As demand for electric vehicles (EVs) grows, so does demand for the batteries that power them. Many are concerned that today’s EV battery (EVB) supply chain will be unable to meet this increased demand, and for good reason: today, the supply chain is vulnerable to disruption due to geopolitics, changing trade alliances, extreme weather, and a host of other factors. It is also too geographically concentrated; the upstream (mineral extraction), midstream (refining materials into battery cells), and downstream (battery assembly) portions take place in just a few countries. If the upstream or midstream in just one of these countries is disrupted, the effects reverberate globally, hindering EV production.
Of specific concern is the supply chain’s ability to provide enough of the minerals that go into EVBs. And then there’s the question of the domestic midstream capacity: does the United States have the facilities needed to process and refine these minerals into battery-grade materials?
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https://rmi.org/understanding-how-ev-battery-recycling-can-address-future-mineral-supply-gaps/