With the surge in demand for electric vehicles causing the need for more ‘Gigafactories’ to be built, demand is high for lithium ion batteries’ key ingredient: cobalt.
Cobalt is an earth metal that makes up about 35 percent of the lithium ion battery mix — the battery used in EVs and smartphones. The battery business makes up 42 percent of the global cobalt demand, and companies such as Tesla, Apple and Google are scrambling to secure as much of the precious metal as possible. Like most things, this is easier said than done.
Cobalt supply is already in a severe deficit and that’s without considering the exponential increase of nearly 500 percent in demand that is to come in the near future with the rise in popularity of EVs. Analysts at Macquarie Research predict that the global deficit for cobalt supply will reach 885 tons this year increasing year-over-year to about 5,340 tons in 2020. That’s a big problem.
Source: Materialscientist via Wikimedia Commons
Why not just get more cobalt?
The answer is not that simple.
Nearly 60 percent of the planet’s global cobalt supply comes from the tumultuous Democratic Republic of Congo where mining procedures aren’t exactly the portrait of safety. It’s reported that over 40,000 child workers employ the vast cobalt mines of the Congo and the UN estimates that 80 children die per year working in the mines. Among other hazards such as unsupervised and unprotected mining, excessive exposure can cause “cobalt lung” — a form of pneumonia that can lead to long-term respiratory illness and death.
With the extremely hazardous conditions of mines in the Congo going vastly unreported until recently, it is fair to expect that CEOs of tech companies will have to start answering some hard-hitting questions about the ethical sourcing of their cobalt supply.
So what does this all mean?
Well it means several different things depending on who you are.
If you’re an industry giant who consumes mass quantities of cobalt for production, you’re prob
U.S. Cobalt has key assets in Idaho, Utah and Alberta (Source: U.S. Cobalt)
ably looking for alternatives to the Congo. A more homegrown solution to this problem may be U.S. Cobalt. Tesla’s new Gigafactory in Reno, NV, will soon become the largest producer of lithium ion batteries in the world — for that they will need a lot of cobalt, something that may be difficult considering the global competition for this precious metal. Ethically sourced American cobalt could be the answer that Tesla needs.
If you’re an investor at a hedge fund, the cobalt deficit could mean big bucks for you. Several firms have begun buying up large physical amounts of cobalt in a hoarding maneuver. The plan is that they will hold the cobalt supply until demand increases more. The metal is now sold at around $19 per pound — a 50 percent increase since September 2017. Investors will likely sit on the supply until it’s increased to around $25 per pound. Several of these purchasers are the China State Reserve who bought 5,000 tons, and Pala Investments, Ltd. Pala has recently started a $150 million fund to buy more of the Earth’s cobalt supply.
“We have been focused on the evolution of the battery chemistries and this has allowed us to invest early in different components of the battery,” Stephen Gill, managing partner at Zug, Switzerland-based Pala Investments, told Bloomberg. “We hope to continue to be ahead of the curve as technologies evolve.”
For now they certainly are ahead of the curve, but this could potentially be a lucrative position for even the most modest investor. Right now on the Toronto Stock Exchange, U.S. Cobalt (TSX: USCO.V) is trading at around just 42 cents. Investors could quickly snatch up large amounts of stock at a low price, in hopes that the cobalt demand shifts from the Congo to America.
Renowned mathematician Banesh Hoffman said it best, “with every new discovery in science brings with it a host of new problems.” That certainly rings true in the search for an alternative to gas-burning vehicles, where we found a solution, only to discover the dire conditions involved in sourcing it.
Energy
Tesla meets Giga New York’s Buffalo job target amid political pressures
Giga New York reported more than 3,460 statewide jobs at the end of 2025, meeting the benchmark tied to its dollar-a-year lease.
Tesla has surpassed its job commitments at Giga New York in Buffalo, easing pressure from lawmakers who threatened the company with fines, subsidy clawbacks, and dealership license revocations last year.
The company reported more than 3,460 statewide jobs at the end of 2025, meeting the benchmark tied to its dollar-a-year lease at the state-built facility.
As per an employment report reviewed by local media, Tesla employed 2,399 full-time workers at Gigafactory New York and 1,060 additional employees across the state at the end of 2025. Part-time roles pushed the total headcount of Tesla’s New York staff above the 3,460-job target.
The gains stemmed in part from a new Long Island service center, a Buffalo warehouse, and additional showrooms in White Plains and Staten Island. Tesla also said it has invested $350 million in supercomputing infrastructure at the site and has begun manufacturing solar panels.
Empire State Development CEO Hope Knight said the agency was “very happy” with Giga New York’s progress, as noted in a WXXI report. The current lease runs through 2029, and negotiations over updated terms have included potential adjustments to job requirements and future rent payments.
