Just Facts Daily

The batteries used in electric cars are mainly comprised of lithium-ion cells, and an October 2024 article by Benchmark Mineral Intelligence reports that China "dominates" this industry. More specifically, a 2020 report by Benchmark Mineral Intelligence estimated that China supplies: 23% of the world's raw materials for lithium-ion batteries; 80% of all chemicals manufactured to make these batteries; 66% of all cathodes and anodes (the core building blocks of these batteries); and 73% of the world's finished lithium ion battery cells. In sum, China dominates 3 of the 4 key levels of the global supply chain for electric car batteries. Among the reasons for this is that the mining and manufacturing of these products can create significant pollution, and China has relatively weak laws against pollution.