HOUSTON, January 15th (Argus) - American electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla has started operations at a lithium refining plant near Corpus Christi, Texas. This provides a regional supply source for its battery materials.
The company stated on its social media platform on January 14th that since breaking ground in 2023, Tesla has achieved the fastest time for the commercialization of this pioneering technology.
The Robstown plant employs a process that can eliminate harmful by-products from spodumene while producing a by-product that can be used as a component of concrete mixtures.
Tesla obtains spodumene concentrate from the North American Lithium mine within Canada and the Catherine Valley mine in Liontown, Australia.
This refining plant produces battery-grade lithium hydroxide, with a capacity sufficient to supply lithium raw materials to over 500,000 electric vehicles annually.
This refining plant provides Tesla with a regional supply channel for battery raw materials to support the operation of its electric vehicle factory in Austin, Texas, as well as other facilities.
