Tesla is developing a blockchain platform that will allow users to track the origin of cobalt from the mines till it gets into the battery. The company is working with a consortium of cobalt producers to develop this blockchain.
In the detailed 2020 Impact Report which Tesla had released earlier this month, the company, said that it’s working with the Democratic Republic of Congo-centric Re|Source consortium.
The consortium is made up of China Molybdenum Co., Ltd, Eurasian Resources Group, and Glencore.
The goal of the platform is to create a “transparent, open, and global registry” tracking the cobalt and ensuring its sustainability. It will also help in the tracking of its provenance at the unit level.
Tesla added that the pilot program is being executed in “real operating conditions” — from cobalt production sites in the DRC through EV production. Its goal is to make sure that all of the cobalt it uses in its products is sustainably sourced while also creating a way for users to account for and verify this.
The company also noted that the blockchain is designed to be “readily accessible and inclusive to all parties across the supply chain and is scalable.”
Once it is completed, the system will allow users to fully track the cobalt as it is mined, shipped, and used in Tesla’s products. The pilot program is slated to run until the end of this year and the full rollout is planned for 2022.
With this Tesla wants to put the argument, they “own child slaves” or “own slave labor” to rest once and for all.
Reference- Electrek, InsideEVs, Clean Technica, Tesla website