United States electric car manufacturer, Elektros is looking at possibilities to mine lithium in Sierra Leone.

The company is believed to be already in talks with the government.

The deal when sealed will see the company develop a mine that will be a lithium supplier to select processing partners and battery manufacturers.

There are also plans for some of the mined products to be used as a reserve for future manufacturing of the company’s batteries.

Lithium is a chemical element that is a soft and silvery-white alkali metal. This metal is used to create ion batteries that power electric vehicles.

There has been a sharp rise in the use of electric vehicles since the start of the second decade of the 21st century. This rise is believed to have been a result of the awareness of global warming and disasters. Environmentalists have protested for the world to focus on clean energy.

This sudden demand for lithium is expected to reach 1.5 million in 2025. In 2030, it is expected to double the earlier projection. It is believed that the present demand for the mineral is less than a million.

Electric vehicles are believed to be the highest recipient of lithium with over 50 percent. This dependence by the car industry is projected to be above 80 percent by 2030.

The CEO of the company, Shlomo Bleier who has been involved in the country’s mining industry for over 30 years, is at the helm of the negotiation.

Although Sierra Leone has lithium reserves, the West African nation, however, lacks processing facilities.