5 early-stage lithium plays to capitalize on exploding EV growth

Lithium has been touted as the energy metal of the future due to the renaissance of electric vehicles (EVs), which depend on lithium for their lithium-ion battery packs. For the past two years the silvery-white metal has been a darling of the junior mining investment space, and for good reason. Speculation of a lithium shortage, led by Tesla which is helping to drive demand for EVs, albeit models out of the price range of most North Americans, almost tripled the price of lithium carbonate to over $20,000 a ton in 10 months. The burgeoning energy storage market for intermittent wind and solar power is also poised to become a major demand driver for lithium. Battery makers are certainly going to need more mines to keep up with demand, and lithium miners will have to build them quicker than anyone ever thought.