Lithium is a rare earth metal and the battles for these metals are just beginning. At the moment China has the biggest percentage of this metal and unless Tesla starts kneeling down to the kings of the East then this company is going no where fast. There is an alternative though - loosen regulations further for new tech companies in the USA, welcome and nurture new businesses, lower their tax rates to 0 for the first 5 years. Do this an new technologies will be found, new batteries that dont even need lithium, maybe no abtteries at all! This could be easily done without printing any new moneys, just cut half of the useless Gov. jobs.