These are independent reviews of the products mentioned, but TIME receives a commission when purchases are made through affiliate links at no additional cost to the purchaser.
Electric vehicles need lithium batteries, which means the world needs more lithium metal to power the EV transition. Today, the main way you make lithium metal is to convert it from lithium chloride, but this chemical compound is scarce and emits eco-harmful chloride gas. Li-Metal’s breakthrough uses a molten salt bath to convert lithium carbonate (far more abundant than chloride) into lithium metal, which can be used to build next-generation batteries that power air taxis, drones, and long-range EVs. Li-Metal co-founder Maciej Jastrzebski says that while there’s only enough lithium chloride to produce 150,000 EVs a year with next-gen batteries, “you have enough lithium carbonate to make millions of cars.”
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Why Trump’s Message Worked on Latino Men
- What Trump’s Win Could Mean for Housing
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024
- Sleep Doctors Share the 1 Tip That’s Changed Their Lives
- Column: Let’s Bring Back Romance
- What It’s Like to Have Long COVID As a Kid
- FX’s Say Nothing Is the Must-Watch Political Thriller of 2024
- Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision
