General Motors has announced they are working with Lithion to create a circular battery ecosystem for their electric vehicles.
The most resource-dense and expensive part of any electric vehicle is its battery. And due to the current state of lithium-ion technology, these batteries age and degrade as consumers use them, meaning many customers will either replace them or throw them out at the end of life. But what will happen with all of these spent batteries? General Motors believes they can create a circular battery ecosystem via battery recycling company Lithion.
In the process of battery recycling, old batteries are taken apart, and the materials deemed safe for continued use are reused in new batteries. Recycling limits the need for mining and manufacturing 100% new batteries and can lead to lower manufacturing costs and a more sustainable supply chain process.
GM will be testing the viability of this process with Quebec-based Lithion corp. Lithion claims that its process allows for 95% material extraction, a 75% reduction in greenhouse emissions, and a 90% reduction in water use compared to mining for new materials. But the ultimate question for GM will be if it can become price competitive with mining.
GM will need the added materials, recycled or not, for their four new battery production plants constructed in conjunction with LG Chem. The four plants in the US will have a combined output of 160GWh, and will hopefully be coming into production readiness from now until 2025.
“GM is aggressively scaling battery cell and EV production in North America to reach our target of more than 1 million units of annual capacity by 2025,” says GM VP of Global Purchasing and Supply Chain, Jeff Morrison, “we are building a supply chain and recycling strategy that can grow with us.”
For its part, Lithion is ramping with equal vigor. The company has multiple battery recycling plants planned for Europe, South Korea, and the US. “Working with GM marks a key step in Lithion’s commercial development and pioneers a needed breakthrough in the electrification of transportation by enabling a cost-effective and sustainable circularity in the EV battery industry,” said Benoit Couture, president, and CEO of Lithion.
Electric vehicle companies and battery manufacturers have started initiating partnerships with these recycling firms. Redwood Materials, which Tesla founder J.B Straubel started, has partnerships with several EV companies for full-scale battery cell recycling purposes. Companies are becoming aware of more ways to increase battery cell availability, and recycling is a relatively new concept in terms of the EV supply chain.
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Tesla is validating Robotaxi in a new area, and as the company has continued to gain some additional permissions to begin testing in new states, it seems its Full Self-Driving-based ride-hailing project is moving toward a larger footprint.
Two Robotaxi units with LiDAR validation equipment were spotted in Gilbert, Arizona, recently, showing that Tesla is aiming to launch its ride-hailing service in the state soon:
TESLA ROBOTAXI SPOTTED VALIDATING IN GILBERT, AZ! :0 pic.twitter.com/kqtQEBwl8Y
— Greggertruck (@greggertruck) October 11, 2025
Another unit was spotted in Tempe, Arizona:
Spotted this one and another one behind it in Tempe, AZ. I also saw a pair driving from Mesa to Tempe. Looks like they’re validating the entire east valley. I haven’t seen any in the west valley yet. pic.twitter.com/gFWTHhmBLT
— TechCat (@elviswjr) October 12, 2025
These types of validation vehicles have been spotted in several areas ahead of their launch as a public ride-hailing service for passengers. Tesla first launched Robotaxi in Austin, Texas, back in late June, and since then, it has expanded to the Bay Area of California.
However, Tesla has continued to attempt to expand Robotaxi to other areas as well, including Nevada and Arizona. It has also been working toward approvals in other states based on job postings, as Tesla is hiring for Autopilot Vehicle Operators in New York and Florida, as well.
The expansion of the Robotaxi ride-hailing service has been an effort that Tesla has been spending a lot of time on over the past few months. CEO Elon Musk said the expansion aims to bring Robotaxi to at least half of the U.S. population by the end of the year, but there is still plenty of work to be done.
Tesla Robotaxi heads to a new major Texas city for the first time
Tesla did make its Robotaxi app public in recent months, allowing more members of the public to experience the suite for themselves, as long as they could get to Austin or the Bay Area.
In the coming months, it seems more apparent that Tesla will take a broader focus on expanding Robotaxi, especially with the fact that these validation vehicles are being spotted throughout different parts of the United States.
Tesla is reportedly mulling the potential revamp of its $25,000 vehicle project, a strange report claims.
It seems unlikely, especially since Tesla launched two new, more affordable models last week with the Model 3 and Model Y Standard trims.
However, a report from European media outlet 36kr claims Tesla has started to advance two vehicle projects, internally codenamed E41 and D50, in China.
People familiar with the matter reportedly told the outlet that “some design and verification reports of the new projects are inherited from the current Model Y and Model 3.”
Tesla axed one of the Model Y’s best features in ‘Standard’ trims: here’s why
These new simplified models would be priced between $5,000 and $5,500 cheaper than what the new ‘Standard’ trims cost. The report also claims that these vehicles would be launched only if the new ‘Standard’ models “fall short of sales expectations.”
$TSLA 🇺🇸 BREAKING 🚨 Tesla is reportedly restarting work on its NV91 and NV93 projects for models smaller than the Model Y 💥
The NV91 project refers specifically to the $25,000 vehicle that CEO Elon Musk had mentioned, a model that was halted in Feb.2024 despite being… pic.twitter.com/L8TDvzmNwm
— Ming (@tslaming) October 14, 2025
This report suggests that potentially more affordable models are being offered, but this seems unlikely, considering Tesla launched the two Standard models just last week, and the only truly affordable model it is working on will be the Cybercab.
However, there is potential for a car to launch that undercuts the newest configurations of the Model 3 and Model Y. As of now, it just seems as if it is something that is far-fetched.
When Tesla’s patent for the unboxed process was published just last month, it seemed more than obvious that the vehicle it would be used for was the Cybercab.
The language used in the patent itself was geared toward more streamlined and quality production and manufacturing, which Tesla must implement to meet the likely demand for the vehicle.
It will be easier to scale vehicles with the unboxed process, and the Cybercab has been routinely mentioned with the sub-$30,000 price tag, even by CEO Elon Musk.
He said during the Q3 2024 Earnings Call:
“I think having a regular 25K model is pointless. It would be silly. Like it would be completely at odds with what we believe…It’s fully considered cost per mile is what matters. And if you try to make a car that is essentially a hybrid, manual, or automatic car, it’s not going to be as good as a dedicated autonomous car. So, yes, Cybercab is just not going to have steering wheels and pedals.”
SpaceX aces its eleventh Starship test launch on Monday evening, marking the company’s second consecutive takeoff that crossed off each of the planned mission objectives.
It was also the final launch of the V2 Starship rocket. The twelfth test flight will feature the larger V3 Starship rocket, followed by V4, which will eventually make the first trip to Mars.
The launch was overwhelmingly successful. In its 12th test flight, SpaceX was able to achieve every major mission objective, including the second successful deployment of Starlink satellite simulators and the relight of a Raptor engine while in space. The latter achievement demonstrated “a critical capability for future deorbit burns,” the company said.
The ship officially launched at 6:23 p.m. local time in Starbase, Texas, with all 33 engines igniting and sending the Ship to space.
Liftoff of Starship! pic.twitter.com/sbfmGAEPa6
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 13, 2025
Stage separation occurred just over eight minutes later, and Super Heavy started its descent back to the Gulf of America, where it successfully splashed down. The first part of the launch was complete.
Starlink simulators were deployed about twenty-one minutes after launch, as the Pez dispenser sent the faux-satellites out to space without any issue:
Starship has successfully deployed our @Starlink simulators pic.twitter.com/muNMalZkbT
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 13, 2025
Perhaps the most anticipated part of the launch was with Starship’s banking maneuver and subsequent splashdown in the Indian Ocean.
Prior to Starship 11’s launch and successful re-entry and splashdown, SpaceX had lost a few vehicles during this portion of the previous flights.
However, the company had made tremendous improvements and has now aced two consecutive launches. On Monday, its approach and splashdown were both overwhelmingly successful:
Splashdown confirmed! Congratulations to the entire SpaceX team on an exciting eleventh flight test of Starship! pic.twitter.com/llcIvNZFfg
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 14, 2025
The re-entry phase of this particular Starship launch aimed to gather data on the performance of the heatshield, SpaceX said. The heatshield was intentionally stressed to its limits to determine how much it could withstand without failing.
SpaceX will now turn its focus to the next vehicles, including V3, which is larger, more capable, and will help the company gather even more information about its launches into space:
SpaceX unveils Starship V3, the rocket built to finally reach MARS
The new design features Raptor 3 engines and massive grid fins
Musk says it’s leaner, meaner, and READY for Mars pic.twitter.com/Wj8fBuXPIa
— RT (@RT_com) October 14, 2025
CEO Elon Musk has said the third-generation Starship rocket will be built and tested by the end of the year.
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