Cornwall lithium to power electric cars world revolution
By
Oli_Vergnault | Posted: July 11, 2017
Volvo electric cars video: 2m 16s.
Cornwall could be on the verge of a precious metal revolution as the car industry shifts from petrol and diesel to electric engines.
The claim comes as the market for the wonder metal lithium, dubbed 'white petroleum,' is on the rise.
Experts believe the precious metal, which is used in batteries, could replace fossil fuels in cars.
Private company Cornish Lithium, founded by Camborne School of Mines graduate Jeremy Wrathall,
has just announced it is to begin prospecting for the valuable metal.
The firm said
an area amounting to a tenth of the size of Cornwall and centred between Camborne and Truro is at the centre of the exploration project to exploit the new wealth underground.
Lithium, which is vital for rechargeable batteries in just about every device from phones to cars, could be extracted from the granite beneath Cornwall's landscape -
making the duchy Europe's only source of the valuable material.
Steve Double, Conservative MP for St Austell and Newquay, said the news that some car makers have announced they will be switching their production from petrol and diesel engines to electric engines could herald a new mining golden age in Cornwall.
He said: "There will be a surge in battery production to cope with the demand from electric car sales and that's where the Cornish come in.
"There is the prospect that if there are sufficient volumes of lithium then extraction could begin in earnest. It would mean many new, well-paid, high-skilled jobs and a further boost to our local economy."
It comes as Volvo said that from 2019 all cars it sells will be battery powered or hybrid.
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http://www.cornwalllive.com/cornwal...d-revolution/story-30433971-detail/story.html