Tesla, the $700 billion electric cars manufacturer is using blockchain for cobalt and nickel traceability in a pilot project across its supply chain. Glencore, an Anglo-Swiss commodity trading and mining company with some $142 billion in yearly revenue, revealed Tesla is collaborating with Re|Source, which provides blockchain tracing “from the mine to the electric vehicle.” Glencore said.
Glencore added, “The pilot is being tested in real operating conditions, from upstream cobalt production facilities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to downstream electric vehicle productions sites.
Multiple on-site pilots have already commenced in the DRC and Europe, and plans are in place to commence further pilots in Asia and the US later this year. The final pilot across the entire Tesla supply chain is expected to take place in Q4 this year. The launch of the final industry solution is expected in 2022 and is being supported by boutique block-chain technology studio,
Tesla itself describes the endeavor as developing “a blockchain platform by creating a transparent, open and global registry that aims to ensure that all cobalt used in end-products is sustainably sourced and users can account for and verify the provenance of each unit… Upon completion, the system will allow users to fully track cobalt from the mine to the battery with assurance that the volume of traceable material is understood as well as the sustainability efforts of upstream suppliers.
This solution will be piloted in real operating conditions, starting from the cobalt production sites in the DRC all the way through to electric vehicle production sites. Tesla is participating in this pilot program, scheduled to run until the end of 2021. The full roll-out of the platform is expected in 2022.”
Tesla further revealed they’re collaborating with BHP in a blockchain pilot program to trace nickel. Tesla state, “Over a three-month period, we traced nickel shipments from BHP’s Nickel West operations in Western Australia through the various transformation phases right through to vehicle production in Gigafactory Shanghai…
Tesla also worked with CargoSmart on a supplychain project in 2020.
