Gary Zhou 
Key Points
- 🚀 Tesla’s lithium refinery in Robstown is set to start production on January 1, 2024.
- 💼 The company plans to commission assets in the first half of the year and ramp up production in the latter half of the year.
- 💡 Tesla is considering future expansion opportunities for the refinery, indicating potential economic impact on the local community.
- 👥 The refinery will employ 165 people for high-paying positions, including electricians.
- 💰 Tesla has posted job openings for various positions related to the lithium refinery, showing continued hiring efforts.
- 🚗 Tesla is reducing prices for Model 3 and Model Y in the United States, making these electric vehicles more attractive to consumers.
- 📈 The Model 3 and Model Y also qualify for federal tax credits for eligible buyers, potentially reducing their prices further.
Tesla’s lithium refinery in Robstown will start production on the first day of 2024. The company’s Sr. Manager of Operations shared details about Tesla’s lithium refinery.
“We will begin commissioning the assets roughly the first of next year, and that will continue, in earnest, over the first half of next year. They will start ramping up production the latter half of next year,” said Tesla Sr. Manager of Operations Jason Bevan.
Bevan hinted that Tesla was already thinking of the lithium refinery’s future and its economic impact on the employees and the local community.
“We have property that is well-suited for a future expansion beyond these first two trains, so I think there is ample opportunity for further economic impact beyond just those direct employees that we hire,” he said.
Recently, Tesla opened a booth during a manufacturing day expo at the FEMA Dome in Del Mar College’s Windward Campus. The Tesla lithium refinery will employ 165 people to fill high-paying positions. In March, the company posted three job openings for an area superintendent, a project scheduler, and an area construction manager.
Last week, Tesla posted a job opening for a Sr. Metallurgical Chemical Engineer. It would be a full-time mid-senior-level position. Tesla is no longer accepting applications for the Sr. Metallurgical Chemical Engineer job.
However, earlier this week, Tesla opened applications for an electrician at the lithium refinery in Robstown. It is a full-time entry-level position. Tesla has had 23 applicants for the job so far and has not stopped accepting applications as of this writing. The electrician hired will work with Tesla’s battery materials team.
