Musk: Tesla may enter lithium mining and refining business on a large scale

Published: Apr 9, 2022 09:15

Save

[Musk: Tesla may enter the lithium mining and refining business on a large scale] Tesla CEO Musk tweeted on Friday that Tesla may directly enter the lithium mining and refining business on a large scale, because the cost of lithium as a key component of making batteries is already too high.

Tesla CEO Musk tweeted on Friday that Tesla could directly enter the lithium mining and refining business on a large scale because the cost of lithium, a key component in making batteries, is already too high.

Musk wrote on Twitter: "the price of lithium has reached crazy levels!" Unless costs rise, Tesla may actually have to move directly into mining and refining on a large scale. There is no shortage of lithium itself, because it is almost everywhere on earth, but the speed of extraction / extraction is very slow. "

Musk made the remarks in response to a tweet. The tweet shows the average price per tonne of lithium over the past 20 years, which has risen sharply since 2021.

Tesla also replied below: "indeed." We have some cool ideas for sustainable lithium mining and refining. "

The price of lithium rose more than 480% last year, according to benchmark mineral intelligence. At the same time, lithium mines do exist across the United States, according to the US Geological Survey.

Friday's tweet is not the first time Musk has put forward the idea of Tesla mining lithium himself.

Tesla won his lithium mining rights in Nevada in 2020 after a failed deal to buy a lithium mining company, Fortune quoted people familiar with the matter as saying.

Tesla lithium business

Data Source Statement: Except for publicly available information, all other data are processed by SMM based on publicly available information, market communication, and relying on SMM‘s internal database model. They are for reference only and do not constitute decision-making recommendations.

For any inquiries or to learn more information, please contact: lemonzhao@smm.cn

For more information on how to access our research reports, please contact:service.en@smm.cn

Related News

20 hours ago

In January, national passenger car producers' new energy wholesale estimates reached 900,000 units, up 1% YoY.

According to the latest data from the Passenger Car Association, in December 2025, producers with new energy wholesale sales exceeding 10,000 units accounted for 93% of the total wholesale sales of passenger NEVs that month. Based on preliminary January data, these producers achieved sales of 830,000 units in January. As most producers have already locked in their major sales figures, by applying the structural proportion from the previous month to the current month's data, the estimated wholesale sales of passenger NEVs nationwide in January were 900,000 units. According to comprehensive preliminary monthly association data: the estimated wholesale sales of NEVs by national passenger car producers in January 2026 were 900,000 units, up 1% YoY.

20 hours ago

CAAM: In 2025, 476,000 complete vehicles were imported, down 32.4% YoY.

据中国汽车工业协会整理的海关总署数据显示，2025年12月，汽车整车进口3.0万辆，环比下降30.4%，同比下降56.1%；进口金额14.7亿美元，环比下降23.6%，同比下降52.5%。2025年，汽车整车进口47.6万辆，同比下降32.4%；进口金额236.4亿美元，同比下降39.7%。

20 hours ago

Canada Announces New EV Strategy, to Collaborate with China

According to CCTV News, on February 5, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a new electric vehicle strategy, including the reinstatement of car purchase subsidies, and stated that Canada will cooperate with China to promote the local production and export of EVs in Canada. According to a statement released by the Prime Minister's Office of Canada, the country will make full use of existing and newly established trade agreements, including a recently reached EV cooperation agreement with China, to facilitate large-scale investment in this sector, diversify Canada’s automotive export markets, and position Canada as one of the global leaders in the electric vehicle industry.

20 hours ago