Lithium and its uses for the auto industry

Andes Altiplano ( Map, MSN Encarta)

Pininfarina-Bollore BO electric car.

Our fascination with future related subjects drives us to delve deeper into the research of different areas, not immediately related to the Stock Market and the recession.


Will Bolivia be the Dubai of 2050?
If electric cars have a great future, then perhaps. In March, Bolivian President Evo Morales signed a decree setting up a lithium extraction facility on the Uyuni fossilised salt lake.
Most of the world's reserves of lithium carbonate are located in a tiny triangle located high in the Andes Altiplano, a remote, high desert region shared by Chile, Argentina and Bolivia. Another rare and remote reserve is located high in the deserts of Tibet, now controlled by China. Smaller and declining reserves are found in Nevada and Australia.

LITHIUM - Statistics from U.S Government publication 2000.pdf
(Data in metric tons of lithium content, unless otherwise noted)

It is quite clear the next significant advances and breakthroughs in battery technology will come from nanotechnology.
E.V. Electric Vehicles and Fuel Cells is a real big market but until now nobody came up with a solution for the next 50 years.

The future battery (From the Battery University)
How much has the battery improved during the last 150 years? Compared to other advancements, the progress has only been moderate. A battery holds relatively little power, is bulky, heavy, and has a short life span. Battery power is also very expensive. The smaller the battery, the higher the cost-per-watt becomes. Yet humanity depends on the battery as an important portable power source.

The Saudi Arabia of Lithium

(From Forbes.com)
Nothing grows in the heart of the Salar de Atacama. this ancient Chilean lake bed 700 miles north of Santiago may be the driest place on Earth, a wasteland strewed with salt-encrusted rocks that resemble cow pies. Annual rainfall on the salar (which in Spanish means "salt lake") rarely tops a few millimeters. The cloudless skies combine with the high altitude, 1.4 miles above sea level, to produce punishing solar radiation, capable of frying exposed flesh in minutes.
Humans would steer clear of the Salar de Atacama were it not for the precious brine that bubbles 130 feet below its surface. When first pumped from the ground, the brine looks like slushy, dirt-stained snow, of the sort that piles up on Manhattan sidewalks after a spring flurry. But when left to broil beneath the desert sun, the water in the brine slowly evaporates, leaving behind a yellowy mineral bath that could easily be mistaken for olive oil.
This greasy solution yields the substance that makes modern life possible: lithium. The lightest of all metals, lithium is the key ingredient in the rechargeable batteries that keep cell phones and laptops humming. Chile is the Saudi Arabia of lithium. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, this single ancient lake bed contains 27% of the world's reserve base of the metal.

Until recently lithium was a minor commodity, used in small quantities by manufacturers of glass, grease and mood-stabilizing drugs. But demand has skyrocketed in recent years, as BlackBerrys and iPods have become middle-class staples. Between 2003 and 2007 the battery industry doubled its consumption of lithium carbonate, the most common ingredient used in lithium-based products.
The lithium bonanza may just be starting. Lithium-ion batteries are integral to the automobile industry's plans to wean itself off fossil fuels. The hotly anticipated Chevrolet Volt, a plug-in hybrid car slated to debut in 2010, will use a lithium-ion battery alongside a 1.4-liter gas engine. Mercedes plans to roll out a hybrid version of its S-Class sedan in 2009 and will similarly rely on lithium-ion technology to produce superior mileage. Nissan (nasdaq: NSANY - news - people ) is working with NEC to mass-produce lithium-ion batteries for hybrids, in hopes of churning out 65,000 per year by 2010.
Nothing grows in the heart of the Salar de Atacama. this ancient Chilean lake bed 700 miles north of Santiago may be the driest place on Earth, a wasteland strewed with salt-encrusted rocks that resemble cow pies. Annual rainfall on the salar (which in Spanish means "salt lake") rarely tops a few millimeters. The cloudless skies combine with the high altitude, 1.4 miles above sea level, to produce punishing solar radiation, capable of frying exposed flesh in minutes.
Humans would steer clear of the Salar de Atacama were it not for the precious brine that bubbles 130 feet below its surface. When first pumped from the ground, the brine looks like slushy, dirt-stained snow, of the sort that piles up on Manhattan sidewalks after a spring flurry. But when left to broil beneath the desert sun, the water in the brine slowly evaporates, leaving behind a yellowy mineral bath that could easily be mistaken for olive oil.
This greasy solution yields the substance that makes modern life possible: lithium. The lightest of all metals, lithium is the key ingredient in the rechargeable batteries that keep cell phones and laptops humming. Chile is the Saudi Arabia of lithium. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, this single ancient lake bed contains 27% of the world's reserve base of the metal.

