In a first, US approves massive new lithium mine in Nevada
The US government has approved the construction of a massive new lithium mine on public land in Nevada as part of a strategy to break China’s dominance over the supply chain of critical minerals used in EVs. The mine will be a key supplier to Ford’s future EVs.
This marks the first time the Biden administration has signed a permit for a lithium mine in the US.
The US government has offered Australia-based producer Ioneer a $700 million loan to help build the project, which would quadruple US lithium production when completed in 2028. The mine, which is thought to be vital to providing a domestic source of the critical mineral, contains enough lithium to power roughly 370,000 EVs every year.
Ford is one of first companies to promise to source its lithium for EV batteries from the mine.
Conservationists and Ioneer have battled it out for nearly six years over the protection of an endangered flower growing there, but the government is moving forward with the project, which will mine both lithium and boron. The project, reportedly, has undergone environmental impact assessments to evaluate its effects on local ecosystems and water resources, with Ioneer exploring methods to minimize environmental impacts, including water recycling and responsible mining techniques.
“This is a science-based decision,” Laura Daniel-Davis, the Interior Department’s acting deputy secretary, told Reuters. “We’re trying to send a signal that there’s no topic with greater importance than addressing climate change.”
The US Bureau of Land Management added that the deal includes “significant protections for the local ecosystems.” Plus the rural region, about 225 miles north of Las Vegas in Esmeralda Country, should see the creation of 500 jobs during construction and 350 “high-paying jobs during its decades in operation,” the company said.
Construction is scheduled to start next year, with production beginning by 2028. That timeline should also set Rhyolite Ridge apart as one of the largest US lithium producers alongside Albemarle and Lithium Americas, Reuters reports. Customers that have already agreed to purchase lithium from the mine include Ford and a joint venture between Toyota Motor Corps and Panasonic.
Conservationists say, however, that the project will surely push the endangered Tiehm’s buckwheat flower out of existence, with the Center for Biological Diversity planning to sue the federal government to block the project. The flower, which grows on limestone substrates and only in this exact part of the world, is protected by the Endangered Species Act.
However, US officials, according to Reuters, say that they believe that the mine will not impact the flower, and that Ioneer has worked to reconfigure the project to take the flower into account. Back in 2020, more than 17,000 flowers died near the mine site, sparking allegations of a “premeditated” attack, with Ioneer denying any wrongdoing. The government, according to Reuters, said that squirrels are to blame.
Since 2002, only three US mines have come online for critical minerals, reports The Financial Times. But lithium mining in the US has becoming a hot topic as the US looks to tap into its own resources for future EV batteries and break China’s grip on supply.
Earlier this week, the US Geological Survey said it found between 5 million and 19 million tonnes of lithium reserves located beneath southwestern Arkansas, enough to meet projected 2030 global demand for EV battery lithium nine times over.
Read more:
A California lake has enough lithium to power 375 million EVs
Arkansas may be sitting on 19 million tons of lithium
Photo: courtesy of Ford/Mustang Mach-E
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Chinese electric scooter manufacturer NIU Technologies (NASDAQ: NIU) is experiencing a remarkable surge in 2025, with its stock price nearly doubling year-to-date. This impressive performance is fueled by a significant increase in electric moped sales, particularly within its domestic market, despite facing challenges such as international tariffs and rising freight costs.
Domestic market is driving growth
In the first quarter of 2025, NIU reported a 57.4% year-over-year increase in e-scooter sales, totaling 203,313 units. Notably, 183,065 of these units were sold in China, marking a 66.2% increase compared to the same period last year.
This domestic growth was boosted by China’s consumer trade-in program, which incentivizes the replacement of older scooters with newer, more efficient models.
The company’s revenue for Q1 2025 reached RMB 682.0 million (approximately US $94 million), a 35.1% increase from the previous year. However, the average revenue per e-scooter decreased by 14.2% to RMB 3,354, indicating a shift towards more affordable models.
