According to a 2011 study by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California, Berkeley, the currently estimated reserve base of lithium should not be a limiting factor for large-scale battery production for electric vehicles because an estimated 1 billion 40 kWh Li-based batteries could be built with current reserves - about 10 kg of lithium per car.
Omvendt fandt et studie fra Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory og University of California, Berkeley i 2011, at den nuværende vurderede reservebase af lithium ikke bør være en begrænsende faktor for batteriproduktion til elkøretøjer på stor skala, da man burde kunne bygge omkring 1 milliard 40 kWh Li-baserede batteier med de nuværende reserver - omkring 10 kg lithium pr. bil.