GM's Battery Engineer and Business Planning Manager, Andy Oury, discusses the possibility of transitioning to a hydrogen-based economy in the future if sustainable energy sources can support it. Oury points out that while lithium is currently powering electric vehicles and batteries, it is abundant in the Earth's crust, awaiting extraction and refinement facilities. He emphasizes the need for investments in processing lithium rather than inventing new technologies. The conversation touches on the challenges of hydrogen utilization, given its natural bonding tendencies and the requirement for abundant green electricity for separation. Oury also explains the complexities of rare Earth metals in EV batteries, highlighting efforts to reduce cobalt usage. The comparison of battery production to baking a cake illustrates the multistep process involved in creating battery cells. Overall, the discussion showcases the potential of hydrogen while underlining the current focus on lithium-based technologies in the EV industry.