Lithium technology will demand more lithium Lithium metal deficit could limit next generation battery development this year – Benchmark Source.
Global capacity for lithium metal production is insufficient to support the early commercial growth of the lithium metal battery industry, according to Benchmark’s Solid-State and Lithium Metal Forecast.
Such batteries use lithium metal as the anode material. This can drastically increase the capacity of the battery, but require the use of either a novel liquid or solid-state electrolyte for safe operation.
If all suitable lithium metal produced in 2024 was used for lithium metal batteries, the industry could support five to ten gigawatt-hours (GWh) of cell production. However, much of the lithium metal will be diverted to other industries and, as such, Benchmark forecasts a supply deficit of the metal this year.