Batteries produced by CATL can be found in 3.4 million Chinese EVs sold so far in 2026, according to data from Benchmark’s EV & Battery Service. Supplier concentration creates both cost and supply-chain risks.

The European Union has asked China to voluntarily reduce its exports of hybrid electric vehicles into the bloc in a bid to improve the competitiveness of its domestic vehicle market. Chinese electric vehicle (EV) exports have reached new highs in 2026, with consistent monthly records set between March and July this year.

Uranium contained in DRC cobalt, in which it naturally occurs as a trace element in the copperbelt region, travels unrecorded through processing and export, as the country has no formal testing infrastructure in place. Other regions, such as Australia, deliberately recover uranium as a byproduct of copper mining.  The uranium contained in the DRC’s cobalt supplies is estimated to be equivalent to only 1–2% of Africa's total uranium mined supply, a negligible portion of global supply, according to Benchmark's Uranium and Cobalt Services. This puts into context a recent report highlighting the volumes contained in cobalt exports from the country.

Slow progress at two lithium sulphate production facilities is likely to force the Zimbabwean government’s hand in how a lithium concentrate export ban planned for the end of this year is handled. The government made the resumption of suspended hard rock lithium exports conditional on firm commitments from producers on bringing lithium sulphate production in-country, with a nominal deadline of January 2027, which a number of mines appear unlikely to achieve.