"The auto industry’s move to electric cars could encounter hiccups caused by a shortage of nickel — one of the most widely used minerals for EV batteries — as soon as 2026, according to research from consultancy Rystad Energy.

Discussions about electric vehicles’ appetite for raw materials have tended to overlook nickel, focusing more on the supply challenges and societal impacts of cobalt and lithium.

Yet according to Rystad’s timelines, nickel could be one of the first battery minerals to experience shortages. By 2024, global demand for nickel will have risen from 2.5 million tons to 3.4 million tons, surpassing supplies, the group said.

For battery makers and car manufacturers, the crunch will be felt within the following two years, with "no obvious solution in sight,” wrote analysts at the Norway-based consultancy."

David Iaconangelo reports for E&E News October 13, 2021. [2]