Tesla CEO Elon Musk as soon as once more endorsed the concept of a federal carbon tax on the firm’s 2021 annual shareholder assembly on Thursday.

He stated the three elements of a “sustainable future,” in his view, are photo voltaic and wind energy, batteries for vitality storage, and electrical automobiles of each sort together with automobiles, boats and airplanes.

“As we transfer to a sustainable vitality grid and electrical automobiles, then clearly we transfer to a completely sustainable vitality economic system which is the place we wish to get to as rapidly as doable. The earlier the higher! And may there be a carbon tax? I imply like, what the hell,” Musk stated Thursday, expressing impatience.

A carbon tax, or tax on greenhouse gasoline emissions, has lengthy been proposed as a strategy to cut back the emission of gases that trigger local weather change, significantly carbon dioxide. Some advocates consider {that a} carbon tax ought to enhance over time to offer business time to find and roll out lower-carbon alternate options to the merchandise and processes they use that do emit CO2.

Greater than 40 governments have adopted some kind of value on carbon, based on the New York Occasions, however the US has not.

A carbon tax would assist Tesla by making gasoline dearer, which might make its electrical automobiles extra enticing, and by growing vitality costs, which might encourage owners to undertake photo voltaic panels from Tesla and different suppliers. Musk acknowledged as a lot, however famous it will damage his re-usable rocket enterprise, SpaceX, a substantial shopper of fossil fuels that plans to drill for pure gasoline and to make use of methane in its rocket operations in Boca Chica.

“So how a couple of carbon tax? We simply actually need it,” he stated.

Musk additionally strongly endorsed the concept of getting extra supplies out of spent batteries by improved recycling expertise and processes.

“Battery supplies are positively recyclable. Burning gasoline is just not. CO2 is a particularly secure molecule. Mars’ environment has been primarily CO2 for I do not know billions of years. It is extraordinarily secure. So, generally individuals fear about methane. Don’t worry an excessive amount of about methane. Methane rapidly breaks down into CO2. Methane is just not a secure molecule. CO2 is extraordinarily secure,” Musk urged his viewers, as if searching for to justify SpaceX’s use of methane.

In line with the Environmental Safety Company, “Methane is greater than 25 occasions as potent as carbon dioxide at trapping warmth within the environment.” Methane can also be the second most considerable greenhouse gasoline emitted by human exercise and business, second after carbon dioxide. It accounts for about 20% of worldwide greenhouse gasoline emissions.

On the annual shareholder assembly, Musk additionally spoke about Tesla’s goal to construct automobiles nearer to the place prospects get them organized. Doing so can save the corporate transport prices, but additionally cut back its environmental footprint from transport, Musk urged.

“The sheer sum of money we’re spending on flying elements around the globe is just not nice,” Musk stated. “It is smart to have manufacturing on the continent the place the shoppers are.”

Presently, Tesla has a brand new manufacturing unit underway close to Austin, Texas, which is anticipated to supply batteries on-site, and one other exterior of Berlin, Germany.

On Thursday, Tesla additionally confirmed that it has moved its headquarters to Austin.

Musk expects the Texas manufacturing unit, dubbed Giga-Austin, to comply with within the footsteps of Tesla’s Shanghai manufacturing unit, which now produces extra electrical automobiles than are made in its authentic manufacturing unit in Fremont, California.

No less than yr’s annual shareholder assembly, Musk proclaimed that battery and manufacturing advances Tesla is engaged on might quickly result in decrease priced automobiles from the corporate. “About 3 years from now, we’re assured we will make a really compelling $25,000 electrical car that is additionally totally autonomous,” he stated then. Tesla additionally stated final yr that it designed and was producing its personal 4680 battery cells at a facility in Fremont, California.

On Thursday, Musk didn’t give an replace on timing for a $25,000 electrical car.

However he did say that Tesla wouldn’t be producing 4680 battery cells in Texas this yr. As an alternative, it will produce these cells at its pilot facility in Fremont, and ship them to Texas to as Mannequin Y manufacturing ramps up there.

Lengthy-term Musk stated he believes the crossover utility car is prone to turn out to be Tesla’s best-seller, surpassing the Mannequin 3 sedan in recognition.

Earlier this month, Tesla stated it delivered 241,300 electrical automobiles in the course of the third quarter of 2021, and produced 237,823 automobiles in the identical interval.

Deliveries are the closest approximation to gross sales reported by Tesla. The corporate achieved a brand new report as different automakers’ deliveries declined in comparison with the identical time final yr, owing largely to produce chain points together with a worldwide chip scarcity.

Musk would not see world provide chain points resolving totally till 2023, he stated Thursday.