lithium

Flooding from saltwater in South Jersey has caused electric vehicles to catch fire, as saltwater can short-circuit lithium-ion batteries and trigger fires hours or days after inundation. Local coverage is highlighting the danger and prompting warnings to EV owners in flood-affected areas.

The Business and Human Rights Resource Centre has published the Transition Minerals Tracker 2026 for South America, compiling data on companies extracting minerals used in the energy transition, such as lithium and copper. The tracker monitors human rights allegations against mining firms across the region, a key supplier of raw materials for batteries and renewable technology.

A research team has used quantum computing to perform FLiBe chemistry calculations, according to the American Nuclear Society. FLiBe, a molten fluoride salt mixture of lithium and beryllium, is a leading coolant and fuel carrier for molten salt reactor designs. Accurate predictions of its chemical behavior are difficult for classical computers, making the work a notable step toward applying quantum methods to nuclear reactor design and simulation.

A growing shift toward LFP (lithium iron phosphate) batteries is changing how buyers evaluate electric vehicles. Unlike other lithium-ion chemistries, LFP offers lower cost, longer cycle life and better tolerance for regular charging, though with trade-offs in energy density and cold-weather performance. As more automakers adopt the chemistry in mainstream models, battery type is becoming a central consideration alongside range and price when shopping for an EV.

Chinese electric vehicle maker BYD plans to launch its first car powered by a solid-state battery in 2027. Solid-state batteries promise greater energy density, faster charging and improved safety over today's lithium-ion cells, and automakers worldwide are racing to bring them to market. BYD's timetable puts it among the frontrunners in the next generation of EV battery technology.