Lithium and cobalt are getting a boost from Tesla, Apple...

Lithium and cobalt are getting a boost from Tesla, Apple batteries
By Myra P. Saefong
Published: Jan 29, 2018 5:03 a.m. ET

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The two metals face long-term supply constraints as batteries for smartphones and electric vehicles boom

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Lithium workers at the Llipi pilot plant in Uyuni, Bolivia. The country has more than 40% of the global lithium reserves.
The outlook for lithium continues to shine, even as lithium-related stocks started off the year on a sour note.

Cobalt should also benefit. Both metals are key components in lithium-ion batteries, used in everything from electric vehicles to cell phones and laptops. With electric vehicle sales “growing at double-digit compound growth rates and the costs of renewable energy continuing its deflationary cost crash, the raw materials critical for the lithium-ion battery are in the early stages of a growth cycle that may continue well into the next decade,” says Chris Berry, an advisor to Lithium Americas Corp. LAC, -0.80% , which recently began trading on the New York Stock Exchange.