Musk sees refining as the lithium problem, so Tesla plans to begin doing it

Tesla Inc. is more focused on refining lithium than on mining the battery metal, Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said, as the EV giant plans to begin refining production within a year.

The “limiting factor” is refining lithium, not actually finding it, as no country has a monopoly on deposits, Musk said Wednesday during the electric vehicle giant’s investor day.

Tesla has broken ground on a proposed lithium refinery in Corpus Christi, Texas, and aims to start output within a year, Drew Baglino, senior vice president of powertrain and energy engineering, said at the event. The EV giant wants to process lithium concentrates into battery-grade lithium chemicals at the Texas refinery.

The company hasn’t responded to reports it’s been mulling a takeover of miner Sigma Lithium Corp. amid rampant demand for the material crucial to powering EVs.

Automakers have aggressively pushed into mining to lock in supply for batteries as electric-vehicle sales rise. Stellantis NV took a 14% stake in a McEwen Mining Inc. copper subsidiary, and General Motors Co. is said to be vying for a stake in Vale SA’s base metals unit. In January, GM struck a $650 million pact with Lithium Americas Corp. to develop a US lithium deposit.

As for nickel — another key ingredient in EV batteries — Musk said it’s only needed for “aircraft, long-range cars or trucks.” 

“The vast majority of heavy lifting” of EV batteries will be iron-based batteries, and there’s plenty of iron in the world, he said.