Electric vehicles could be getting a new battery ingredient in the coming years, as carmakers look beyond lithium toward a cheaper, more abundant alternative: magnesium. Lithium earned its dominant role in EV batteries for good reason, offering high energy density, a light structure and quick charging that suits modern driving needs.
But the metal is running into supply problems that are hard to ignore. Bringing a new lithium mine into production takes between 16 and 18 years on average, once permitting, exploration rights, and financing are accounted for.
The extraction process itself isn’t gentle either, with hard rock mining generating large volumes of waste and brine extraction draining large volumes of water in the dry regions where lithium tends to be found, drawing pushback from nearby communities.
On top of that, a recent price crash after years of oversupply has cooled mining investment just as global demand is meant to keep rising. The bulk of global lithium supply remains concentrated in Australia and South America’s so-called Lithium Triangle, while China holds much of the refining capacity needed to turn raw lithium into usable material.
Magnesium looks appealing precisely because it sidesteps several of these issues. It’s cheaper and far more abundant, found readily in both seawater and the ground. Furthermore, magnesium is generally considered safer since it doesn’t develop the sharp internal growths that can cause lithium batteries to short out or catch fire.
It can also pack more energy into a smaller space, which matters to manufacturers pursuing more compact, lightweight vehicle designs. China again leads the way in raw supply, producing between 830,000 and 950,000 metric tons of primary magnesium in 2025, roughly 87 to 95 percent of the global total.
Much of it is drawn from dolomite reserves in Liaoning province. Israel comes in second, pulling magnesium from the Dead Sea, while Russia and Brazil round out the other major producers.
Manganese is being explored as well, though mostly as a complement to lithium rather than a true replacement, since it holds less charge, doesn’t recharge as many times, and produces lower voltage.
On the automotive side, the experiments are scattered but growing. MG has already rolled out a new manganese-based battery in its MG4 EV Urban, due in UK and European showrooms by late 2026, while General Motors and LG Energy Solution are targeting 2028 for manganese-rich cells aimed at future trucks and SUVs.
Toyota is funding long-term magnesium research, Tesla has incorporated magnesium alloy parts into the Model 3 and Model Y, and Great Wall Motor is using magnesium casting to reduce vehicle weight.
Even so, true magnesium batteries remain largely stuck in the lab, with institutions like the University of Waterloo still working through the basics. Magnesium ions move more sluggishly than lithium ions, resulting in slower charging, reduced acceleration, and poorer cold-weather performance.
Researchers also haven’t found an electrolyte that efficiently transports magnesium without corroding the battery’s internal components, let alone a cathode material that can withstand repeated use.
When all these bottlenecks are eventually addressed, we could see high-end models from brands like Ferrari N.V. (NYSE: RACE) featuring magnesium batteries in their drivetrains.
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