Redwood Materials and Tesla Batteries (Patreon)

It's fascinating to see where the materials come from for batteries. There is a company called Redwood materials that are trying to figure out a better way to recycle batteries and I think they're going to do it but unfortunately it's not a public company but I will keep my eye out for it. They are close to Elon and Tesla... Redwood Materials was founded by J.B. Straubel. He also serves as the company's CEO. Straubel was previously the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Tesla. One day I imagine that Tesla may flip them in ie acquire them.

Redwood Mission - is this map below

Tesla Battery Supply Chain

1. Raw Material Extraction

• Lithium: Sourced from spodumene mines in Australia (e.g., Liontown Resources) and brine operations in Chile and Argentina (e.g., SQM).

• Nickel: Obtained from mining operations in Indonesia, Canada, and Australia.

• Cobalt: Primarily sourced from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

• Graphite: Supplied by companies like Syrah Resources in Mozambique and various producers in China.

2. Material Processing and Refining

• Lithium Refining: Tesla’s lithium refinery in South Texas processes raw lithium into battery-grade material, aiming to produce enough for one million EVs annually.

• Nickel and Cobalt Processing: Conducted by partners in countries like Canada and Australia to produce battery-grade materials.

3. Component Manufacturing

• Cathodes and Anodes: Manufactured using processed materials, with cathodes typically composed of lithium, nickel, and cobalt, and anodes primarily made from graphite.

• Electrolyte and Separators: Produced by specialized suppliers and integrated into battery cells.

4. Cell Manufacturing

• Battery Cells: Produced in Tesla’s Gigafactories, such as Gigafactory Nevada (in partnership with Panasonic) and Gigafactory Shanghai (in collaboration with CATL and LG Energy Solution).

5. Battery Pack Assembly

• Modules and Packs: Battery cells are assembled into modules and packs at Tesla facilities, including the Fremont Factory and Gigafactory Texas.

6. Vehicle Integration

• Installation: Battery packs are integrated into Tesla vehicles during the manufacturing process at various Gigafactories.

7. Recycling and Reuse

• Battery Recycling: Tesla collaborates with companies like Redwood Materials to recycle used batteries, recovering valuable materials for reuse in new batteries.

h/t Sanjay for the info