LG Energy Solution (LGES) secured IRA-compliant (Inflation Reduction Act) battery minerals through an agreement with Tesla lithium supplier Liontown.
On July 4, 2024, LGES and Liontown signed a convertible note subscription agreement. According to the agreement, Liontown will supply LG Energy Solution with high-quality lithium spodumene from its Kathleen project. The pair will also explore the possibility of establishing a lithium refinery in the future.
“The agreement represents another significant step in our value chain investment strategy aimed at enhancing its resilience to market uncertainties. By partnering with strong players like Liontown, we will continue to secure stable supply of IRA-compliant critical minerals, fulfilling our efforts to provide competitive power solutions for electrification,” said LGES CEO David Kim.
Below are some key aspects of LGES and Liontown’s agreement.
- Liontown extends LG Energy Solution’s existing 5-year offtake agreement by an additional 10 years (15 years total). The extension will provide 700kt of spodumene concentrate over the first 5 years and 1,500kt spodumene concentrate over years 6 to 15 (in aggregate). This extension also includes a commitment to make up to 250kt spodumene concentrate available over the first 10 years (2.45Mt in total);
- Downstream collaboration agreement to commence feasibility studies to establish an IRA-compliant lithium refinery aimed at processing spodumene from Kathleen Valley into battery-grade lithium chemicals[2];
- LG Energy Solution will invest US$250 million (A$379 million[3]) through Convertible Notes. The funding will underpin the production ramp-up of Liontown’s world-class Kathleen Valley Project in Western Australia. The first production of lithium spodumene concentration from Kathleen Valley is anticipated by the end of July.
LG Energy Solution’s partnership with Liontown secures its battery supply chain in the United States as it ramps up 4680 production. Liontown also has lithium supply agreements with Tesla and Ford.
LGES is currently preparing to start 4680 production in South Korea. The company is also prioritizing the buildout of its 4680 battery assembly line in Arizona.
Battery minerals and their place of origin account for a big chunk of the IRA’s maximum credit. Critical battery minerals account for $3,750 out of the $7,500 credit. The IRA set applicable percentage goals for the value of critical minerals contained in electric vehicle (EV) batteries that automakers have to meet.
In 2023, the applicable percentage was 40%, meaning 40% of the minerals used in EV batteries must be extracted or processed in the United States, a country with a free trade agreement with the US, or recycled in North America. The IRA’s applicable percentage increases by 10% each year after 2023 until it hits 80% in 2027.
Many EVs did not qualify for the full $7,500 tax credit after battery mineral requirements were enforced. The US government has issued mineral exemptions to give automakers time to adjust their battery supply chain.
Below are the lists of EVs that qualify for the IRA’s tax credits. (Source: Internal Revenue Service)
If you have any tips, contact me at maria@teslarati.com or via X @Writer_01001101.
Elon Musk
Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s $1 trillion pay package hits first adversity from proxy firm
ISS said the size of the pay package will enable Musk to have access to “extraordinarily high pay opportunities over the next ten years,” and it will have an impact on future packages because it will “reduce the board’s ability to meaningfully adjust future pay levels.”

Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s $1 trillion pay package, which was proposed by the company last month, has hit its first bit of adversity from proxy advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS).
Musk has called the firm “ISIS,” a play on its name relating it to the terrorist organization, in the past.
“ISIS”
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 27, 2021
The pay package aims to lock in Musk to the CEO role at Tesla for the next decade, as it will only be paid in full if he is able to unlock each tranche based on company growth, which will reward shareholders.
However, the sum is incredibly large and would give Musk the ability to become the first trillionaire in history, based on his holdings. This is precisely why ISS is advising shareholders to vote against the pay plan.
The group said that Musk’s pay package will lock him in, which is the goal of the Board, and it is especially important to do this because of his “track record and vision.”
However, it also said the size of the pay package will enable Musk to have access to “extraordinarily high pay opportunities over the next ten years,” and it will have an impact on future packages because it will “reduce the board’s ability to meaningfully adjust future pay levels.”
The release from ISS called the size of Musk’s pay package “astronomical” and said its design could continue to pay the CEO massive amounts of money for even partially achieving the goals. This could end up in potential dilution for existing investors.
If Musk were to reach all of the tranches, Tesla’s market cap could reach up to $8.5 trillion, which would make it the most valuable company in the world.
Tesla has made its own attempts to woo shareholders into voting for the pay package, which it feels is crucial not only for retaining Musk but also for continuing to create value for shareholders.
Tesla launched an ad for Elon Musk’s pay package on Paramount+
Musk has also said he would like to have more ownership control of Tesla, so he would not have as much of an issue with who he calls “activist shareholders.”
News
Tesla is adding an interesting feature to its centerscreen in a coming update
In a recent dissection of coding, Tesla hacker green noticed that the company is bringing in screenshare with Software Update 2025.38

