

As hybrid cars gobble rare metals, shortage looms - cwan
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE57U02B20090831

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viggity
I haven't looked into the other metals they mention, but wikipedia
(<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neodymium>) says that there is an estimated 8
Million tonnes of neodymium reserves in the earth, and that current extraction
is 7000 tonnes per year.

I wonder what the is the cause of the discrepancy between wikipedia and the
article.

~~~
jcl
The headline is somewhat misleading. Rare earth metals are rare in
approximately the same way that noble gases have superior moral qualities.

Likewise, the shortage mentioned in the article hasn't happened yet. And it
might never happen, since -- as the article says -- extraction is increasing
to meet the anticipated increase in demand.