Some lawmakers remain skeptical, however. Assemblymember Pat Burke questioned whether the reported job figures have been fully verified. State Sen. Patricia Fahy has also continued to sponsor legislation that would revoke Tesla’s company-owned dealership licenses in New York. John Kaehny of Reinvent Albany has argued that the project has not delivered the manufacturing impact originally promised as well.
Knight, for her part, maintained that Empire State Development has been making the best of a difficult situation.
“(Empire State Development) has tried to make the best of a very difficult situation. There hasn’t been another use that has come forward that would replace this one, and so to the extent that we’re in this place, the fact that 2,000 families at (Giga New York) are being supported through the activity of this employer. It’s the best that we can have happen,” the CEO noted.
Energy
Tesla launches Cybertruck vehicle-to-grid program in Texas
The initiative was announced by the official Tesla Energy account on social media platform X.
Tesla has launched a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) program in Texas, allowing eligible Cybertruck owners to send energy back to the grid during high-demand events and receive compensation on their utility bills.
The initiative, dubbed Powershare Grid Support, was announced by the official Tesla Energy account on social media platform X.
Texas’ Cybertruck V2G program
In its post on X, Tesla Energy confirmed that vehicle-to-grid functionality is “coming soon,” starting with select Texas markets. Under the new Powershare Grid Support program, owners of the Cybertruck equipped with Powershare home backup hardware can opt in through the Tesla app and participate in short-notice grid stress events.
During these events, the Cybertruck automatically discharges excess energy back to the grid, supporting local utilities such as CenterPoint Energy and Oncor. In return, participants receive compensation in the form of bill credits. Tesla noted that the program is currently invitation-only as part of an early adopter rollout.
The launch builds on the Cybertruck’s existing Powershare capability, which allows the vehicle to provide up to 11.5 kW of power for home backup. Tesla added that the program is expected to expand to California next, with eligibility tied to utilities such as PG&E, SCE, and SDG&E.
Powershare Grid Support
To participate in Texas, Cybertruck owners must live in areas served by CenterPoint Energy or Oncor, have Powershare equipment installed, enroll in the Tesla Electric Drive plan, and opt in through the Tesla app. Once enrolled, vehicles would be able to contribute power during high-demand events, helping stabilize the grid.
Tesla noted that events may occur with little notice, so participants are encouraged to keep their Cybertrucks plugged in when at home and to manage their discharge limits based on personal needs. Compensation varies depending on the electricity plan, similar to how Powerwall owners in some regions have earned substantial credits by participating in Virtual Power Plant (VPP) programs.
Tesla is updating Cybertruck owners on its timeline of a massive feature that has yet to ship: Powershare with Powerwall.
Powershare is a bidirectional charging feature exclusive to Cybertruck, which allows the vehicle’s battery to act as a portable power source for homes, appliances, tools, other EVs, and more. It was announced in late 2023 as part of Tesla’s push into vehicle-to-everything energy sharing, and acting as a giant portable charger is the main advantage, as it can provide backup power during outages.
Cybertruck’s Powershare system supports both vehicle-to-load (V2L) and vehicle-to-home (V2H), making it flexible and well-rounded for a variety of applications.
However, even though the feature was promised with Cybertruck, it has yet to be shipped to vehicles. Tesla communicated with owners through email recently regarding Powershare with Powerwall, which essentially has the pickup act as an extended battery.
Powerwall discharge would be prioritized before tapping into the truck’s larger pack.
However, Tesla is still working on getting the feature out to owners, an email said:
“We’re writing to let you know that the Powershare with Powerwall feature is still in development and is now scheduled for release in mid-2026.
This new release date gives us additional time to design and test this feature, ensuring its ability to communicate and optimize energy sharing between your vehicle and many configurations and generations of Powerwall. We are also using this time to develop additional Powershare features that will help us continue to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.”
Owners have expressed some real disappointment in Tesla’s continuous delays in releasing the feature, as it was expected to be released by late 2024, but now has been pushed back several times to mid-2026, according to the email.
Foundation Series Cybertruck buyers paid extra, expecting the feature to be rolled out with their vehicle upon pickup.
Cybertruck’s Lead Engineer, Wes Morrill, even commented on the holdup:
As a Cybertruck owner who also has Powerwall, I empathize with the disappointed comments.
To their credit, the team has delivered powershare functionality to Cybertruck customers who otherwise have no backup with development of the powershare gateway. As well as those with solar…
— Wes (@wmorrill3) December 12, 2025
He said that “it turned out to be much harder than anticipated to make powershare work seamlessly with existing Powerwalls through existing wall connectors. Two grid-forming devices need to negotiate who will form and who will follow, depending on the state of charge of each, and they need to do this without a network and through multiple generations of hardware, and test and validate this process through rigorous certifications to ensure grid safety.”
It’s nice to see the transparency, but it is justified for some Cybertruck owners to feel like they’ve been bait-and-switched.
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