With the purchase of the patent applications when the patents were granted in January 2021, they were issued directly to Tesla.
One of those applications describes in detail a process very similar to one that Drew Baglino was describing on stage. The patented process calls for a more environmentally friendly battery production method. That starts with recirculating all the chemical solutions. This removes the need for an expensive water treatment clean-up process.
Stealth Purchase
Springpower International is just one more piece to a puzzle that Musk and Tesla have been working on, for a while now.
Tesla was buying more than just Springpower’s intellectual property. There is some evidence that some of the very smart researchers and engineers at Springpower are now working at Tesla.
Founded in 2010 Springpower International was partially owned by Chinese battery company Highpower International.
Musk is quietly putting together a “braintrust” of brilliant minds, innovative contracts, and breakthrough companies. So far Tesla has obtained about ten companies including a 2019 purchase of Hibar, another Canadian battery company. They have also been negotiating with Indonesia and Canada about the need for earth-friendly less restrictive nickel mining.
