Elon Musk’s blue-sky thinking encounters some clouds — literally
Santiago/Buenos Aires — Hidden within the salt flats high in the Andes mountains of South America are vast deposits of the lithium that Elon Musk may need for his electric-car revolution. But extracting the mineral from brine ponds created by Orocobre has proved more difficult than expected. Bad weather and pump glitches meant production at the Olaroz facility in northern Argentina was 21% below Orocobre’s initial target in the year through June. While things are getting back on track, CEO Richard Seville says the company "either underestimated the complexity or overestimated our capability". Producers everywhere have struggled to keep up with demand as electric cars went from almost no sales a decade ago to more than half a million vehicles last year. The battery in a Model S from Musk’s Tesla uses about 45kg of lithium carbonate. More mines are planned, but difficulties at Olaroz — the first new South American lithium mine in two decades — are limiting funding for new ventures in ...
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