Appalachian lithium cache enough to power 130 million EVs, USGS says

Bloomberg News | April 28, 2026 | 12:33 pm

The Appalachian region of the eastern US holds enough lithium to curb America’s reliance on imports for centuries, according to new research by the US Geological Survey, underscoring domestic resource potential as demand for critical minerals accelerates.

The area, which covers Maine, New Hampshire and the Carolinas, holds an estimated 2.3 million metric tons of undiscovered, economically recoverable lithium, said a USGS study published Tuesday. That’s enough of the battery metal to replace 328 years of US imports at last year’s level, and enough to power 130 million electric vehicles or 1.6 million grid-scale batteries, the agency said.

“This research shows that the Appalachians contain enough lithium to help meet the nation’s growing needs — a major contribution to US mineral security, at a time when global lithium demand is rising rapidly,” USGS director Ned Mamula said in a statement.

The US imports more than half its consumption of lithium, a key ingredient in batteries that power EVs, computers and phones. Dependence on foreign supply was a factor that contributed to including lithium on last year’s USGS critical minerals list. The US has one domestic producer, Albemarle Corp., though Canada’s Lithium Americas Corp. and Australia’s Ioneer Ltd. are seeking to build mines in Nevada.

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