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Swedish unions, transportation agency comment on anti-Tesla strike efforts
Labor efforts continue against Tesla in Sweden, as the company faces strikes and sympathy strikes from multiple of the country’s largest unions that have now lasted well over a year. In recent months, these strikes have prevented Tesla’s buyers in the country from receiving their license plates directly from the transportation agency, along with stopping newly built Supercharger stations from being energized.
Tesla has been pursuing legal action for both of these issues, though Sweden’s long-standing history with a highly unionized workforce has some union and government officials scratching their heads as to why the company won’t sign a collective bargaining agreement. Originally approved by IF Metall, the country’s largest automotive and metalworkers union, the strikes have rippled into other major unions, including the government worker-focused Fackförbundet ST, and the Svenska Elektrikerförbundet (SEF) union, otherwise known as the Electricians’ Association.
In recent correspondence with Teslarati, Fackförbundet ST and the Transport Agency have shared their comments on the situation, after it was reported this week that the Electricians’ Association is under review from the Energy Market Inspectorate for its sympathy strike, and following Tesla’s latest appeal to an administrative court in hopes to force the Transport Agency to stop withholding license plates from the company.
🚨 UPDATE: IF Metall has contacted @Teslarati and said this regarding the strikes:
“When Tesla Sweden signs the collective agreement, the strike and sympathy strike ends immediately.” https://t.co/kAMxTvHdjV
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) January 6, 2025
Fackförbundet ST: Tesla Sweden’s anti-union efforts are ‘remarkable,’ subject customers to ‘considerable inconvenience’
Sweden’s unions represent nine out of ten workers across the country, according to IF Metall, with that union’s membership alone representing about 300,000 employees in the metalworking industry. Fackförbundet ST called Tesla Sweden’s continued efforts to resist a collective bargaining agreement “remarkable,” highlighting that it believes the company should adhere to the country’s structures.
“It is remarkable that a well-established company like Tesla chooses to invest both time and significant resources, while also subjecting its customers to considerable inconvenience, simply to avoid implementing the highly effective regulatory framework (collective agreement) that has been carefully nurtured and appreciated by the social partners in Sweden for a long time,” wrote Anders Maxson, Fackförbundet ST Press and Opinion Manager, Communications and Impact, in an email to Teslarati.
“This is an example of a conflict between the Swedish system and a global company, and we do not believe it is too much to ask for large international companies to make certain adjustments to the systems of different countries.”
In response to the union, Tesla Sweden has said that it offers workers terms that are as good, if not better, than those that can be offered by the country’s unions.
Sweden’s Transport Agency: Why it dismissed Tesla’s demand, and company’s right to another appeal
After Tesla demanded that the Swedish Transport Agency resume providing license plates to the company in a way other than via postal delivery direct-to-consumer, it also urged the Karlstad administrative court this week to force mail provider PostNord to resume these deliveries.
Following the news, the Transport Agency explained why it dismissed Tesla’s demand to Teslarati, adding that the company also has a right to file such an appeal despite having been turned down by multiple other courts in the country throughout last year.
“The Swedish Transport Agency has received a demand from Tesla that license plates should be provided to the company in a way other than via postal delivery,” wrote Anna Berggrund, Department Vehicle Information Director. “However, the Swedish Transport Agency is of the opinion that it’s not possible for Tesla to make such a demand, since the question at hand emanates from the implementation of a task set upon the agency and not from an appealable decision. Therefore we have dismissed Tesla’s demand.
“Now Tesla has appealed against our dismissal to the Administrative Court, which is their right. The issue will now be examined by the Administrative Court. We await the outcome and do not want to make any further comments on the issue.”
Sweden’s Energy Market Inspectorate: Electricians’ Association grid operators ‘obligated’ to connect facilities, except under ‘special’ circumstances
Earlier this month, Tesla Director of Charging Max de Zegher said that over 100 Supercharger stalls that had been built over the winter were waiting to be energized due to the strike efforts, as they were being prevented from connecting to the country’s grid. The situation has resulted in an investigation from the Energy Market Inspectorate, which defended the Electricians’ Association in its right to participate in a sympathy strike in recent statements but said that the circumstances were currently under review.
