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Redwood Materials puts the Tesla Cybertruck to work

Credit: Redwood Materials/X

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When Tesla held the Cybertruck’s first customer delivery event, CEO Elon Musk highlighted that the all-electric pickup truck would be a capable work vehicle. Promotional videos and images of the Cybertruck showed the futuristic pickup being used in work sites. Interestingly enough, it appears that one company is indeed putting the Cybertruck to work — Redwood Materials. 

Redwood Materials, which was founded by Tesla co-founder and current board member JB Straubel, is a battery recycling firm dedicated to the pursuit of creating a circular supply chain for battery materials. For now, Redwood is localizing a global supply chain and producing anode and cathode components in the US using recycled materials for the first time.

As noted by the battery recycling firm in its post, the Cybertruck is quite literally driving circularity in the battery supply chain. The firm noted that the all-electric pickup truck was put to work hauling 10,000 pounds of recycled nickel and lithium products around its Nevada Battery Materials Campus. The Cybertruck looked like it was in its element in the video, as it seemed to have no problem hauling its cargo. 

“Cybertruck, quite literally, driving circularity! We had some fun putting the Cybertruck to work hauling 10,000 lbs of recycled nickel and lithium products from our NV Battery Materials Campus. Our team is inventing and building the US battery supply chain one process and machine at a time. We’re working at start-up speed to build massive industrial facilities, all with a fundamental dedication to sustainability – come join us!” Redwood wrote in its post. 

Redwood Materials’ Cybertruck video appears to be a marketing effort to entice people to join the company. This is no surprise considering the firm’s plans to localize battery production in the United States. In an announcement earlier this month, Redwood noted that it is currently busy constructing a cathode plant with a capacity of more than 1 million electric cars per year at its Nevada Campus.

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Interestingly enough, Redwood Materials’ Nevada Campus is fairly close to Giga Nevada, a 2170 battery cell facility that’s jointly operated by Tesla and Panasonic. Giga Nevada is also expected to host a production facility for the Tesla Semi, as well as the company’s 4680 batteries.

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Waymo driverless taxi drives directly into active LAPD standoff

No injuries occurred, and the passengers inside the vehicle were safely transported to their destination, as per a Waymo representative.

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Credit: Alex Choi/Instagram

A video posted on social media has shown an occupied Waymo driverless taxi driving directly into the middle of an active LAPD standoff in downtown Los Angeles. 

As could be seen in the short video, which was initially posted on Instagram by user Alex Choi, a Waymo driverless taxi drove directly into the middle of an active LAPD standoff in downtown Los Angeles. 

The driverless taxi made an unprotected left turn despite what appeared to be a red light, briefly entering a police perimeter. At the time, officers seemed to be giving commands to a prone suspect on the ground, who looked quite surprised at the sudden presence of the driverless vehicle. 

People on the sidewalk, including the person who was filming the video, could be heard chuckling at the Waymo’s strange behavior. 

The Waymo reportedly cleared the area within seconds. No injuries occurred, and the passengers inside the vehicle were safely transported to their destination, as per a Waymo representative. Still, the video spread across social media, with numerous netizens poking fun at the gaffe. 

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Others also pointed out that such a gaffe would have resulted in widespread controversy had the vehicle involved been a Tesla on FSD. Tesla is constantly under scrutiny, with TSLA shorts and similar groups actively trying to put down the company’s FSD program.

A Tesla on FSD or Robotaxi accidentally driving into an active police standoff would likely cause lawsuits, nonstop media coverage, and calls for a worldwide ban, at the least.

This was one of the reasons why even minor traffic infractions committed by the company’s Robotaxis during their initial rollout in Austin received nationwide media attention. This particular Waymo incident, however, will likely not receive as much coverage.  

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Tesla Model Y demand in China is through the roof, new delivery dates show

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Credit: Tesla China

Tesla Model Y demand in China is through the roof, and new delivery dates show the company has already sold out its allocation of the all-electric crossover for 2025.

The Model Y has been the most popular vehicle in the world in both of the last two years, outpacing incredibly popular vehicles like the Toyota RAV 4. In China, the EV market is substantially more saturated, with more competitors than in any other market.

However, Tesla has been kind to the Chinese market, as it has launched trim levels for the Model Y in the country that are not available anywhere else. Demand has been strong for the Model Y in China; it ranks in the top 5 of all EVs in the country, trailing the BYD Seagull, Wuling Hongguang Mini EV, and the Geely Galaxy Xingyuan.

The other three models ahead of the Model Y are priced substantially lower.

Tesla is still dealing with strong demand for the Model Y, and the company is now pushing delivery dates to early 2026, meaning the vehicle is sold out for the year:

Tesla experienced a 9.9 percent year-over-year rise in its China-made EV sales for November, meaning there is some serious potential for the automaker moving into next year despite increased competition.

There have been a lot of questions surrounding how Tesla would perform globally with more competition, but it seems to have a good grasp of various markets because of its vehicles, its charging infrastructure, and its Full Self-Driving (FSD) suite, which has been expanding to more countries as of late.

Tesla Model Y is still China’s best-selling premium EV through October

Tesla holds a dominating lead in the United States with EV registrations, and performs incredibly well in several European countries.

With demand in China looking strong, it will be interesting to see how the company ends the year in terms of global deliveries.

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Tesla Europe rolls out FSD ride-alongs in the Netherlands’ holiday campaign

The festive event series comes amid Tesla’s ongoing push for regulatory approval of FSD across Europe.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla Europe has announced that its “Future Holidays” campaign will feature Full Self-Driving (Supervised) ride-along experiences in the Netherlands. 

The festive event series comes amid Tesla’s ongoing push for regulatory approval of FSD across Europe.

The Holiday program was announced by Tesla Europe & Middle East in a post on X. “Come get in the spirit with us. Featuring Caraoke, FSD Supervised ride-along experiences, holiday light shows with our S3XY lineup & more,” the company wrote in its post on X.

Per the program’s official website, fun activities will include Caraoke sessions and light shows with the S3XY vehicle lineup. It appears that Optimus will also be making an appearance at the events. Tesla even noted that the humanoid robot will be in “full party spirit,” so things might indeed be quite fun. 

“This season, we’re introducing you to the fun of the future. Register for our holiday events to meet our robots, see if you can spot the Bot to win prizes, and check out our selection of exclusive merchandise and limited-edition gifts. Discover Tesla activities near you and discover what makes the future so festive,” Tesla wrote on its official website. 

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This announcement aligns with Tesla’s accelerating FSD efforts in Europe, where supervised ride-alongs could help demonstrate the tech to regulators and customers. The Netherlands, with its urban traffic and progressive EV policies, could serve as an ideal and valuable testing ground for FSD.

Tesla is currently hard at work pushing for the rollout of FSD to several European countries. Tesla has received approval to operate 19 FSD test vehicles on Spain’s roads, though this number could increase as the program develops. As per the Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT), Tesla would be able to operate its FSD fleet on any national route across Spain. Recent job openings also hint at Tesla starting FSD tests in Austria. Apart from this, the company is also holding FSD demonstrations in Germany, France, and Italy.

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