Electric Car Industry May Bring Mining Town Back To Life

Like so many mining towns throughout North America, Cobalt, Ontario has seen better days. But its fortunes could soon reverse. Cobalt, population 1,100, is poised to flourish once more due to its rich stores of the metal cobalt. Ironically, the town known for its silver was actually named for this shiny, bluish-gray ore. At the time it was mostly ignored. But not anymore. It turns out cobalt is a key component of batteries that power cellphones, laptops and, increasingly, electric cars.