Threatened by shortages, electric car makers race for supplies of lithium for batteries

By JOE McDONALD
AP Business Writer

BEIJING (AP) — Threatened by possible shortages of lithium for electric car batteries, automakers are racing to lock in supplies of the once-obscure “white gold” in a politically and environmentally fraught competition from China to Nevada to Chile. General Motors Co. and the parent company of China’s BYD Auto Ltd. are going straight to the source and buying stakes in lithium miners, a rare step in an industry that relies on outside vendors for copper and other raw materials. Others are investing in lithium refiners or recycling technology. A shortfall in supplies would be an obstacle for government and industry plans to ramp up sales to tens of millions of electric vehicles a year.