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Breaking Down the Key Minerals in an EV Battery

Inside practically every electric vehicle (EV) is a lithium-ion battery that depends on several key minerals that help power it.

Some minerals make up intricate parts within the cell to ensure the flow of electrical current. Others protect it from accidental damage on the outside.

This infographic usesdatafrom the European Federation for Transport and Environment to break down the key minerals in an EV battery. The mineral content is based on the ‘average 2020 battery’, which refers to the weighted average of battery chemistries on the market in 2020.

The Battery Minerals Mix

The cells in the average battery with a 60 kilowatt-hour (kWh) capacity—the same size that’s used in a Chevy Bolt—contained roughly185 kilogramsof minerals. This figure excludes materials in the electrolyte, binder, separator, and battery pack casing.

	Mineral	Cell Part	Amount Contained in the Avg. 2020 Battery (kg)	% of Total
Graphite	Anode	52kg	28.1%
Aluminum	Cathode, Casing, Current collectors	35kg	18.9%
Nickel	Cathode	29kg	15.7%
Copper	Current collectors	20kg	10.8%
Steel	Casing	20kg	10.8%
Manganese	Cathode	10kg	5.4%
Cobalt	Cathode	8kg	4.3%
Lithium	Cathode	6kg	3.2%
Iron	Cathode	5kg	2.7%
Total	N/A	185kg	100%

The cathode contains the widest variety of minerals and is arguably the most important andexpensive componentof the battery. The composition of the cathode is a major determinant in the performance of the battery, with each mineral offering a unique benefit.

For example, NMC batteries, whichaccounted for72%of batteries used in EVs in 2020 (excluding China), have a cathode composed of nickel, manganese, and cobalt along with lithium. The higher nickel content in these batteries tends to increase their energy density or the amount of energy stored per unit of volume, increasing the driving range of the EV. Cobalt and manganese often act as stabilizers in NMC batteries, improving their safety.

Altogether, materials in the cathode account for31.3%of the mineral weight in the average battery produced in 2020. This figure doesn’t include aluminum, which is used in nickel-cobalt-aluminum (NCA) cathode chemistries, but is also used elsewhere in the battery for casing and current collectors.

Meanwhile, graphite has been thego-to materialfor anodes due to its relatively low cost, abundance, and long cycle life. Since the entire anode is made up of graphite, it’s the single-largest mineral component of the battery. Other materials include steel in the casing that protects the cell from external damage, along with copper, used as the current collector for the anode.

Minerals Bonded by Chemistry

There are several types of lithium-ion batteries with different compositions of cathode minerals. Their names typically allude to their mineral breakdown.

For example:

• NMC811 batteries cathode composition:
  80% nickel
  10% manganese
  10% cobalt
• NMC523 batteries cathode composition:
  50% nickel
  20% manganese
  30% cobalt

Here’s how the mineral contents differ for various battery chemistries with a 60kWh capacity:

With consumers looking for higher-range EVs that do not need frequent recharging, nickel-rich cathodes have become commonplace. In fact, nickel-based chemistries accounted for80%of the battery capacity deployed in new plug-in EVs in 2021.

Lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries do not use any nickel and typically offer lower energy densities at better value. Unlike nickel-based batteries that use lithium hydroxide compounds in the cathode, LFP batteries use lithium carbonate, which is a cheaper alternative. Tesla recently joined several Chinese automakers in using LFP cathodes for standard-range cars, driving theprice of lithium carbonateto record highs.

TheEV battery marketis still in its early hours, with plenty of growth on the horizon. Battery chemistries are constantly evolving, and as automakers come up with new models with different characteristics, it’ll be interesting to see which new cathodes come around the block.