Electric cars are said to be clean vehicles. They harm the environment less. But do you know How many pounds of raw materials are needed to make an electric car battery? how much mining is done to make a single electric car battery?
The typical electric car battery needs 25 pounds of lithium, 60 pounds of nickel, 44 pounds of manganese, 200 pounds of copper, and 30 pounds of cobalt. This many pounds of raw material is needed to make an electric car battery. There are various types of electric car batteries used in EVs. The lithium-ion battery is typically considered an electric car battery. There are several types of Lithium-ion batteries also, depending on the composition of the raw material varies.
| Material | Weight in Pounds |
|---|---|
| Lithium | 25 pounds |
| Nickel | 60 pounds |
| Manganese | 44 pounds |
| Cobalt | 30 pounds |
| Copper | 200 pounds |
| Aluminium, steel, and plastic | 400 pounds |
In this article, we have discussed the composition of the electric car battery and the pounds of raw materials needed to make an electric car battery.
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What Are The Raw Materials Used In Electric Car Batteries?
As we know electric car batteries are mostly lithium-ion batteries. So here we will discuss the composition of a lithium-ion battery. The electric car battery is made up of some important materials, which include metals, electrolytes, and other stuff.
The raw materials needed to make an electric car battery are Lithium, Cobalt, Nickel, Manganese, Copper, Aluminium, Graphite, Steel, and Plastic. These minerals are mined from the earth and then processed to be used in electric car batteries.
Most electric car batteries are lithium-ion batteries. In lithium-ion batteries depending on the type, the composition of the electric car batteries differs. Different electric car battery types have different percentages of minerals.
Let’s see how many pounds of raw materials are needed to make an electric car battery one by one.
If you wonder how electric car batteries are made, how much percent is the raw material, etc? Then this video might help you.
How Many Pounds Of Raw Materials Are Needed To Make an Electric Car Battery?
An electric car battery is expensive because of the raw materials present in it. These metals are mined and extracted and then used in electric car batteries. The pounds of raw materials used in electric car batteries determine the cost of the electric car battery.
The typical electric car battery needs 25 pounds of lithium, 60 pounds of nickel, 44 pounds of manganese, 200 pounds of copper, and 30 pounds of cobalt. There are pounds of raw materials needed to make an electric car battery.
To manufacture each EV auto battery, you must process 25,000 pounds of brine for the lithium, 30,000 pounds of ore for the cobalt, 5,000 pounds of ore for the nickel, and 25,000 pounds of ore for copper. All told, you dig up 500,000 pounds of the earth’s crust for one battery.”
Australian National Review
Here is a table that shows the composition of the electric car battery and the amount of the respective raw material needed to make an electric car battery. Have a look.
| Material | Weight in Pounds |
|---|---|
| Lithium | 25 pounds |
| Nickel | 60 pounds |
| Manganese | 44 pounds |
| Cobalt | 30 pounds |
| Copper | 200 pounds |
| Aluminium, steel, and plastic | 400 pounds |
How Many Pounds Of Lithium Is Needed To Make An Electric Car Battery?
Lithium is an important and key material used in lithium-ion batteries. Electric car batteries are mostly lithium-ion batteries. Energy is stored in the form of lithium ions in the lithium-ion battery.
On average, 25 pounds of lithium is present in lithium-ion electric car batteries. The lithium used in the lithium-ion battery is 7% While the Lithium Ion Phosphate battery (LFP) is 4.3%.
The function of the cell depends on the flow of the lithium ions. It is rare earth metal and needs to be mined, processed, and refined in order to be used in electric car batteries. Lithium is present in the cathode of lithium-ion electric car batteries.
Here is the percentage of lithium present in the cathodes of the different Lithium-ion batteries.
| Type of the battery | Percentage of lithium in the cathode |
|---|---|
| LFP | 17% |
| NMC 111 | 15% |
| NMC 532 | 16% |
| NMC 811 | 16% |
| NCA | 11% |
How Many Pounds Of Cobalt Is Needed To Make An Electric Car Battery?
Cobalt is an essential component of lithium-ion batteries. Especially in the aspect of the range and durability of the electric car battery, cobalt plays a key role.
20 kg (44 pounds) of Cobalt is present in a 100 kWh electric car battery, according to energy.gov. But the reliance on cobalt is being reduced by automakers. Cobalt institute says that the NMC (nickel Manganese Cobalt) batteries have 10 to 20% of cobalt content.