Until recently lithium was a minor commodity, used in small quantities by manufacturers of glass, grease and mood-stabilizing drugs. But demand has skyrocketed in recent years, as BlackBerrys and iPods have become middle-class staples. Between 2003 and 2007 the battery industry doubled its consumption of lithium carbonate, the most common ingredient used in lithium-based products.
The lithium bonanza may just be starting. Lithium-ion batteries are integral to the automobile industry's plans to wean itself off fossil fuels. The hotly anticipated Chevrolet Volt, a plug-in hybrid car slated to debut in 2010, will use a lithium-ion battery alongside a 1.4-liter gas engine. Mercedes plans to roll out a hybrid version of its S-Class sedan in 2009 and will similarly rely on lithium-ion technology to produce superior mileage. Nissan (nasdaq: NSANY - news - people ) is working with NEC to mass-produce lithium-ion batteries for hybrids, in hopes of churning out 65,000 per year by 2010.



The Article: about Lithium and its uses is still being researched.

Something about the legendary Pininfarina Dynasty, you can find more on the Company website.

Battista “Pinin” Farina was born in Turin, November 2, 1893.
In 1961, the President of the Italian Republic, acting on a proposal made by the Minister of Justice, authorized the change of his last name to Pininfarina in consideration of his achievements in social and industrial activities.

Sergio Pininfarina, born: Turin, Italy, September 8, 1926
Graduated in mechanical engineering from the Polytechnic of Torino in 1950, he began his career in the family firm, “Carrozzeria Pinin Farina”; in 1960, he undertook the responsibility of General Manager of the firm; in 1961 he became also Managing Director and in 1966, at his father’s death, he took over the Chairmanship of the Company; in 2006 he became Honorary Chairman.

Andrea Pininfarina was born in Turin on 26 June 1957.
He graduated in Mechanical Engineering at Turin Polytechnic in 1981 and began his working career the year after, at the Freuehauf Corp. in the United States.
On the morning of 7 August 2008, on his way to work, Andrea Pininfarina was the victim of a tragic road accident. He leaves his wife, Cristina Pellion di Persano, and three children: Benedetta, Sergio e Luca.
As chairman of Pininfarina SpA, witness to the continuity within the company and the unity of the family, he is succeeded by his brother Paolo, and his sister Lorenza takes the position of Deputy Chairman.
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About the mineral Lithium and its uses.
We are not talking here about the medical use of Lithium, (Lithium carbonate--a salt--came to be regularly used to control manic depression in the 1960's. Today it is the most commonly used medication to treat bipolar disorder (manic depression).
But of the use of Lithium for batteries, and especially car batteries.

Lithium-Ion battery
A type of a battery composed of Lithium, the lightest metal and the metal that has the highest electrochemical potential. Lithium, however, is an unstable metal, so Lithium-Ion batteries are made from Lithium ions from chemicals. Because of its lightness and high energy density, Lithium-Ion batteries are ideal for portable devices, such as notebook computers. In addition, Lithium-Ion batteries have no memory effect and do not use poisonous metals, such as lead, mercury or cadmium.
Lithium is widely used in the battery industry, ceramic industry, glass industry, aluminum industry, lubricant, refrigeration, nuclear industry, optical electric industry, etc newly emerged fields.

The Global Market trade in Lithium is rather opaque. After the Second World War it became more or less a strategic material. The Chinese seem to have a great interest in Lithium and are active trading. The trade in used (lithium) batteries is gaining importance.
Opinions about the world's reserves of Lithium differ, there will not be an unlimited supply in the future. It is not the 'magic material' that will end all energy worries. For the automotive industry it is expected to become (or already is) of major importance.

Building a greener battery
Jan 20, 2009 filed under Fortune
Rechargeable lithium ion batteries power most portable devices yet one startup is trying to charge in with a more recyclable option.



China Seeks Lithium Resources in Qaidam Basin
The Qaidam Basin in northwest China's Qinghai Province, well-known for its salt lake resources, could quite possible to become the country's main lithium production base.
As a first step, the province will set up a company capable of producing 100 tons of lithium chlorate per year, near the Dong Taijnar lake.
A group of scientists from the Salt Lake Research Institute under the Chinese Academy of Sciences have successfully solved the problem of separating lithium from halogen solution, which contains s large concentration of magnesium.