Benchmark Mineral Intelligence Glossary

Battery Supply Chain Glossary

The definitive guide to critical minerals, battery materials, and energy transition jargon from the world's most trusted source of lithium ion battery supply chain intelligence.

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What is the EV battery supply chain?

The lithium ion battery supply chain operates across three core stages: upstream, midstream, and downstream. Upstream encompasses the mining and extraction of critical raw materials - lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite, and copper. Midstream covers the refining of mined materials into battery-grade chemicals, processing them into active cathode and anode materials, and manufacturing into battery cells. Downstream involves the assembly of cells into modules and battery packs for electric vehicles and energy storage systems. Battery recycling represents an emerging fourth stage, recovering critical materials from end-of-life batteries to reduce primary mining dependence and close the loop on the supply chain.

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Upstream | Raw Materials:

Lithium

The lightest metal and essential ingredient in rechargeable lithium ion batteries that power electric vehicles and energy storage systems.

Nickel

A metal that enables high-energy-density batteries, allowing electric vehicles to travel longer distances on a single charge.

Cobalt

A metal that improves battery performance and stability in lithium ion batteries used in electric vehicles and consumer electronics.

Natural Graphite

The largest component by weight in lithium ion batteries, graphite stores and releases lithium ions during charging and discharging.

Manganese

A metal that provides structural stability and reduces costs in cathode chemistries, enabling more affordable batteries with less cobalt.

Rare Earth Elements

Specialized metals, including neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, and terbium, used in powerful magnets for EV motors, not in batteries themselves.

Copper

A highly conductive metal used as the anode current collector in batteries and in EV motors and wiring.

Downstream & Recycling :

EV & Motors

Electric vehicle motors are just as crucial to the electric revolution. EV motors sit at the heart of electric vehicles, converting electricity supplied by the batteries into mechanical energy which propels the vehicle.

EV & Battery

Electric vehicles powered by rechargeable lithium-ion battery packs, which store energy to drive electric motors and eliminate tailpipe emissions.

BESS

Battery Energy Storage Systems, large-scale stationary batteries that store renewable energy and stabilize electricity grids by balancing supply and demand.

EV Charging

Infrastructure and equipment that delivers electricity to recharge electric vehicle batteries, ranging from slow home chargers to ultra-fast public charging stations.

Lithium ion Battery Recycling

Lithium ion battery recycling is an essential and rapidly evolving process aimed at recovering valuable materials from used batteries, particularly those used in electric vehicles (EVs), eMicromobility and 2 & 3 Wheelers, portables, and battery energy storage systems

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What is the Benchmark Battery Supply Chain Glossary?

The Benchmark Battery Supply Chain Glossary is a comprehensive reference guide defining critical terminology across the lithium ion battery supply chain, from raw materials and processing to battery components, technologies, and industry terms. It's maintained by Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, the world's leading independent source of battery supply chain data and price assessments.