News
GM leaps ahead in lithium mining race, secures next-gen extraction deal
General Motors (GM) has secured a next-generation lithium extraction deal with Puerto Rico-based startup, EnergyX.
With the demand for lithium expected to surpass supply by 2030, automakers have never been more pressed to secure the resource, especially as it becomes increasingly essential for the future of their business, specifically regarding the production of electric vehicles. This has pushed many, including GM, further down its supply chain, buying up companies and securing supplies for the future. Now, GM has gone even further, investing in lithium extraction startup EnergyX, leading a $50 million investment round.
GM has already invested in countless extraction companies and their subsequent mining projects, primarily focusing on lithium, but today’s investment is distinct from all the rest. EnergyX, which GM has invested an undisclosed amount of capital into, is looking to pioneer a new lithium extraction method entirely, which could place GM at the forefront of the most affordable lithium on the planet.
Specifically, EnergyX specializes in “Direct Lithium Extraction” (DLE) technologies, which promise to produce battery-grade lithium from previously overlooked brine sources.
Currently, most lithium extraction is based on the simple and relatively effective “pond evaporation” extraction method, which only requires an extractor to pump out brine, let the water evaporate, and then process the remainder to create pure lithium. However, this process is time-consuming and involves significant chemical processing to get to pure lithium after evaporation. Worse than that, the alternative is even more expensive, more environmentally damaging, and exceedingly rare; hard rock lithium mining.
EnergyX uses a proprietary system to create pure lithium from brines that would typically not work as part of the “evap.” method, and according to the company, it achieves incredible material ROI. EnergyX proudly advertises that “the company’s LiTAS™ technology increases lithium recovery rates to over 90% from the current industry standard of 30-40% using ponds and hit 94% during their field trials.”
However, this system isn’t without its hurdles, and for many automakers, it may appear as a risky investment. Thus far, no DLE refining companies have achieved commercialization, with the most prominent long-lasting project being the BMW-backed Lilac Solutions Inc.
Along with this risk, GM does have some incredible upsides. Not only would it be investing at the ground floor of a potentially booming business and achieve outstanding extraction efficiency, but it would also receive “the right of first refusal” from its newest investment, essentially giving the automaker the right to buy ahead before anyone else.
In a comment to Teslarati, EnergyX explained that it does not currently own any lithium brine reserves but plans to be a refiner for other extractors in the Americas. The business plans to construct five demonstration facilities that will show off its capabilities to lithium extractors, notably within the “lithium triangle” of South America. These facilities will be built in Argentina, Chile, California, Arkansas, and Utah, respectively.
EnergyX also noted to Teslarati that it will begin supplying GM with battery-grade lithium in the coming years, though a specific timeline has not been made public.
Outside of this next-generation lithium extraction process that America’s largest automaker has invested in, it has also become a leader in investing in traditional lithium projects throughout the Americas. Perhaps most notably, thanks to a massive $650 million investment, GM is now the largest shareholder in the Lithium Americas corporation, which is developing North America’s largest lithium deposit; Thacker Pass, Nevada.
As for EnergyX, besides this series B investment round led by GM, it plans to offer an IPO in late 2024 and has already attracted the interest of numerous investment firms looking to get in as soon as the offering is available.
What do you think of the article? Do you have any comments, questions, or concerns? Shoot me an email at william@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @WilliamWritin. If you have news tips, email us at tips@teslarati.com!
Elon Musk
Tesla’s Elon Musk: 10 billion miles needed for safe Unsupervised FSD
As per the CEO, roughly 10 billion miles of training data are required due to reality’s “super long tail of complexity.”
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has provided an updated estimate for the training data needed to achieve truly safe unsupervised Full Self-Driving (FSD).
As per the CEO, roughly 10 billion miles of training data are required due to reality’s “super long tail of complexity.”
10 billion miles of training data
Musk comment came as a reply to Apple and Rivian alum Paul Beisel, who posted an analysis on X about the gap between tech demonstrations and real-world products. In his post, Beisel highlighted Tesla’s data-driven lead in autonomy, and he also argued that it would not be easy for rivals to become a legitimate competitor to FSD quickly.
“The notion that someone can ‘catch up’ to this problem primarily through simulation and limited on-road exposure strikes me as deeply naive. This is not a demo problem. It is a scale, data, and iteration problem— and Tesla is already far, far down that road while others are just getting started,” Beisel wrote.
Musk responded to Beisel’s post, stating that “Roughly 10 billion miles of training data is needed to achieve safe unsupervised self-driving. Reality has a super long tail of complexity.” This is quite interesting considering that in his Master Plan Part Deux, Elon Musk estimated that worldwide regulatory approval for autonomous driving would require around 6 billion miles.
