It’s been an excellent year for electrified vehicles. The Inflation Reduction legislation passed by the Biden Administration will invest $369 billion in renewable energy solutions, including funding for the development of a nationwide charging network, EV purchaser tax credits, homegrown critical mineral sources, and battery and vehicle manufacturing. Second quarter electrified vehicle sales topped 442,720, up 12.9 percent from last year. And automakers and auto workers alike are committed to building a future of EV-only product lines.
But a future with electric vehicles is a future with lithium-ion batteries. By 2030, 22 million EVs are projected to be on American roads. These large, powerful batteries are composed of base metals (aluminum, copper, and iron), precious metals (nickel, cobalt, and magnesium), and Elements (graphite and lithium) have an in-vehicle lifespan of…