Photo by Roberto Sorin on Unsplash
For many years, we have depended on batteries made with cobalt to operate some of our devices. Cobalt-contained batteries have served us well too. However, the cost of cobalt has recently become a problem for battery manufacturers, due to the scarcity of cobalt. In addition, cobalt’s parent materials, nickel and copper, are geographically limited in the world, and China has access to the site where cobalt exists abundantly, essentially cornering the market.
The United States, through the U.S. Department of Energy, is at work to develop local manufacturing of lithium batteries. The Department of Energy aims to reduce the U.S. dependence on foreign countries and lead the global supply of cobalt-free batteries. Companies like Tesla now make cobalt-free batteries and plan to develop the technology to meet industry standards.
