LONDON—Growing demand for electric vehicles has spurred small-scale miners of the lithium, cobalt, and rare earths that automakers rely on to develop mines and build refining capacity in Europe to reduce their reliance on China.
Efforts by the United States and Europe to build a secure and independent supply chain for the key minerals used in electric vehicles (EVs), wind turbines, and aircraft engines have accelerated as the pandemic led to shutdowns and shortages.
