The COVID-19 pandemic hit many industries hard in 2020, including automotives.

Electric vehicles' sales, however, grew substantially from 2019 -- and the trend should continue in 2021, supporting the demand for battery metals such as lithium and cobalt.

This edition of the Platts Future Energy podcast explains why EVs outperformed internal combustion engine cars and how the lithium and cobalt markets reacted to this increase amid the pandemic.