Did you know that Australia is the largest supplier of lithium in the world, with an estimated 42,000 tonnes of lithium produced in 2019? But why are lithium and lithium-ion batteries so in demand recently?
Well, it’s all because of the upsurge in the production of battery electric vehicles (EVs), which use a lithium battery to power them. Are you wondering where else lithium batteries are used? Read on to find out more.
1. Portable Chargers
As phones become more and more ubiquitous and people spend all day long on them while moving around their city or the world, portable chargers are also becoming vital. The worst thing in the world is to be stuck on a long train or plane ride with a dead phone and no charger on you or the plane/train. It’s akin to Chinese water torture.
Some of the bigger phones take a lot of juice to remain functional, and a portable charger with a lithium-ion battery is small enough to carry around with you and powerful enough to charge all your smart devices. Some of these portable chargers can even be attached directly to the phone, making the phone a bit heavier to carry around, but ensuring that you are always powered up no matter what.
2. Marine Vehicles
This might be a surprise to you, but lithium batteries are widely used in marine vehicles like tug boats, speed boats, and yachts. A marine lithium battery provides a quiet and efficient power source for these marine vehicles, especially when docked at the harbor.
All the appliances and devices on a yacht or speed boat suck a lot of power, and lithium batteries are an easy way to give them juice.
3. E-bikes
Many different personal mobility devices are coming up in the market, the most popular being the Segway scooter. E-bikes, scooters, and hoverboards require a source of power. And using a lithium battery seems the most effective solution while at the same time being a space saver.
The good thing about lithium batteries is that they don’t have dangerous chemicals in them like cadmium or lead batteries, so they are more suitable for such personal devices.
Lithium batteries are also used for electric wheelchairs or other mobility devices for people who are physically challenged or have other disabilities and need a cheap and effective power source for their devices.
A Lithium Battery Powers Our Present and Future
As electric vehicles, marine vehicles, e-bikes, and other such devices powered by a lithium battery become more ubiquitous; we are going to enter an era where lithium and its suppliers, refiners, and producers will become more in demand. It is the power source of future generations until we find something safer and more effective.
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