FSD’s total training miles
As 2025 came to a close, Tesla community members observed that FSD was already nearing 7 billion miles driven, with over 2.5 billion miles being from inner city roads. The 7-billion-mile mark was passed just a few days later. This suggests that Tesla is likely the company today with the most training data for its autonomous driving program.
The difficulties of achieving autonomy were referenced by Elon Musk recently, when he commented on Nvidia’s Alpamayo program. As per Musk, “they will find that it’s easy to get to 99% and then super hard to solve the long tail of the distribution.” These sentiments were echoed by Tesla VP for AI software Ashok Elluswamy, who also noted on X that “the long tail is sooo long, that most people can’t grasp it.”
News
Tesla earns top honors at MotorTrend’s SDV Innovator Awards
MotorTrend’s SDV Awards were presented during CES 2026 in Las Vegas.
Tesla emerged as one of the most recognized automakers at MotorTrend’s 2026 Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV) Innovator Awards.
As could be seen in a press release from the publication, two key Tesla employees were honored for their work on AI, autonomy, and vehicle software. MotorTrend’s SDV Awards were presented during CES 2026 in Las Vegas.
Tesla leaders and engineers recognized
The fourth annual SDV Innovator Awards celebrate pioneers and experts who are pushing the automotive industry deeper into software-driven development. Among the most notable honorees for this year was Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s Vice President of AI Software, who received a Pioneer Award for his role in advancing artificial intelligence and autonomy across the company’s vehicle lineup.
Tesla also secured recognition in the Expert category, with Lawson Fulton, a staff Autopilot machine learning engineer, honored for his contributions to Tesla’s driver-assistance and autonomous systems.
Tesla’s software-first strategy
While automakers like General Motors, Ford, and Rivian also received recognition, Tesla’s multiple awards stood out given the company’s outsized role in popularizing software-defined vehicles over the past decade. From frequent OTA updates to its data-driven approach to autonomy, Tesla has consistently treated vehicles as evolving software platforms rather than static products.
This has made Tesla’s vehicles very unique in their respective sectors, as they are arguably the only cars that objectively get better over time. This is especially true for vehicles that are loaded with the company’s Full Self-Driving system, which are getting progressively more intelligent and autonomous over time. The majority of Tesla’s updates to its vehicles are free as well, which is very much appreciated by customers worldwide.
Elon Musk
Judge clears path for Elon Musk’s OpenAI lawsuit to go before a jury
The decision maintains Musk’s claims that OpenAI’s shift toward a for-profit structure violated early assurances made to him as a co-founder.
A U.S. judge has ruled that Elon Musk’s lawsuit accusing OpenAI of abandoning its founding nonprofit mission can proceed to a jury trial.
The decision maintains Musk’s claims that OpenAI’s shift toward a for-profit structure violated early assurances made to him as a co-founder. These claims are directly opposed by OpenAI.
Judge says disputed facts warrant a trial
At a hearing in Oakland, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers stated that there was “plenty of evidence” suggesting that OpenAI leaders had promised that the organization’s original nonprofit structure would be maintained. She ruled that those disputed facts should be evaluated by a jury at a trial in March rather than decided by the court at this stage, as noted in a Reuters report.
Musk helped co-found OpenAI in 2015 but left the organization in 2018. In his lawsuit, he argued that he contributed roughly $38 million, or about 60% of OpenAI’s early funding, based on assurances that the company would remain a nonprofit dedicated to the public benefit. He is seeking unspecified monetary damages tied to what he describes as “ill-gotten gains.”
OpenAI, however, has repeatedly rejected Musk’s allegations. The company has stated that Musk’s claims were baseless and part of a pattern of harassment.
Rivalries and Microsoft ties
The case unfolds against the backdrop of intensifying competition in generative artificial intelligence. Musk now runs xAI, whose Grok chatbot competes directly with OpenAI’s flagship ChatGPT. OpenAI has argued that Musk is a frustrated commercial rival who is simply attempting to slow down a market leader.
The lawsuit also names Microsoft as a defendant, citing its multibillion-dollar partnerships with OpenAI. Microsoft has urged the court to dismiss the claims against it, arguing there is no evidence it aided or abetted any alleged misconduct. Lawyers for OpenAI have also pushed for the case to be thrown out, claiming that Musk failed to show sufficient factual basis for claims such as fraud and breach of contract.
Judge Gonzalez Rogers, however, declined to end the case at this stage, noting that a jury would also need to consider whether Musk filed the lawsuit within the applicable statute of limitations. Still, the dispute between Elon Musk and OpenAI is now headed for a high-profile jury trial in the coming months.
Tesla’s Elon Musk: 10 billion miles needed for safe Unsupervised FSD
Tesla earns top honors at MotorTrend’s SDV Innovator Awards