Tesla is adding an interesting feature to its center touchscreen in a coming update, according to a noted hacker.
In a recent dissection of coding, Tesla hacker green noticed that the company is bringing in screenshare with Software Update 2025.38. Details on the use case are slim, but he said the feature would export the car screen so it could be viewed remotely.
It would bring up a notification on the screen, along with a four-digit pin that would link the two together:
hm, have not noticed at first, but 2025.38 also brings in a “screenshare” service to export the car screen so you can view it remotely (details are unclear yet).
When you do it there’s going to be a notification on the screen. Secured by a super-duper static 4-digits pin…— green (@greentheonly) October 17, 2025
As previously mentioned, the use case is unclear, but there are some ideas. One of which is for remote support, which is something Apple has used to help resolve issues with its products.
Support staff and employees routinely tap into customers’ screens to help resolve issues, so this could be a way Tesla could also use it.
This seems especially relevant with Robotaxi, as the screen might be a crucial part of resolving customer complaints when there is no employee in the car.
Additionally, it seems as if it will not be exclusive to those owners who have newer vehicles that utilize the AMD chip. Intel will get support with the new feature as well, according to what green has noticed in the coding.
Finally, it could also be used with all sorts of content creation, especially as Full Self-Driving videos and what the vehicle sees in Driver Visualization.
As it is released, Tesla will likely release more information regarding what the screensharing mode will be used for.
For right now, many owners are wondering where it could actually work and what advantages it will offer for owners as well as the company itself.
Elon Musk
SpaceX posts Starship booster feat that’s so nutty, it doesn’t even look real
The Super Heavy booster’s feat was so impressive that the whole maneuver almost looked like it was AI-generated.

SpaceX has shared a video of a remarkable feat achieved by Starship’s Super Heavy booster during its 11th flight test.
The Super Heavy booster’s feat was so impressive that the whole maneuver, which was captured on video, almost looked like it was AI-generated.
Super Heavy’s picture perfect hover
As could be seen in the video shared by SpaceX, Starship’s Super Heavy booster, which is nearly 400 feet tall, smoothly returned to Earth and hovered above the Gulf of America for a few seconds before it went for its soft water landing. The booster’s picture-perfect maneuver before splashing down all but capped a near-flawless mission for Starship, which is about to enter its V3 era with Flight 12.
The booster’s balance and stability were so perfect that some users on X joked that the whole thing looked AI-generated. Considering the size of Super Heavy, as well as the fact that the booster was returning from space, the hovering display all but showed that SpaceX is dead serious about keeping its dominant lead in the spaceflight sector.
Starship V2’s curtain call
As noted in a Space.com report, Flight Test 11 achieved every major goal SpaceX had set for the mission, including deploying Starlink mass simulators, relighting Raptor engines in space, and executing a stable reentry for both the Starship Upper Stage and the Super Heavy booster. The feat also marked the second time a Super Heavy booster has been reflown, a milestone in SpaceX’s quest to make the entire Starship system fully reusable.
Starship’s V2 vehicle will now give way to the upgraded Starship V3, which is designed for faster turnaround and higher payload capacity. The Starship program is expected to pursue even more aggressive targets in the coming months as well, with Elon Musk stating on social media platform X that SpaceX will attempt a tower catch for Starship Upper Stage as early as spring 2026.
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