"Tesla's sudden scramble could be reflecting a scenario of battery demand outstripping supply, the analyst said."

Here we go again... speculation about the lithium market changing Supply vs Demand situation.

Bull Vs. Bear Debate: Does Tesla Have A Battery Problem?

The above headline comes from the following Yahoo article:

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bull-vs-bear-debate-does-154159794.html

The essence is that all the "Big Boys", Tesla being only one, in the world of EV manufacturing are scrambling to secure their own "lithium supply chain".  Competition is rife regarding future availability of lithium for the automotive sector.  Importance?  Obvious:  just makes LAC that much more of an attractive target and works to the negotiating advantage for LAC.  So, Jon Evans doesn't want to precipitiously sign a supply deal with the likes of Tesla or anyone else with all the heat that is being added to this market recently.  Certainly, whomever LAC signs with, that company will seek a long term supply contract.  Signing too soon will just bind LAC to a lower price per ton of lithium.  Signing too late might do the same thing.  Timing will be critical, but on the other hand LAC needs money to finance the completion of Thacker Pass.  What a balancing act!

I can't help wondering what the post decline of a supply deal environment is like over at Cypress Development.  My guess is that those guys are not going to wallow in disappointment.  With the current competitive market for lithium supplies I would suspect that they will rebound just fine.