(Bloomberg) — South American nations are stepping up efforts to propel themselves further down the electric-vehicle supply chain by leveraging their vast mineral wealth, expanding processing capacity, and targeting vehicle manufacturing.
Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Brazil plan to coordinate action on turning more of the region’s mined lithium into battery chemicals, as well as moving into manufacturing of batteries and EVs, according to Argentina Mining Undersecretary Fernanda Avila.
The drive across the key producing regions of South America reflects a burgeoning global trend by resource-rich nations to chart a course away from merely supplying raw materials into higher-value activities to boost growth, raise incomes, and make the most of their resource endowments.
In Asia, commodity powerhouse Indonesia has laid out its ambition to become a global battery hub for electric vehicles as demand for greener transport skyrockets.
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