Tesla built the most advanced lithium refinery in the world and it is very clean
This is more advanced than you think
Tesla’s Texas lithium refinery is the first in North America to convert raw spodumene ore directly into battery-grade lithium hydroxide, skipping the intermediate steps the rest of the industry relies on
It went from groundbreaking to first production in just 19 months, an unheard-of timeline at this scale
The process is cleaner too:
no hazardous sodium sulfate waste, and a useful byproduct that can be turned into concrete
This single refinery can supply lithium for over 500,000 EVs per year and directly challenges China’s ~60% grip on global lithium refining
One of the biggest bottlenecks in the EV supply chain just got an upgrade