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Tesla CEO Elon Musk joined Texas Governor Greg Abbott to interrupt floor on the web site of the electrical automobile maker’s new lithium refinery in Corpus Christi on Monday.
Tesla plans to speculate $375 million to construct the ability on the Gulf coast that can assist it safe a home provide of lithium hydroxide, a key ingredient used to make batteries for its electrical autos, and its home- and utility-scale batteries.
Musk mentioned that Tesla is aiming to provide sufficient battery-grade lithium on the refinery to fabricate a million autos per 12 months, and to provide extra lithium than the remainder of North America’s refining capability mixed there.
Mining firm Albemarle introduced plans to speculate $1.3 billion in a brand new lithium processing facility in South Carolina in March.
In response to filings with the Texas Comptroller’s workplace, Tesla particularly plans to assemble a “battery-grade lithium hydroxide refining facility,” and different “services to assist different varieties of battery supplies processing, refining and manufacturing and ancillary manufacturing operations in assist of Tesla’s sustainable product line.”
The corporate promised in its filings that “the method Tesla will use is revolutionary and designed to devour much less hazardous reagents and create usable byproducts in comparison with the traditional course of.”
On Monday, Musk claimed, “There is no poisonous emissions or something — you can stay proper in the course of the refinery and never endure any unwell results.”
Tesla’s battery uncooked materials and recycling chief, Turner Caldwell, mentioned on the occasion that the corporate would discover “useful use alternatives” for the byproduct of its lithium, which they count on to be largely sand and limestone.
Usually, refining ore into battery-grade lithium requires an industrial course of that features crushing uncooked materials, heating it at a excessive temperature, and mixing it in a slurry with acids. One of many acids utilized in lithium processing sometimes is hydrochloric acid, which is a hazardous air pollutant below the U.S. Clear Air Act.
Caldwell and Musk didn’t disclose the precise chemistry the corporate would rely on for processing.
Final 12 months in April, Musk mentioned Tesla could have to get into lithium refining as a result of the price of the steel had “gone to insane ranges.” Lithium costs have considerably declined since he made these remarks.
Nonetheless, China nonetheless controls greater than half of the world’s lithium processing and refining capability whereas the U.S. has lately managed simply 1%. Musk mentioned the provision of battery-grade lithium was a “elementary chokepoint” for the electrical automobile trade and others.
Governor Abbott, a Republican, praised Elon Musk as the best entrepreneur on Earth.
“Texas needs to have the ability to be self-reliant, not dependent upon any overseas hostile nation for what we’d like,” he mentioned.