In this presentation I will discuss the top 11 trends that are expected to affect the lithium market and industry in 2025 and beyond, divided into “main trends," with the biggest impacts, and “emerging trends," with limited impacts next year, but with potential to shape the lithium industry in the years to come.

The societal drive to transition away from fossil fuels is well understood and has shaped demand expectations for the critical metals needed. Although the market for most critical metals has shifted into surplus given the supply responses, beyond the near-term significant investments are needed to keep up with demand. However, recent geopolitical developments as well as Net Zero aspirations and a focus on low carbon are impacting how the value chain from Ore to EV Door is developing. The Chinese value chain has had a decade-long lead and has grown to become dominant and low-cost while Western value chains are struggling to compete. The United States and European Union are both responding with regulations to protect and incentives to encourage their value chains, and although much attention is given to onshoring production of battery components not enough attention is given to the raw materials needed to ensure these have what they require to be successful. This talk will explore the raw materials side of the battery value chain and the emerging complexity it finds itself.

What should the market expect in terms of a supply response from battery raw material producers? What is the outlook for supply, demand, and prices in these complicated and fast-moving markets? The talk will look at recent developments in battery raw materials, the impact they've had on the supply chain, and the underlying trends in lithium, cobalt, and nickel.

Policies have entered force which aim to reduce the European Union's and US's reliance on China for their battery supply chains. However, with uncertainty in the electric vehicle outlook and volatile battery raw material prices, there is uncertainty in achieving these targets. Attend this presentation to hear coverage of the latest EU and US policies, their impacts across the battery value chain, and outlook for net-zero targets.

Building out a low-risk EV supply chain to support the energy transition goals of the auto industry begins with securing the necessary critical minerals. However, despite extensive legislation supporting the development of the North American battery industry, there is little to no domestic mine production of critical metals. Therefore, the industry will be increasingly dependent on geopolitically sensitive countries unless crucial upstream development occurs. This presentation will connect the dots between the various stages of the EV value chain and discuss the key hurdles involved with developing a domestic supply chain.

Recent supply responses have shifted many critical metals markets into surplus, but beyond the near-term, significant investments are needed to keep pace with demand. However, recent geopolitical developments and net-zero aspirations are impacting how the value chain from ore to EV door is developing. Taylor will explore CRU’s outlook and the emerging complexity of the raw-materials side of the battery value chain.

Lithium producers are focusing their efforts on ensuring that the lithium production processes are sustainable, as production is scaled up to meet the demand. I will discuss the National Lithium Strategy in Chile, which is a set of measures that seek to incorporate capital, new technology, sustainability, and value to the productive sector, in harmony with communities and with the commitment to create a network of protected salars.

Significant demand for Lithium-ion Batteries (LIBs) for EV and grid applications has led to supply chain issues for North America (NA).  To track the growth of LIB supply chain, NAATBatt and NREL has published a database of companies that mine, process, manufacture, reuse, and recycle batteries in NA since September 2021. The 2024 version released has online searching and mapping capability to show facilities on a North American map. The number facilities and companies has increase by a factor of 1.8.  We will discuss the growth of various segments particularly in mining and material processing over the last four years.

The EV battery materials landscape saw incredible change in 2024. New laws and guidelines. Evolving terminology and definitions. International tensions and presidential elections. How will tariffs on Chinese products impact the U.S. and European markets? What counts as IRA-compliant material? What role will recycled material play in the global supply chain? This presentation explores the fast-changing critical materials ecosystem with insights from North America’s largest manufacturer of sustainable cathode materials.

With the rise of EVs and energy storage, the lithium-ion battery industry is entering the terawatt-hour era. The volumes of cathode active material required could eventually measure in the billions of tons globally, which cannot be made sustainably with the inefficiencies of incumbent processes and wastefulness of their supply chains. At this conference we will give an update on progress in addressing these issues and in make cathode production more sustainable for the terawatt-hour era.

Life cycle analysis of battery technologies. Greenhouse gas emissions of batteries and electric vehicles, and sustainability performance of batteries and electric vehicles.