{"id":401891,"date":"2021-01-19T04:18:54","date_gmt":"2021-01-19T12:18:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=wherenext&#038;p=401891"},"modified":"2024-05-10T06:32:30","modified_gmt":"2024-05-10T13:32:30","slug":"lithium-mining-for-evs","status":"publish","type":"wherenext","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/lithium-mining-for-evs","title":{"rendered":"California Eyes Sea of Opportunity for EVs"},"author":501,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","castos_file_data":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[455201,1001,1031],"tags":[339202,295082,325292],"department":[488822],"wherenext-category":[],"industry":[],"class_list":["post-401891","wherenext","type-wherenext","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-a-climate-of-change","category-commercial","category-natural-resources","tag-electric-vehicles","tag-mining","tag-recycling","department-sustainability-risk"],"acf":{"short_description":"A remote part of the state could turn the US into the world's largest producer of lithium for battery technology.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Last fall, California governor Gavin Newsom announced that all new cars sold in the state will be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.ca.gov\/2020\/09\/23\/governor-newsom-announces-california-will-phase-out-gasoline-powered-cars-drastically-reduce-demand-for-fossil-fuel-in-californias-fight-against-climate-change\/\">emission free<\/a> by 2035. As the state with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fhwa.dot.gov\/policyinformation\/statistics\/2010\/mv1.cfm\">most registered vehicles<\/a>\u2014twice as many as runner-up Texas\u2014California's policy will have a significant impact on the country's transition to electric cars powered by lithium-ion batteries. Miners, manufacturers, and logistics companies stand to benefit if that policy sparks development of the state's own lithium reserves."},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Right","content":"<strong>Article snapshot:<\/strong> Lithium-ion batteries are central to a net-zero carbon future, and a possible industry cluster near California's Salton Sea could outproduce the rest of the world, with the right technology support.","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"If those industry players create a Southern California hub for lithium extraction and battery production\u2014an outcome the state is encouraging\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/location-intelligence\">location intelligence<\/a> will be key to making the process efficient and collaborative.\r\n<h3><strong>From Imperial Valley to Lithium Valley<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nMost lithium today comes from Australia; China; and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nsenergybusiness.com\/features\/top-lithium-producing-countries\/\">\"lithium triangle\"<\/a> that covers parts of Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia. California's Imperial Valley, a desert region in the southeast corner of the state, could contain even larger reserves.\r\n\r\nAccording to a recent study by <a href=\"https:\/\/ww2.energy.ca.gov\/2020publications\/CEC-500-2020-020\/CEC-500-2020-020.pdf\">SRI International<\/a>, highlighted in <em>Bloomberg Businessweek<\/em>, the magma-heated brine underneath the Salton Sea could annually yield <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/features\/2020-11-19\/california-s-salton-sea-could-contain-lithium-for-electric-car-batteries\">eight times the amount of lithium<\/a> produced globally in 2019. With the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businesswire.com\/news\/home\/20200720005363\/en\/Lithium-ion-Battery-Market-Worth-129-Billion-by-2027---Breakdown-by-Component-End-use-Industry-and-Region---ResearchAndMarkets.com\">lithium-ion battery market<\/a> on track to reach $129 billion by 2027\u2014up from $37 billion in 2019\u2014the Salton Sea's lithium could be in high demand.\r\n\r\nGeothermal plants already dot the shore of the inland sea, pumping the brine and converting it into turbine-powering steam. Several companies have expressed an interest in extracting lithium before the brine is sent back underground, according to <em>Businessweek<\/em>.\r\n\r\nCalifornia officials hope manufacturers will build battery factories\u2014and perhaps even plants that assemble electric cars\u2014creating an industry cluster in a region officials have rebranded \"lithium valley.\"\r\n<h3><strong>A Unified Lithium Supply Chain<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nThis kind of ecosystem could consolidate a key part of the electric car industry in one area, creating supply chain efficiencies for the companies involved and benefits for the local area as well as the state.\r\n\r\nThis will require cooperation among diverse stakeholders, beginning with energy companies, mining interests, local officials and community leaders, and environmental groups\u2014potentially expanding to include battery and car manufacturers.