Mineral Imperative

India's electric vehicle (EV) revolution faces a mineral bottleneck that could prove far more consequential than any production hiccup or policy delay.

- 

While the country has made ambitious strides in transitioning to green mobility, it has overlooked a critical component embedded deep within EV systems: rare earth elements. These minerals — such as neodymium, praseodymium, lithium, and dysprosium — are the lifeblood of modern electric motors and batteries. And currently, India sources most of them from a single, politically complex supplier: China. The risks of such dependence were laid bare when China tightened its rare earth export policies last year, citing national security. This wasn't just a diplomatic signal — it was a sharp economic lever. China now controls more than 70 per cent of rare earth production and nearly 90 per cent of global refining. With a single decision, Beijing reminded the world who sets the rules in the clean-tech economy.