You forget that Telsa is basically nuking the ground now while waiting two years for the water to evaporate and allow for the lithium to be harvested.
Not so green Tesla!! If only there was a better way????
I’m sure they’d like to be more environmentally friendly and get ALL the raw materials back out what used to be toxic waste (old batteries) and start again for a fraction of the price and time from a source right next door.
Not to mention the other 2 verticals of mining and high tech extraction for future development.