There’s been an era-defining race underway between two types of batteries used in electric vehicles: lithium batteries that use cobalt, and ones that use iron phosphate. Cobalt, a metal with a checkered human rights record, has been in the lead. Until recently.  Henry Sanderson’s book on the elements that build electric vehicles is <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Volt-Rush/Henry-Sanderson/9780861546190"target="_blank" >Volt Rush: The Winners and Losers in the Race to Go Green</a>.Related episodes: <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/01/15/1224776146/the-race-to-produce-lithium"target="_blank" >The race to produce lithium</a> <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/01/13/1224599777/the-indicator-from-planet-money-how-batteries-are-changing-the-us-01-13-2025"target="_blank" >How batteries are already changing the grid</a> <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/01/14/1224682730/how-batteries-are-riding-the-free-market-rodeo-in-texas"target="_blank" >How batteries are riding the free market rodeo in Texas</a> <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/09/27/1197954378/the-indicator-battery-plant-michigan-evs-update"target="_blank" >How EV batteries tore apart Michigan (Update)</a> <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/03/28/1166625069/batteries-are-catching-fire-at-sea"target="_blank" >Batteries are catching fire at sea</a> For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at <a href="http://plus.npr.org/"target="_blank" >plus.npr.org</a>. Fact-checking by <a href="https://www.npr.org/people/g-s1-26724/sierra-juarez"target="_blank" >Sierra Juarez</a>. Music by <a href="https://dropelectric.bandcamp.com/"target="_blank" >Drop Electric</a>. Find us: <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@planetmoney"target="_blank" >TikTok</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/planetmoney/"target="_blank" >Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/planetmoney"target="_blank" >Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/money"target="_blank" >Newsletter</a>.  Learn more about sponsor message choices: <a href="https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices">podcastchoices.com/adchoices</a> <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>

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Cobalt-free batteries reign in Chinese EVs. Why not the US?

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