In order to extract its own raw materials, Tesla announced that they will begin to develop cylindrical battery cells in the 4860 format, which is why the company has published a new patent application. It is about lithium, a key chemical element in the development of batteries for electric cars and also to make these vehicles cheaper.

The manufacturer, Elon Musk, during the expected ‘Battery Day’ detailed that Tesla had acquired a lithium reserve in Nevada to begin to extract its own raw materials.

It is important to highlight that said chemical element is essential in the development of technologies and its use is increasingly widespread, which is why its resulting extraction is essential.

According to Musk’s statements, this method would reduce the cost of lithium – used in the battery’s anode – by 33% and could be used entirely as electricity. Likewise, the ecological component would be the cornerstone of the project, since it is based on the use of table salt – sodium chloride – to extract the lithium from the mineral.

The patent describes the process as follows, assuming an alternative to extraction through brine tanks:
“The extraction process includes adding a clay mineral with lithium, mixing a source of cations (positively charged ions, provided by the aforementioned table salt) with the clay mineral, developing a high-energy plant from the mineral and then a liquid leaching (extraction of soluble matter from a mixture) to obtain a lithium-rich solution “.

The plan is for this process to be launched in the 4,000 hectare lithium clay deposit that the manufacturer has bought, although for now, Tesla has secured 88,000 tons of Chinese lithium until 2025 to be able to manufacture its electric cars.

More details:
Since the 90s, lithium has become one of the most widely used materials in the industry, as technology has made great strides with it. But its extraction is tedious and not always ecological, that is why Tesla registered a new process more respectful with the environment in the patent office.

And it is that the purpose of many countries is to replace combustion engines with 100% electric technologies. In this transition process, lithium plays a fundamental role. This is how the World Bank itself has calculated that by the year 2050, lithium extraction will be needed five times higher than the current one, which would be a lot of metal to be removed from the earth.

Important fact: It is estimated that one ton of lithium can meet the demand for about 90 electric cars, that is, more than 60,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate are needed to produce one million electric cars. For this reason, it is necessary to obtain the valuable metal in more efficient and environmentally friendly ways.