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This illustrated briefing traces the minerals inside an electric vehicle from extraction to the finished car, and examines where mineral-rich economies can realistically capture value. It explains why there is no single mineral recipe for an EV, as battery chemistry and motor design change which minerals matter, and why refining, battery materials and cell manufacturing are often more concentrated than mining itself. Through five mineral journeys (lithium, graphite, nickel and cobalt, copper and rare earths), a review of changing demand and recycling, and a practical competitiveness framework tested against Indonesia, Morocco, the DRC and Zambia, and Chile, the report shows that mineral endowment creates an opportunity rather than an automatic industrial advantage. It sets out implications for governments, investors, development finance institutions and industry.
