UK hails first domestic production of battery-quality lithium Lithium carbonate produced from Cornish’s hard rock samples, taken under a polarized microscope. ( A British consortium that includes Cornish Lithium, a junior eager to lead the development of a lithium industry in the UK, said on Monday it had locally produced its first lithium carbonate, an essential ingredient for the batteries that power electric vehicles (EVs) and high-tech devices. The government-funded Li4UK project, of which the main goal is to secure a domestic supply chain of the battery element in the UK, said the product came from Cornish Lithium’s project in Cornwall and from another site, in Scotland.