Germany found enough lithium in the Rhine River valley to build 400 million eVs

Elements and metals are rarely certain soils in high demand globally as carmakers to produce electric vehicles rather than cars and burning engine trucks. One of the challenges for producing electric vehicles is to find enough raw materials, which may be difficult to obtain and sometimes rare. One of the critical raw materials for building batteries used in electric vehicles is lithium.

Germany has announced that he has found a significant lithium deposit under the Rhine River and plans to mine critical ingredients. According to the authorities, deposits under the river can accommodate enough to build 400 million electric cars. The Valley of Rhine in the Black Forest area in South Germany sat in an area of ​​about 186 miles and 40 kilometers wide.

Lithium is in a liquid state and is trapped in the underground springs of thousands of meters below the Rhine River. If the estimate of the Lithium deposit size is accurate, it will be one of the largest savings in the world. If the material can be successfully mined, it will reduce German dependence on imported lithium, and initial negotiations have taken place with automotive manufacturers.

Authorities who want to mine critical material are worried about the possibility of local opposition to mining operations. So far, most lithium deposits have been located in remote areas in Australia or South America, where there is little population to oppose mining operations. Vulcan Energy Resources plans to invest around $ 2 billion to build stations and geothermal power facilities and facilities to extract lithium.

The company believes it can extract 15,000 tons of lithium hydroxide per year in two locations in 2024. The second phase will begin in 2025 and so on, targeting output 40,000 tons per year on three additional facilities.