Tesla to Source All Raw Materials from North America

Bloomberg reported that according to Liz Jarvis-Shean, a spokesperson for Tesla Motors Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA), the company plans to only use raw materials sourced from North American for its proposed $5-billion lithium-ion battery gigafactory.

As quoted in the market news:

‘It will enable us to establish a supply chain that is local and focused on minimizing environmental impact while significantly reducing battery cost,’ she said in an e-mail.

The move comes amid heightened interest in curbing graphite pollution and a widespread corporate sensitivity about avoiding the use of industrial minerals from global trouble spots such as central Africa. China’s government, for example, has begun to shutter mines producing graphite, a major ingredient in lithium-ion batteries, over air-quality issues, Bloomberg News reported March 14.

Tesla ‘is a high-profile company that is entering an age of supply-chain transparency,’ said Simon Moores, an analyst at Industrial Minerals Data in London.

Click here to read the full Bloomberg report.