Ann: ASX Small and Mid-Cap Conference 2020, page-113

https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/availability_of_lithium
”lithium makes up less than 1% of the battery costs”
Lithium also is only one component of a lithium ion battery. By volume most of these batteries are made of nickel,graphite,cobalt,aluminium with lithium bringing up the rear.
The anode is important , the cathode is important,the electrolyte is important the separator ( membrane) is important. The lithium is needed but not more so than any other of the components.
Of course it’s all a matter of a cost to benefit analysis for battery makers, with tiny slices of advantage useful but that’s old world now. With large advances in the anode, the cathode, and the electrolyte ,to gain a tiny advance in lithium ions is not now critical, most problems in batteries is consumption of lithium within the battery. This is due to unwanted plating of the lithium in the electrolyte.