China Ceramics Hub Refocuses on Battery Metals Amid Lithium Frenzy

(Bloomberg) — Here’s another sign of the world’s lithium frenzy: Chinese factories that typically make ceramics for bathroom tiles are switching to supply the electric-vehicle battery material instead.

Lithium has become super-expensive this year as car and battery manufacturers scour the planet for scarce supplies and as the industry hits limits on capacity to refine raw materials into specialist chemicals. That means fatter earnings for producers and some unconventional entrants seeking to make a profit.