--- description: Find out how JB Straubel is shaping the future and defining the next generation of leadership. title: 2022 TIME100 Next: JB Straubel image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt04cdcdc2c9848d98/698a35f4b3fce315540c9b4a/time100-next-jb-straubel.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Sep 28, 2022 # JB Straubel by [Alejandro de la Garza](/author/alejandro-de-la-garza/) ## Alejandro de la Garza Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  Spencer Lowell for TIME Few have been more important in bringing about the explosion of the electric-vehicle (EV) market than [JB Straubel](https://time.com/6176778/jb-straubel-battery-problem/ "undefined"), who co-founded [Tesla](https://time.com/tag/tesla/ "undefined"). Now he’s working on one of the industry’s biggest challenges: sustainably sourcing materials to make the batteries that power EVs. His company [Redwood Materials](https://www.redwoodmaterials.com/about "undefined")—which last year [raised](https://www.forbes.com/sites/alanohnsman/2022/07/25/tesla-cofounder-is-building-a-35-billion-plant-to-make-ev-battery-parts-in-the-us/?sh=1be7acd2782c "undefined") $775 million in ­funding—is building massive facilities to make components from new minerals and used batteries. It’s signed agreements to help supply many of the biggest car- and battery-makers, like Ford and Panasonic. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2022/6213882/jb-straubel/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2022/6213882/jb-straubel/"},"headline":"JB Straubel","datePublished":"2022-09-28T09:54:52.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-03T00:06:13.177Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2022/6213882/jb-straubel/","keywords":["TIME 100 Next"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt04cdcdc2c9848d98/698a35f4b3fce315540c9b4a/time100-next-jb-straubel.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alejandro de la Garza","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alejandro-de-la-garza/"}],"creator":"Alejandro de la Garza","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt04cdcdc2c9848d98/698a35f4b3fce315540c9b4a/time100-next-jb-straubel.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2022/6213882/jb-straubel/","name":"JB Straubel"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Meet the Tesla Co-Founder Changing the Future of Batteries","description":"Most people have probably never heard of J.B. Straubel, but he's played a huge role in starting today's electric vehicle revolution. Now, he's hoping to revolutionize the way we make batteries.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/UKer87Ih/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2022-05-20T09:00:00.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/UKer87Ih.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2022/6213882/jb-straubel/","duration":"PT6M2S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2022/6213882/jb-straubel/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```