The UK’s first lithium factory, which will supply European electric vehicle and battery manufacturers, has received extra funding and is expected to open in 2024.
Green Lithium’s refinery in northern England will get feedstock – a raw material needed in processing from Trafigura, one of the world’s leading metals merchants.
There are presently no commercial lithium refineries in Europe, leaving the continent’s expanding electric car and sustainable energy storage sectors reliant on Chinese factories.
The new plant’s construction is planned to begin next year, with the first refined metals exiting the facility gates by 2024. The refinery is expected to achieve full capacity by 2026, when it will produce 50,000 tonnes of battery quality lithium per year. This will be delivered to Europe’s planned “gigafactories” for battery production. It will also create 1,000 jobs during construction and 200 afterward.
According to the corporation, it would employ low-carbon technologies in its processing.
This comes as Sales of electric vehicles across the UK continued to rise last month.
The latest report by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders suggests battery electric vehicle registrations increased year on year by more than 40% in April.
The data shows that more than 12,800 BEVs joined UK streets last month.
How is Lithium important for EV’s?
Lithium is an important active ingredient in the rechargeable batteries that power electric vehicles. It may be found as a solid mineral in rock and clay deposits, as well as dissolved in brine. It is popular among battery producers because, as the least dense metal, it retains a significant amount of energy for its weight.
Lithium-ion batteries are used to power electric vehicles and to store grid-scale energy. (They are also found in cellphones and laptop computers.) However, Europe has a dilemma. Almost every ounce of battery-grade lithium is now imported.
Are we moving to an Electric Car Future?
According to a Bridgestone survey, 67 percent of motorists plan to convert to an electric car in the near future, with the rising expense of gasoline and diesel at the pump was the primary motivator for making the move.
47 percent want to switch to an EV to save money on gas, while 56 percent are sold on the environmental benefits of EVs.
The research also underlined the cost-of-living problem, with 29 percent of motorists open to car sharing in the future to decrease outgoings and save money.