President Donald Trump has exempted some — but certainly not all — of the critical minerals necessary for the energy transition from the sweeping tariffs he announced Wednesday. Minerals such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese, and copper are key components of clean energy infrastructure such as lithium-ion batteries, which are used in electric vehicles or stationary storage, and copper wires, which conduct electricity in solar panels and wind turbines.
The White House has published a complete list of hundreds of products that are exempt from tariffs. We combed through the list looking for key transition minerals. Here are the ones that caught our eye, plus some that were notably left off. If you see anything on the list you think we missed, my inbox is open.
Exempt from tariffs
- Lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide - Both are precursor materials for lithium-ion batteries. Lithium carbonate is usually used in the less energy dense but cheaper lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries, while lithium hydroxide is preferred for the higher performance nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) batteries.
- Manganese dioxide - A type of manganese ore from which manganese compounds are produced. These are then used in the cathodes of NMC lithium-ion batteries to enhance stability and performance. Manganese can help offset the need for cobalt in batteries as it’s a cheaper and more abundant material.
- Cobalt - Also plays an important role in the cathodes of NMC lithium-ion batteries to enhance stability and energy density.
- Natural graphite (powder or flakes) - Graphite mined from the earth is used as anode material for lithium-ion batteries because of its high electrical conductivity, which allows for fast charging and high power output.
- Aluminum - A lightweight and easily recyclable material, aluminum is critical for the construction of many clean energy products, such as EV bodies, the frames of solar panels, and wind turbine components.
- Copper - A very good electrical conductor that’s used in the wiring for solar panels, wind turbines, EV motors, lithium-ion batteries, and power transmission lines. (Okay, this “critical material for energy" isn't technically a critical mineral, but given its importance to the transition, we included it.)
Subject to tariffs
- Nickel sulfate and nickel oxide - An essential cathode material in NMC batteries that serves to increase energy density.
- Manganese sulfate - Produced from manganese ores such as manganese dioxide (which is, again, not subject to tariffs). This refined form of manganese is used in the cathodes of NMC lithium-ion batteries.
- Synthetic graphite - High purity, industrially manufactured graphite, which is preferred over natural graphite for high performance EVs and energy storage systems due to its superior electrical conductivity and cycle life.
- Iron phosphate - The primary cathode material in LFP batteries, which have seen notable performance improvements in recent years, making them an increasingly popular choice for EVs.
- Neodymium - A key component in the powerful magnets that are critical to making lightweight EV motors and wind turbine generators.
