteries comes from mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but many electric car makers are trying to transition away from using cobalt for several reasons, such as:
- The high demand for electric vehicles far outpaces the rate at which cobalt can be extracted. While the material has been popular for how it impacts battery life and longevity, it simply cannot be extracted at rates comparable to thecurrent demandfor EVS.
- Cobalt is extremely difficult to extract.
- Cobalt is expensive. The demand for electric cars has never been higher, but the difficulty and expense of extracting cobalt in combination with controversy over mining practices have led many electric vehicle manufacturers to look towards a future where cobalt can be eliminated from rechargeable batteries entirely.
- There are ethical concerns surrounding the current extractions methods for acquiring cobalt.
Thankfully, cobalt is not necessary to create electric car batteries, and every day new technologies are being developed.
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