The David Lin Report China Controls 80% of Batteries: Can North America Catch Up?
Sep 29, 2025
John Passalacqua, CEO of First Phosphate Corp., dives into the critical future of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries. He discusses how LFP’s growth is vital for energy storage and AI applications. John highlights Tesla's shift towards localizing their supply chains, addressing risks tied to Chinese dominance. He shares details about First Phosphate's Quebec project, aiming to produce North American LFP cells, and the strategic importance of their findings for enhancing local economies and building resilience in the battery supply chain.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Phosphate Purity Is The Hidden Bottleneck
- Phosphoric acid purity is a critical bottleneck for LFP production and differs from fertilizer-grade phosphate.
- Igneous phosphate rock can produce the high-purity phosphoric acid LFP requires, unlike many sedimentary sources.
First North American LFP Cells Demonstrated
- First Phosphate produced North American LFP cells using their planned feedstock, lithium from Nevada, and graphite from Nouveau Monde.
- They presented those first cells as a demonstration of localizing the LFP supply chain.
Prioritize Phosphate In Supply Planning
- Prioritize securing phosphate and phosphoric acid feedstock when planning LFP supply chains.
- Localize upstream minerals to reduce dependency on Chinese cell producers and supply risk.