Why The Salton Sea Could Be The Key To EV Growth: New Report Finds Enough Lithium In Sea To Produce 375 Million EV Batteries

An extensive underground lithium reserve has been discovered beneath California's Salton Sea, according to a report backed by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. 

The Characterizing the Geothermal Lithium Resource at the Salton Sea report found that the lithium beneath the sea could create more than 375 million electric vehicle (EV) batteries. 

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A Salton Sea Rescue

The Salton Sea is a landlocked body of high-saline water in Riverside and Imperial counties in southeastern California. A historically important spot for migratory birds, the Salton Sea continues to increase in salinity because of evaporation and is becoming more polluted by agricultural runoff. 

The Salton Sea’s geothermal reservoir boasts an estimated 18 million metric tons of lithium, with drilling confirming reserves of at least 4 million tons. The focus now is on devising commercially viable methods for extracting lithium from the geothermal brine, a process deemed less invasive than traditional methods such as hard rock mining or open-air evaporation pools. 

The report determined it is possible to extract lithium from the Salton Sea while simultaneously generating geothermal energy, giving battery producers a potential way to lessen their impacts and promote more sustainable practices.  

“This is one of the world’s largest lithium brine deposits," said Michael McKibben, a geochemistry professor at the University of California, Riverside and one of the report's authors.

McKibben also noted the importance of the lithium deposit discovery as it can satisfy demand and reduce reliance on imported lithium. 

"This could make the United States completely self-sufficient in lithium and stop importing it through China," McKibben said. 

A team found another massive lithium deposit — potentially the world's largest — in a volcanic crater on the Nevada and Oregon border. 

Paleblue is a startup that operates in the battery and sustainability spaces. The company offers a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that can save money and reduce resource use. 

Slower EV Growth In 2023

Lithium occurs in nature primarily as lithium salts, a compound contained in various minerals and brine solutions. Because of its high electrochemical potential, lithium is a key component in rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, which power millions of devices such as smartphones and laptops and enable electric vehicles to accelerate quickly and operate for hundreds of miles. 

In an October earnings discussion, Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk noted high interest rates mean higher car payments, which is slowing EV purchases. Tesla and other automakers such as Ford Motor Co. are slowing EV production to better match consumer demand. Less demand is lowering prices, with many dealers offering discounted pricing on EVs in the fall to attract buyers before the year’s end. 

Despite the slowdown, EV adoption continues, as many countries and automakers are phasing out internal combustion engines and replacing them with EVs. The dip in demand for 2023 will not slow the scale of global growth. Enabling this growth will require a considerable amount of raw materials, chiefly lithium, such as the deposits found in the Salton Sea and other locations around the world.

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