WASHINGTON — The auto industry's transition to electrification will mean big demand for electric vehicle batteries and the critical minerals needed to produce them.
But when it comes to building the supply chain of the future — especially one that positions the U.S. as a manufacturing leader — EV stakeholders face multiple issues in developing strategies to streamline access to raw materials while upholding rigorous environmental and labor standards and supporting domestic production and jobs.
"How do we think about the supply chain distribution and how that should transition and change to support electric vehicles?" asks Ben Prochazka, executive director of the Electrification Coalition, a trade group focused on expanding EV adoption.