Tesla plans to launch its own Cell Recycling Pilot Plant to achieve metal recovery on its own. It will be located at Giga Nevada, according to recent job postings.
In January, Tesla announced plans to build two new $3.6 billion manufacturing facilities east of Sparks, Nevada. One will produce a Tesla Semi, and the other will produce 4680 batteries. This meant Tesla would expansion its factory in Nevada. According to the plan, more than 3,000 jobs will be created at the factories.
Since then, there have been only a few pieces of news about hiring at the new facility. A large number of positions were associated with construction. In addition, Tesla recently began extensive hiring for Semi-related positions. At the moment, on the company’s website, you can find dozens of job postings related to the expansion of Giga Nevada.
Among the large number of vacancies, two were especially noteworthy. About two weeks ago, Tesla began a search for Cell Recycling Operator and Cell Recycling Operator (Night Shift) positions. Both positions are listed in Construction & Facilities. The job descriptions indicate that people in these positions will be involved in the operation of the Cell Recycling Pilot Plant.
“A Cell Recycling Operator at Gigafactory 1 is responsible for the equipment operation and overall production output of the Cell Recycling Pilot Plant. The operator is also responsible for ensuring all Cell Recycling equipment is operating at peak-efficiency in correlation with specific safety guidelines.
As a Tesla Gigafactory 1 Cell Recycling Operator, you will have the opportunity to drive Tesla toward closing the loop on battery recycling. Cell Recycling Operators will work closely with engineering personnel to continuously develop and improve cell recycling systems.”
At the moment, this is the first mention of such a plant. Tesla batteries are 100% recyclable, according to the company’s 2022 impact report. Now the company has moved even further. According to the report, for 2023, Tesla planned to achieve the following steps in battery recycling:
Physical Deconstruction -> Thermal Processing -> Qualification of Material & Sorting
However, for 2024, the plan looks like this:
Physical Deconstruction -> Thermal Processing -> Metals Recovery
It is likely that the Cell Recycling Pilot Plant has an important role to play in this. If Tesla achieves metal recovery, it will dramatically reduce battery production costs, making its electric vehicles even more affordable.
