Lithium, a silver-white metal which has the property of being the least dense solid element, is somewhat common on Earth, but, since it doesn't naturally occur in elemental form, comes as a raw material.
The biggest deposits of lithium can be found in South America, where Bolivia, Argentina and Chile lead the top of the richest countries. It is there where most of the prospecting, digging and establishing of new companies takes place.
Of course, there are some who wonder whether the current deposits will be enough to sustain an industry which appears to grow in proportions with an amazing speed. Just as is the case with the neodymium, terbium, dysprosium or lanthanum used in hybrid vehicles, fears also arose than the countries which have the material will also have the power to control the price.
"It seems generally accepted that reserves and resources will be adequate, but it's easy for junior exploration companies to raise money on the strength of the lithium buzz," Keith Evans, lithium expert told Reuters.
"Exploration activity has exploded. They all hope to find sources that can be competitive, (but) Chile and Argentina have sufficient reserves for billions of cars."
To give us an idea on how much lithium can be transformed into how many cars, the experts consulted by Reuters found that one million tons of lithium is enough to go in 395 million Chevy Volts or 250 million Nissan Leafs. Way more than both will sell in the next hundred years or so...
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