But now due to several reasons, the electric car automakers are reducing the cobalt content in the batteries. Tesla is reducing the cobalt content in electric cars. It is using LFP batteries.
If you want to know more about tesla's cobalt-free strategy then here is our previous article for tesla’s cobalt-free strategy.
A report published in Statista shows the EV battery mineral content by the type of batteries in 2020. According to it, NMC 811 batteries have 5 kg of content, while NCA+ batteries have 2 kg of cobalt content. LFP batteries do not contain any amount of cobalt content.
This table shows the amount of cobalt in electric car batteries according to the type of electric car battery.
| Battery type | Cobalt Present |
|---|---|
| NMC 811 | 5 kg |
| NCA+ | 2 kg |
| LFP | 0 kg |
How Many Pounds Of Nickel Is Needed To Make an Electric Car Battery?
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The amount of nickel present in electric cars is different in different types of electric car batteries.
39 kg (86 pounds) of Nickel is present in NMC 811 batteries. While in NCA batteries it is 43 kg and in LFP batteries it is 0 kg.
If we talk about the percentage, NMC batteries use 33% of nickel. While the NCA batteries used 80% of the nickel electric car battery. Also, newer formulations of NMC are trying to achieve 80% of the nickel.
This table shows the amount of nickel present in the different types of electric car batteries.
| Battery type | Nickel Present |
| NMC 811 | 39 kg |
| NCA+ | 43 kg |
| LFP | 0 kg |
How Many Pounds Of Manganese Is Needed To Make An Electric Car Battery?
Manganese can be present in the NMC type of electric car batteries only. The NIckel-Manganese-Cobalt batteries contain the specific percent of the electric car battery according to the type of it.
44 pounds of manganese is present in an average electric car battery. 5 kg (11 pounds) of manganese is present in the NMC811 batteries, according to a report in Statista.
How many pounds of graphite are needed to make an electric car battery?
Graphite is an essential part of the lithium-ion battery. The amount of graphite is not fixed in electric car batteries. Lithium Ion electric car batteries contain 28% graphite.
Here is the table, which shows the amount of graphite present in the various types of lithium-ion electric car batteries with a capacity of 60 kWh.
| Battery type | Nickel Present |
| NMC 811 | 45 kg |
| NMC 523 | 53 Kg |
| NMC 622 | 50 kg |
| NCA+ | 44 kg |
| LFP | 66 kg |
How Many Pounds of Copper Is Needed To Make An Electric Car Battery?
The amount of copper present in lithium-ion batteries also varies by battery type. Copper is mainly used in batteries as current collectors and conductors.
An electric car battery weighing a thousand pounds has 200 pounds of the copper content in it, according to ANR. Estimates in a study by IDTechEx show that the copper content for every kilowatt-hour of an electric car lithium-ion battery is 1.1 to 1.2 kilograms.
It means that for a 100 kWh battery, the amount of copper present in an electric car battery will be 120 kg (more than 200 pounds.
While according to elements, the amount of copper present in an average electric car battery current collector is 20 kg (44 pounds) which is 10.8%. This excludes the amount of the battery in the electrolyte, binder, separator, and battery pack casing.
Amount of Minerals Present In An Electric Car Battery According To Battery Type
There are several types of lithium-ion electric car batteries. Lithium-ion batteries can be NMC (Nickel-Cobalt-Manganese), NCA (Nickel-Cobalt-Aluminium Oxide), and LFP (lithium-ion phosphate) types of electric car batteries.
Here is a table by elements that shows the amount of raw material present in the electric car batteries.
Conclusion:
Here we can conclude that on average a typical electric car battery needs 25 pounds of lithium, 60 pounds of nickel, 44 pounds of manganese, 200 pounds of copper, and 30 pounds of cobalt. Hope this has answered the "How many pounds of raw materials are needed to make an electric car battery? "
While the amounts can vary according to the type of the batteries. Here we shared different tables and graphs from credible sources and research. Hope you found it helpful.
What do you think is the best type of electric car battery? Share your thoughts in the comments.
FAQs
How much does an electric car battery weigh?
An electric car battery weighs around a thousand pounds on average. The weight varies from car to car and battery to battery. Depending on the capacity of the battery, the size of the battery, and the type of electric car battery.
What are the different types of lithium-ion batteries in EVs?
Different types of lithium-ion batteries in EVs are NMC batteries, NCA batteries, LFP batteries, and LMO batteries. These types are based on the composition of the cathode.
Which country has the most lithium?
Chile, south America has the largest lithium reserves. With 8 million tons chile has the world's largest lithium reserve.
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