The American inventor and entrepreneur has announced on his official Twitter account that if the price escalation continues, it is very likely that Tesla will start producing its own lithium.
The official Twitter account of Elon Musk is not wasted, since the founder of companies such as Tesla and SpaceXwhich sells you solar panels, launches a rocket into space or designs, manufactures and sells an electric car, among many other things, usually makes announcements or broadcasts reflections related to its business in it.
Recently, he recommended that Spain become the main supplier of solar energy in Europe and has now hinted that Tesla could be encouraged to mine and refine their own lithium.
The worst thing is not that the current price is extremely high, but that the forecasts indicate that it is still far from stopping its rise
This is due to sky high prices that lithium and many other raw materials are reaching as a result of the transport crisis, supplies and even the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Specifically, Elon Musk has stated that “The price of lithium has reached unbelievable levels! Tesla may have to go straight into mining and refining at scale, unless costs improve.”.
An essential material
lithium is a essential raw material to manufacture batteries for electric cars and its price is reaching record levels in the market. This may slow down the expansion of this type of vehicle in the automotive industry, in which Tesla has become one of the main players.
According to statistics, the price of The ton of lithium stands this year at 78,032 dollarsa price that contrasts in an outrageous way with the 27,000 dollars of 2021 or the 6,800 of 2020.
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“There is no shortage of the element itself, as lithium is almost everywhere on Earth, but the pace of extraction/refinement is slow.”Elon Musk has expanded in this regard.
The worst thing is not that the current price is extremely high, but that forecasts indicate that it is still far from stopping its risewhich could encourage Tesla to enter the mining market to minimize costs as much as possible.
Lithium in Spain
Currently, there are two projects to create lithium mines in Spain. one belongs to Lithium Iberia, which has partnered with Phi4tech to exploit the Las Navas mine in Extremadura. Said project entails the construction of a cathode factory for batteries.
The other is borne by Extremadura Lithium Technologya company created by the Australian Infinity Lithium and Sacyr, and which is the concessionaire of the San José de Valdeflórez exploitation, also located in Extremadura.
Its viability has been questioned on several occasions as a result of the opposition of different political parties and environmental organizations.
On the other hand, Volkswagen recently announced the construction of a gigafactory for batteries for electric cars in Sagunto, Valencia.
Source: Forococheselectricos.com