\r\n\r\nIn other industries, such cooperation has started with a smart map of an area, stored and accessible with geographic information system (GIS) technology. Mining companies already <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/natural-resources\/segments\/mining\">routinely use GIS<\/a> to create detailed maps of their sites, for everything from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/natural-resources\/segments\/mining\/gis-ensures-that-mining-operates-responsibly-and-efficiently\">exploration to operations<\/a>. Integrating <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/think-tank-what-leading-businesses-see-in-remote-sensing\/\">satellite imagery<\/a>, remotely sensed lidar data, and even point cloud maps <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/nexttech-construction-monitoring\/\">created by drones<\/a>, these companies gain a complete picture of a project. The data helps companies identify the location of deposits, strategize how to extract them, organize the daily operations of the site, and track the environmental impact of these activities.\r\n\r\nFor any cluster that might develop near the Salton Sea, a smart map could be a platform for communications among the various interests, with cloud-based permissions governing which companies and individuals can access which data. That kind of shared ground truth promotes transparency and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/oregon-detente-loggers-conservationists\/\">can drive collaboration within industry coalitions<\/a>.\r\n<h3><strong>Easing the Environmental Footprint of Lithium<\/strong><\/h3>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"form","form_type":"aside","form_position":"Right","form_title":"THE ESRI BRIEF","form_desc":"A biweekly email connecting senior executives and business leaders with thought-provoking articles on location intelligence and critical technology trends.","form_button_label":"Sign up now","form_content":"https:\/\/go.pardot.com\/l\/82202\/2017-10-12\/jw1bmb","form_tag":"low-commitment-form\/sign-up-form"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"One consistent criticism of electric cars as clean-energy solutions is that extracting and processing the key elements in lithium-ion batteries is itself a carbon-intensive process. Extracting lithium from brine involves large amounts of water, and both requires and produces chemicals that are potentially harmful to local air, water, and soil.\r\n\r\nSome projects in South America's lithium triangle have come under fire for misuse of local water reserves and for inattention to the environmental cost of lithium mining.\r\n\r\nLocation intelligence could help the companies pursuing Salton Sea projects maximize both efficiency and sustainability, similar to the way <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/claudia-blagu-of-ingka-investments\/\">other resource-intensive companies are using location intelligence<\/a>. For instance, GIS technology could monitor the yearlong lithium refinement process. As lithium production ramps up, the same system could help lithium-ion battery makers plan factory sites and manage the logistics of distribution.\r\n<h3><strong>Growing Lithium Valley<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nIf the battery factories materialize, they'll integrate locally produced lithium with other battery components sourced from around the world. Factory owners can use location intelligence to monitor their global supply chain and reduce the risk of disruption, as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/gm-maps-supply-chain-risk\/\">automaker GM has done for years<\/a>.\r\n\r\nCobalt, another key component in electric vehicle (EV) batteries, comes from several countries that have been accused of exploiting mining labor. To ensure that they do not perpetuate bad labor practices, battery makers could follow the example of food and beverage companies that track <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/bunge-palm-oil-tracking-with-imagery\/\">the sources of palm oil<\/a> to control deforestation.\r\n\r\nOnce the lithium in the batteries leaves Imperial Valley, a Salton Sea lithium industry could continue to exert a positive influence. Companies around the world are beginning to see their products as part of a circular economy rather than one that extends in a straight line from the manufacturer to the consumer to the landfill. When the Salton Sea lithium leaves the area in battery form to power electric cars around the world, manufacturers could take a location-intelligent approach to <a href=\"https:\/\/chinadialogue.net\/en\/energy\/10709-are-recyclers-ready-for-the-coming-glut-of-lithium-ion-batteries\/\">recycling<\/a>. A manufacturer could estimate the life-span of any given battery, contact the owner around the time the battery is likely to expire, and offer buybacks. Instead of winding up in landfills, some components of the battery could be reused and reintegrated into the industrial process, creating a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/circular-economy-technology\/\">profitable and sustainable circular economy<\/a>.\r\n\r\nBuilding a lithium valley will take time, determination, and patience. But with a holistic application of location intelligence technology, an outpost of the world's clean-energy future could bloom in California's desert."}],"references":null},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.9 (Yoast SEO v25.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Lithium in California&#039;s Salton Sea Portend Possible Battery Cluster<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Mining lithium to power lithium-ion batteries could boost an overlooked California region, but the right tech tools will be key to success.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/lithium-mining-for-evs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"California 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