My take:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/idaho-biggest-u-deposit-metal-110000106.html
It will be interesting to see how fast this gets
greenlighted . . . no pun intended.
I could add that other projects are also in the works. One problem I'm aware of is that there always seems to be a local group working to prevent mining, even when it involves minerals for batteries. Both sides see themselves as being in the "environment's" side.
I should also point out that there are lots of industrial and academic research teams working on alternatives to lithium-ion batteries right now. Solid state sodium-ion batteries or iron-air batteries are showing some real promise. The issue with these alternatives isn't necessarily power--its power density. Lithium's light weight gives it a huge advantage for mobile applications like cell phones and cars. Look for these other technologies (especially iron-air) to be used first for large energy storage applications that are coupled with wind and solar power generation.
My $0.02...battery-powered vehicles are here to stay, but the Li-ion battery may not be.
I feel like Li-ion will stick around even if alternatives join in. They'll pick the best battery for each product. Smartphones, laptops, commuter cars, performance cars and large energy storage all have different specs to meet so I suspect there's room for everyone.
My problem with the current state-of-art in Li-ion technology has always been its relatively slow recharge characteristic: although I love the idea of electric cars, they won't be entirely suitable until their batteries can be fully recharged in 5 minutes or so.
Once you have the habit of charging a car like you charge a smartphone, that isn't really an issue. Full charge every morning. On long trips, EVs don't really need to charge more often than people have to eat. As far as I'm concerned, it's mostly just a change in habits.
Are there any developments on the horizon for such improvements to Li-ion technology?
All I can say here is that my own EV battery (Li-polymer) is 3 years old, has had no issue, and is garanteed for 8 years. I can't really ask for more.
I'd love it if Lipo batteries could be produced ''greenly''.
My 1/8th scale Ebuggy charges at 40 amps. Airplanes often exceed that. Lipo's can charge pretty quickly.
But in the case of a real car. Your houses utility service wouldn't keep up. And our grid isn't ready for it. It would be nicer, if houses had substantial solar panels on the roof, and clean green batteries to store it. Then charged your car overnight. Could get rid of the residential generator at the same time.
Grids adapt as the number of EVs increase. It's not about being ready for a sudden huge uptake, it's gradual.
Batteries are already part of the most sustainable solutions out there. They can be recycled, and used for home storage/generators, and solar roofs are available. As their numbers increase, I expect their cost to come down.