Nickel and cobalt are key battery metals needed for the growth phase in EV production. Cobalt is on the list of the 35 minerals considered critical to the economic and national security of the United States as first published by the U.S. Department of the Interior on May 18, 2018. In general, the greater the amount of nickel and cobalt, the greater the energy density of an EV battery, a factor that contributes to the storage of more energy. As a practical example of the importance of nickel and cobalt, EVs whose batteries have a higher energy density can run more kilometers before a recharge is needed.