Detroit Free Press - Eric D. Lawrence

Excerpt:

Chrysler parent Stellantis plans to get a substantial amount of the lithium needed for its electric vehicle batteries from a former tourist mecca in California.

The automaker announced a deal Thursday with Controlled Thermal Resources, which has offices in California and Australia, to supply “battery grade lithium hydroxide” for use in EV production in North America. That means Stellantis, which also controls the Jeep, Ram, Dodge, Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Maserati brands, will join General Motors, which announced a similar agreement last year, in tapping Controlled Thermal’s expected lithium production in the Salton Sea Basin, an area near the U.S. border with Mexico.

The news on the Stellantis deal prompted a mention from President Joe Biden in a statement, which said the arrangement “sets the U.S. on a path to being a leading producer of sustainably sourced, low carbon lithium.”

Finding more sustainable methods for securing lithium and other battery materials is becoming a focus for automakers.

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