THE US government is in talks with London-headquartered mining business TechMet about potential investment in the firm as it works to secure better supplies of the rare metals required to mass-produce electric cars.
Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), a US government agency tasked with advancing foreign policy and national security objectives, has contacted the company which mines metals used for the vehicles’ batteries.
There is concern in the US about the growing control China wields over access to many of the raw materials, such as lithium and cobalt, needed.
Beijing also dominates the processing of these materials. China produces roughly two thirds of the world’s lithium-ion batteries...