Footage of Tesla’s Texas lithium refinery

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Footage released by Tesla shows the leading American automotive and clean energy company operating a large-scale lithium refinery in Corpus Christi, Texas, marking the first facility in North America to convert raw spodumene ore directly into battery-grade lithium hydroxide, bypassing intermediate processing steps used elsewhere in the industry. Tesla said the refinery went from groundbreaking to first production in 19 months, an unusually short timeline for a project of this scale. The company also highlighted environmental features of the process, saying it avoids hazardous sodium sulfate waste and produces a byproduct that can be repurposed for concrete manufacturing. According to Tesla, the refinery has the capacity to supply lithium for more than 500,000 electric vehicles per year, potentially easing one of the biggest bottlenecks in the EV supply chain. Industry analysts say the facility could reduce reliance on overseas processing, particularly China’s roughly 60% share of global lithium refining, by bringing more battery-grade production to North America. The refinery is part of broader efforts by automakers to secure domestic supplies of critical battery materials as demand for electric vehicles continues to rise.