The demand for lithium has increased dramatically in the last few years , as car manufacturers in the US , US and US buy supplies preparing for a more electric future. Figures show that lithium carbonate imported to China more than doubled in the last two months of 2015 , driven by companies such as BYD , which sold more electric vehicles in 2008 than Tesla did since 2008 . Battery technology has traditionally faced challenges with cost, recharging times, and storage capacity; however producing large-scale batteries will play a crucial part in providing cleaner power on and off electricity grids. Utility companies are installing one of lithium-ion battery cells into power plants to regulate electricity supply during peak demand times and when impacted by unfavourable weather. That compares with total American power-generation capacity of more than 1,000GW, but is still more than double the 0.5GW of short-term output that can be delivered by batteries plugged into grids around the world today. A rising lithium price has lead researchers to look at cheaper battery alternatives, meanwhile although lithium-ion batteries lack the capacity to store grid-scale power for a few hours , the increase in supply of lithium batteries will improve scientists' understanding of their performance.
The demand for lithium has increased dramatically in the last few years , as car manufacturers in the US , US and US buy supplies preparing for a more electric future. Figures show that lithium carbonate imported to China more than doubled in the last two months of 2015 , driven by companies such as BYD , which sold more electric vehicles in 2008 than Tesla did since 2008 . Battery technology has traditionally faced challenges with cost, recharging times, and storage capacity; however producing large-scale batteries will play a crucial part in providing cleaner power on and off electricity grids. Utility companies are installing one of lithium-ion battery cells into power plants to regulate electricity supply during peak demand times and when impacted by unfavourable weather. A rising lithium price has lead researchers to look at cheaper battery alternatives, meanwhile although lithium-ion batteries lack the capacity to store grid-scale power for a few hours , the increase in supply of lithium batteries will improve scientists' understanding of their performance.