Manganese expert Martin Kepman, CEO of Manganese X Energy Corporation, discusses how manganese is replacing cobalt
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Cobalt is toxic, expensive, and deeply entrenched in unethical mining practices — it is a major roadblock in the transition to electric vehicles (EVs). But the lithium ion battery industry can move towards a future-friendly alternative: manganese.
Lithium ion batteries are a central fixture of modern life, powering just about everything portable from the cellphone in your hand to the helicopter that NASA sent to Mars earlier this year. More and more industries have publicly announced a move towards battery-powered technology. Notably, major players in the car industry such as Tesla, Volvo, and Volkswagen will all increasingly depend on lithium ion batteries as they produce more electric vehicles in years to come.
However, current lithium ion batteries are heavily dependent on cobalt, which is toxic, expensive, and usually mined unethically. In fact, the environmental impact of cobalt mining may outweigh the reduced carbon footprint of driving an electric vehicle. Elon Musk has previously vowed to eventually fully eliminate cobalt from the batteries that Tesla uses, according to a Wired article from 2020, with plans for Tesla to produce its own cobalt-free batteries.
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