Tesla is considering getting into Lithium mining

FILE PHOTO: Braulio Lopez of Galaxy Resources lithium mining division carts halite concentrate at the Salar del Hombre Muerto, or Dead Man's Salt Flat, an important source of lithium at around 4,000 meters (13,123 feet) above sea level on the border of the northern Argentine provinces of Catamarca and Salta, October 28, 2012. REUTERS/Enrique Marcarian/File Photo/File Photo

Elon Musk tweeted out earlier this afternoon that Tesla might have to get into the business of mining and refining lithium.

Musk replied to a World of Statistics tweet that noted the massive increase lithium has seen over the past ten years.

According to the tweet, lithium costs were $4,450 per tonne in 2012, while in 2022, it is now $78,032.

In fact, according to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, the cost of lithium has increased by over 480 per cent in the last year alone.

Musk followed up his tweet with a reply to Twitter user Pranay Pathole, saying Tesla has some cool ideas for sustainable lithium extraction and refinement.

This is not the first time Tesla and lithium mining have come up.

In 2020, Tesla secured rights to mine lithium in Nevada after a deal to buy a lithium company fell through. Although, we have yet to see the company move forward with any mining operations in the state.

Lithium is found worldwide and currently is most often mined from Australia. However, Chinese companies have started to invest and buy lithium mining operations worldwide.

For instance, earlier this year, Zijin Mining Group bought Neo Lithium, a Canadian lithium mining company operating in Argentina.

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About Scott Nordlund 1644 Articles
Originally from the West Coast, Scott is an avid writer & EV enthusiast now living in Ottawa. He holds a MA in Political Science and once played professional football in the German Football League. Email scott@driveteslacanada.ca