ROBSTOWN – Tesla has broken ground on its $375 million lithium hydroxide refinery.
Completion is slated for next year, with full production expected in 2025 at a capacity of enough lithium to produce one million electric vehicle batteries.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the Robstown refinery “would produce more battery-grade lithium than the rest of North American refinery capacity combined.”
Five such plants are operating in the U.S. now, and more are being developed, but most of the world’s production is outside the U.S.