The price of lithium has skyrocketed over 400% in the past year due to the demand for lithium-ion batteries. Lithium’s moniker is “white petroleum” due to dramatic need for supplies from the rise of battery giga-factories, electric vehicles, power walls and energy storage businesses. Battery makers including Tesla, Panasonic and LG Chem, have to budget for the rising cost of lithium, a metal that’s crucial to the batteries for electric cars, as they expand their production and over the coming years. “The demand for lithium-ion batteries is higher than ever,” said Chris Berry, President and str…