Only Elon Musk could have done it.

Which is to bet on a novel technology, select a counterintuitive site for the refinery, reimagine conventional engineering norms, and yet build it faster and cheaper than anyone else in the world.

I am not entirely sure Musk is human.

So, about 7 hours ago (as this column is being written) when Elon Musk announced on X as a matter of fact that “the largest Lithium refinery in America is now operational”, it must be with some pride.

Just look at what the man has achieved: a) he has built America’s first lithium refinery, b) employed a novel refining technology whose only byproduct is a powdery sand that can used in making concrete, c) got the refinery up and running fully in less about 30 months (from groundbreaking in May 2023 to full production end of 2025), d) spent less than a billion US dollars on it; while that’s almost 3x of Tesla’s initial estimate, it’s less than half of what conventional lithium refineries cost.

How did Musk Do It?

The short answer: just like he does everything else—by employing a first........

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