Employees walk past Vulcan energy lithium electrolysis optimisation plant in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany, on November 8, 2024. Electric cars need batteries, and most batteries are made with lithium, a critical material European auto makers are chasing as they face tough competition from China.
Now an Australian firm says it can help, with a refinery in Germany set to extract the sought-after mineral from briny underground water from below a town near the French border. (Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP)