The Fuse

Minerals & Materials

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Minerals & Materials

Watch: Untangling the U.S. Government’s Many Critical Minerals and Materials Lists

Watch the SAFE Center for Critical Minerals Strategy's recent webinar which convened experts from the Department of the Interior, Energy, and Defense for a webinar examining the U.S. government’s many critical minerals and materials lists to get clarity about how various departments determine what gets included on these lists and how the different methodologies may change in the future.

topics: critical materials, critical minerals, supply chains
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Minerals & Materials

Deep-Sea Mining: State of Play

Lying on the abyssal plains of oceans at depths of 3,500-6,000 meters, polymetallic nodules contain essential minerals used in the electric vehicle batteries fueling the energy transition. Enriched in manganese, nickel, copper, and cobalt, nodule fields of interest have been identified in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), Penrhyn Basin, and Peru Basin of the Pacific Ocean as well as in the north Indian Ocean. Reserves of certain critical minerals found in the CCZ alone have been estimated to surpass global terrestrial reserves.

topics: Materials, Minerals
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Minerals & Materials

Aluminum is Essential To The Green Transition

Aluminum is one of the foundational industrial materials of modern society, integral to everything from passenger airplanes to kitchen appliances.  Recent U.S. legislative incentives – lead by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) – to produce more solar panels, EVs, electrical charging infrastructure, and other clean energy transition products will increase the demand for primary aluminum only further.

topics: aluminum, Materials, Minerals
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Minerals & Materials

Critical Minerals, Critical Constraints

The Theory of Constraints was developed in 1984 by Dr. Eliyahu Goldratt, an Israeli business management consultant.  Goldratt’s key insight was that every process has at any time one key constraint that limits production flow.  Once the constraint is identified and resolved (through a combination of quick fix and more structural improvements), the next constraint becomes apparent and can be similarly attacked.  The Theory of Constraints (ToC) has since become a powerful management tool frequently used in supply chain and manufacturing.  ToC can also provide insight into the policy maker actions required to hit aggressive regulatory and production targets for EV sales.

topics: Electric vehicle batteries, Electric Vehicles, TOC
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Minerals & Materials

More Electricity Production Key to EU’s Green Future

Most fears around Europe’s energy crisis have dissipated thanks to a warm winter and emergency measures adopted by the European Union (EU) and its members. EU countries seem to have some breathing room as they implement their ambitious plan to speed up the deployment of renewables and zero-emission vehicles

topics: critical minerals, Electric Vehicles, supply chains
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Minerals & Materials

Supply Chain Crunch Encourages Miners To Look Closer To Home

As supply chain disruptions continue and permitting remains a lengthy process, mining companies are revisiting the tailings from previous operations.

topics: critical minerals, supply chains
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Minerals & Materials

The U.S. Critical Minerals List Might Soon Include Nickel. What Does That Mean?

Nickel's inclusion on the critical minerals list would lend new government focus to a mineral in growing demand.

topics: critical minerals
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Minerals & Materials

Ford’s Big Bet on EVs

Ford announces the largest investment in its 118-year history with a decisive jump into electric vehicles.

topics: critical minerals, Electric Vehicles
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Minerals & Materials

IEA: Shortage of Critical Minerals Could Delay Energy Transition

The IEA warns that the current supply of critical minerals will not be enough to meet the energy transition demand.

topics: critical minerals, Electric Vehicles
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Advancing Mobility

The United States Must Develop Its CASE Supply Chain To Make Cruise AV Milestone Count

Cruise intends to be the first company to test its fully driverless vehicles on the dense city streets of San Francisco.

topics: autonomous vehicles, critical minerals, Electric Vehicles, Geopolitics, supply chains