[ad_1] Desirous to keep away from falling additional behind Tesla and Chinese language automotive corporations, many Western auto executives are bypassing conventional suppliers and committing billions of {dollars} on offers with lithium mining corporations.They’re exhibiting up in arduous hats and steel-toed boots to scope out mines in locations like Chile, Argentina, Quebec and Nevada to safe provides of a steel that would make or break their corporations as they transfer from gasoline to battery energy.With out lithium, U.S. and European carmakers received’t have the ability to construct batteries for the electrical pickup vehicles, sport utility autos and sedans they should…