JB Straubel on Tesla, Redwood Materials and Building a Better Battery Supply Chain

Demand for lithium ion batteries is expected to grow 500% by 2030, and the race for raw materials is on. Lithium mines around the world are opening or expanding, while children as young as six in the Congo carry sacks of cobalt-laced rocks on their backs for less than $2 a day. Recycling presents promising opportunities, yet before millions of batteries can be recycled, they have to be made in the first place. At the same time, advances in battery chemistry continue to be made, and it’s not hard to imagine a near future when batteries don’t require lithium or cobalt at all. What’s the state of battery technology? And with demand ceaselessly increasing, how can we ever get to a truly sustainable supply chain?

JB Straubel co-founded Tesla Motors and spent fifteen years as its Chief Technology Officer. Now, he heads Redwood Materials, a company dedicated to creating a circular battery supply chain in the U.S.

Join Climate One Host Greg Dalton in person with JB Straubel as we explore what it will take to build a better battery supply chain and electrify the world. 

This program is underwritten by ClimateWorks Foundation.