Recently, Bloomberg News reported that a senator in Chile has insisted that his country is more active in taking control of its vast deposits of lithium metal (30 September 2009). So why would Senator Nuñez Chilean suddenly be so passionate and possessive about the battery lying in his country ... and, better still, why is this news? Perhaps there was a dramatic rash cases of manic-depressive since the last lunar eclipse. This is the question of drugs for purposes lithium caused a spike like never before? Or, with increases in temperature under global warming, perhaps people were scurrying to their nearest Home Depot, grabbing as much (based on lithium), heat-resistant glass can. Well, actually, Senator actions most likely related to the significant growth in demand for batteries for their vital role in building ... electric cars. Why, you ask? Well, more specificlally, a large amount of lithium is necessary for the production of large lithium-ion batteries currently used for the expansion of the market for electric cars. And, unless you have been trapped under the transmission of the internal combustion engine for the past several months, we know that the latest full-hybrid-electric cars and are almost ready to break out of their car show exclusive niche and roll in the showroom of your local car dealerships. As for the developed countries' for green technology and energy independence reached its peak in recent years, both companies start-up electric cars and cheese established ones have pushed their pedal to the metal in the creation of efficient, progressive, and (almost) cost-effective electric vehicles to sell to the American family every day. We started to use much smaller lithium-ion batteries for mobile phones and laptop computers ten years ago. The advantage of lithium ion batteries over traditional lead-acid batteries or zinc is its nature and its rechargeable high energy density and the electrochemical potential. According to some estimates (australianlithium.com, others), a typical lithium-ion cell capable of generating about 3 volts, while a lead-acid battery produces 1.5 volts. Companies such as Boston Power, A123 Systems, and South Korea's LG Chem has designed, developed and improved and innovative changes to the chemistry of these lithium batteries, as well as the electronics that control them, in recent years. They did this with hundreds of millions of dollars in loans backed by conglomerates like General Electric, General Motors, Chrysler and NEC. Results. General Motors will launch the most discussed of these cars lithium-ion-based all-electric, the Volt (or amps, as sold in Europe) in local showrooms in late 2010. According to the latest estimates from U.S. News & World Report (accessed 10 October), the price will be $ 40,000, with a $ 7,500 federal tax rebate available after that price. Mitsubishi all-electric i-MiEV will go on sale again next year, but, first, only in Japan. The Economist estimated Mitsubishi to have a price of $ 49,000, which could be cut almost in half by the time the car will be sold abroad. The Tesla Roadster was one of the first large-scale electric cars to go on sale to the general market, in 2007. The roadster can reach 60 km / h in just four seconds and has a top speed of 130 mph. The "general market" is a term used more freely for the Tesla machine as costs a mere $ 121,000, not the typical American family spending adjustment by Aerostar in SUV mobile.In addition of plug-in electric at a time and i-MiEV, other electric cars are expected from Toyota (as expected), Fiat, Renault-Nissan alliance (the "Leaf" may launch in 2010) and Daimler. Although the American public may not trade in its entire fleet of vehicles for domestic-combustine those all-electric as fast as some of us traded in our car to clunker cash earlier this year, there will be a gradual change paradigm in the panorama of car buying in the next twenty years, according to various studies and estimates. As Yahoo News reported, Renault chief Carlos Ghosn believes that by 2020, electric cars are up more than 10 percent of the market cars, and that the company's strategic alliance with Nissan, Zero Emissions Vehicle strategy the group's top during the battle against CO2 emissions. Oliver Wyman Consulting, in a study published last month (September 2009), believes that the market share will go to 16 percent in 2025 and rise further after that, while IDTechEx, a consulting company in the form of research in Cambridge, England, says that electric vehicles will penetrate the market quickly in order to constitute 35% of cars manufactured in 2025. And, if we continue to manufacture the batteries needed to power these cars in a similar way to how we produce the batteries today, which is a lot of battery that will be needed at the beginning of the supply chain. No wonder that some in the government of Chile is eager to pounce on this resource.Lithium - now considered a "strategic mineral" - can be found mainly in the dry Atacama Desert, which covers parts of Bolivia, Argentina, Chile and mentioned above. There are some reserves of lithium in the United States, China and Australia. However, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), almost half of the world's known reserves are in Bolivia, and only two brine operations in Chile dominate the world market today. Rockwood Holdings square meters and the two mining companies are very enjoy the spoils of this race lithium at this time with their digging envious in this desert of Atacama in northern Chile. The increase in demand for electric cars with lithium-ion battery Lithium-based has some of the public concerned about a potential "Lithium Cartel", similar to the current OPEC oil group has caused a lot of suits, the problems of prices and resource struggles for the last century or so. As Norman Hardie of Toronto, Canada, recently wrote in a letter published in The Economist (Sept. 17), "Although lithium is relatively abundant the largest reserves are in Bolivia, and Russia has high deposits. We should consider the issue more before swap dependency on oil for a cartel of lithium led by Friends of Hugo Chavez. " Well, while President Morales of Bolivia can say harsh things, sometimes about his neighbor slightly to the north, Chile is always trying to do his darndest economic, trade and political alliances with the United States a top foreign policy priority . It will be very interesting to see how the race pans out.And for this resource, in fact, a recent article in the August issue of Scientific American online, researchers have found that these lithium-ion batteries power our laptops and electric cars could be better improved by adding a compound containing boron and fluorine. Oh no. Well, now then, I think we need to get a jump on the vast reserves of Turkey's boron reserves and fluoride that are .... in fact, everywhere. We can not humm quietly all alone in our family-size zero-emissions go-kart and get along? Sources: Australian-Lithium.com. "About Lithium. A vital component of the economy Electron "http://www.australian-lithium.com/about-lithium.html, 2009.The Economist," the electrification of motoring. The acid test electric-fuel-trade. "September 5, 2009. Craze Matt Smith and Michal, "Senator proposes the Chilean government control of the lithium deposits. Bloomberg. September 30, 2009. U.S. News & World Report: Ratings and reviews. "2010 Chevy Volt." http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/Chevrolet_Volt/Mitsubishi Motors. i-MiEV. Innovations. http://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/special/ev/4innovations/index.htmlTesla Motors. http://www.teslamotors.com/Simon Boehm, "'Battle of electric cars' launch in France." AFP, Yahoo News. October 1, http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/franceautoenvironmentelectricsectorChristoph Hammerschmidt, "E-cars have a long way to go to become competitive, a researcher says." EE Times Deutschland. http://eetimes.eu/germany/219700477Dr Peter Harrop and Raghu Das, "Hybrid and pure electric cars 2009-2019". Consultancy IDTechEx, http://www.idtechex.com/research/reports/hybrid_and_pure_electric_cars_2009_2019_000227.aspUSGS. Mineral resources of the program. Lithium. http://minerals.usgs.gov/. 2007The Economist. Letters. "A tax on the Chevy." 2009.Jenny Mandel on September 17, "Building a better battery lithium-ion battery." Scientific American, reprinted from greenware. August 24, 2009, http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=electric-cars-lithium-ion-battery-boron-fluorine