NIU CEO Yan Li explained: “In China, we are advancing our intelligent product development strategy by integrating automotive-grade technologies such as millimeter-wave radar, dual-channel ABS, and AI Smart Ecosystem to enhance the user experience. Our retail network has continued to expand in-line with our expectations, with new stores opening during the quarter. This synergistic combination of product innovation and omni-channel growth is driving measurable increases in domestic sales and market penetration.”
International challenges remain
While domestic sales certainly provided strong tailwinds for NIU, international markets still present challenges for the company. Sales outside China grew by a modest 6.4%, totaling 20,248 units. Factors such as US tariffs and increased freight costs were noted in NIU’s Q1 2025 earnings report as impacting international margins. Despite these hurdles, international sales contributed RMB 60 million (approximately US $8 million) to the quarterly revenue, a 22.4% increase year-over-year.
NIU’s gross margin declined to 17.3% from 18.9% in the same quarter last year, reflecting the pressure from international trade policies and logistics costs. Nevertheless, the company’s net loss narrowed to RMB 38.8 million, down from RMB 54.8 million in Q1 2024, indicating improved operational efficiency. While still operating at a net loss of around US 5.4 million, these numbers indicate a strong turnaround for the company – reflected by the nearly doubling of NIU’s stock price so far in 2025.
Looking ahead, NIU is anticipating continued growth and projecting Q2 2025 revenue to increase by 40% to 50% year-over-year. The company says it is also exploring strategies to mitigate international challenges, such as diversifying its production and focusing on markets less affected by tariffs.
As Li continued, “Globally, the market is undergoing structural shifts, with US trade policies experiencing increased volatility. However, we are leveraging innovation and agile infrastructure to mitigate geopolitical challenges, enabling sustainable global growth through proactive production adjustments.”
Electrek’s Take
If you’re a NIU fan like I am, this is great news that helps claw back some of the losses seen in the last couple of years. The entire micromobility sector has navigated choppy waters after the pandemic bubble burst, and NIU was certainly not immune to the drop in sales. But these numbers paint a promising return that industry analysts and scooter riders who depend on the company alike have been hoping for.
I visited NIU’s factory a few months ago and saw firsthand how much care and precision goes into building its millions of electric two-wheelers. That kind of in-depth look is rare in this industry, and it gave me keen insight into what separates NIU’s high-tech and high-design models from much of the industry.
Now it seems that sales are starting to catch back up to where such innovative pieces of tech deserve to be. Here’s to hoping for another good quarter to follow.
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On today’s sunny side up episode of Quick Charge, we take a look at the latest from the world of solar power, and discuss Congressional Republicans’ plans to limit your energy independence by eliminating a critical tax credit for homeowners nearly ten years early. (!)
We’ve also got a quick review of a massive solar farm powering 200,000 homes in Indiana and the biggest solar project East of the Mississippi – both part of a record 98% of all new power generation and grid capacity introduced in 2025 coming from wind and solar. Those are jobs, those are lower utility rates, those are energy independence … so why are Congressional Republicans working to make that more expensive?
Source Links
If you want to read that EnergySage report on the state of the home solar industry, including news about battery energy storage system and V2H/V2G prices and financing trends, you can check it out for yourself, below, then let us know what you think in the comments.
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If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
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A Waymo autonomous vehicle drives along Masonic Avenue on April 11, 2022 in San Francisco, California.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Alphabet’s Waymo unit has received approval to expand its autonomous ride-hailing service to more parts of the San Francisco Bay Area, including San Jose.
In March, the company submitted a request to the California Public Utilities Commission to gain approval for its latest passenger safety plan, a key step in gaining permission to operate driverless vehicles across a broader area. On Monday, the proposed expansion was approved, allowing for Waymo’s driverless coverage to extend from San Francisco down through the Peninsula.
“We’re very excited to share that the CPUC has approved our application to operate our fully autonomous commercial ride-hailing service in the South Bay and nearly all of San Jose!” the company wrote in a post on X on Monday. “While this won’t change our operations in the near-term, we’re looking forward to bringing the benefits of Waymo One to more of the Bay Area in the future.”
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