[Peakoil] Better lithium-ion batteries are on the way from Berkeley Lab

[Keith]

To put this in context, note that only a quarter of global lithium production goes into batteries:

"Although lithium markets vary by location, global end-use markets are estimated as follows: ceramics and glass, 31%; batteries, 23%; lubricating greases, 9%; air treatment, 6%; primary aluminum production, 6%; continuous casting, 4%; rubber and thermoplastics, 4%; pharmaceuticals, 2%; and other uses, 15%. Lithium use in batteries expanded significantly in recent years because rechargeable lithium batteries were being used increasingly in portable electronic devices and electrical tools."

http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/lithium/mcs-2011-lithi.pdf

It's hard to find reliable data on recoverable reserves of lithium and annual consumption. But the impression I get is that "peak lithium" is not imminent.
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Keith Thomas
www.evfit.com
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On 23/09/2011, at 11:50 PM, Jenny Goldie wrote:

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Better lithium-ion batteries are on the way from Berkeley Lab
Lithium-ion batteries power everything from smart phones to electric cars, but especially when it comes to lowering the cost and extending the range of all-electric vehicles, they need to store a lot more energy. The critical component for energy storage is the anode, and scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have developed a new anode material that can absorb eight times the lithium and has far greater energy capacity than today's designs. 
http://newscenter.lbl.gov/news-releases/2011/09/23/better-li-ion-batteries/