“The Electricians’ Association as such does not commit any crime by taking sympathy measures,” said Jerker Sidén, Energy Market Inspectorate Analyst, in a statement to Teslarati. “This is because we don’t really have any supervisory responsibility towards them. On the other hand, the electricity network companies in Sweden are covered by regulations that fall under our supervisory responsibility.
“One of these provisions is that the grid companies have an obligation to connect facilities to their electricity grids upon request unless there are special reasons. There are also provisions that the connection must take place within a reasonable time.”
In particular, the government agency is looking into whether or not the union has eligible “special reasons” for failing to fulfill its obligation to connecting the chargers to the grid, though the analyst also admits that there is little precedent as to what qualifies for the exception.
“However, there is relatively little guidance as to what this type of special reason could be and we have not previously decided a similar issue, which means that we cannot currently answer whether the regulations are followed or not,” Sidén added.
IF Metall: Collective agreements ‘one of the cornerstones of a functioning labor market model’
IF Metall also commented on the situation, echoing previous statements it made to Teslarati about the fact that it thinks Tesla Sweden signing a collective bargaining agreement is the only way to end the sympathy strikes.
“IF Metall has requested sympathy measures for its endeavor to sign a collective agreement for its members at Tesla’s company in Sweden,” says Mikael Pettersson, the union’s Head of Negotiations. “The Swedish Electricians’ Union organizes the installation industry for electricians and works daily with signing collective agreements with employers who employ electricians. It is one of the cornerstones of a functioning labor market model, which has been in place since 1906.
“The hope is that Tesla’s Swedish company signs a collective agreement with IF Metall as soon as possible.”
What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.
Court rules against Tesla Sweden in license plate withholding suit
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Tesla has confirmed a crucial detail of its Miami Robotaxi launch, stating that the fleet is operating on an Unsupervised basis, joining a few other cities where company employees do not watch over the vehicles from inside.
Tesla’s Head of AI, Ashok Elluswamy, confirmed the detail on X, answering a highly speculated question about the Robotaxi Service in Miami, which was launched on June 3:
Unsupervised
— Ashok Elluswamy (@aelluswamy) July 3, 2026
The first launch of Robotaxi in Florida, Miami presents a unique opportunity for Tesla as it is operating the Unsupervised Robotaxi ride-hailing service in a major tourist hotspot in the Sunshine State. It also signals the suite will expand to other cities soon; many have requested Orlando, a heavy tourist spot with Disney and other resorts nearby, get access to the program soon as well.
Miami is getting a conservative rollout as well, just as Tesla has done with other cities. The initial geofence covers a compact 10–14 square mile zone in western Miami-Dade County, primarily West Miami extending toward Doral and Sweetwater. It is bounded roughly by SR-826 (Palmetto Expressway) to the north and US-41 (Tamiami Trail) to the south, excluding downtown Miami, Miami Beach, the airport, and most of Coral Gables.
Tesla has also been pretty slim on other details. For example, Tesla has not disclosed the exact fleet size, but field reports and license plate tracking indicate just two unsupervised Model Y vehicles were active on launch day, increasing to three within 48 hours.
According to The Road to Autonomy, a nearby staging lot near Miami International Airport holds dozens of Cybercabs alongside additional Model Y units, suggesting capacity for rapid scaling as demand and data collection grow.
The confirmation of Robotaxi being Unsupervised carries immense weight. It establishes that Tesla’s Miami Robotaxi operations run without human safety drivers or remote supervision, relying entirely on the company’s Full Self-Driving technology. Miami becomes the second major U.S. city after Austin to offer unsupervised Robotaxi rides from day one.
The move reflects rapid progress in Tesla’s AI efforts. Neural networks trained on vast real-world data now handle complex urban environments, including South Florida’s heavy traffic, pedestrians, and rainy conditions. Industry observers see it as validation of Tesla’s vision-centric, data-driven approach versus traditional rule-based systems; a truly unorthodox approach in this day and age.
Challenges remain, including regulatory oversight, public trust, and scaling the fleet to match geofence ambitions. Miami’s small initial footprint and limited vehicles highlight a deliberate, measured expansion strategy focused on safety and data gathering.
Nevertheless, the unsupervised confirmation marks a pivotal milestone. It showcases technical readiness and advances Tesla’s vision of transforming vehicles into autonomous revenue generators while reshaping urban mobility. For Miami users, driverless transportation has moved from concept to reality.
A California radiologist who drove his Tesla Model Y off a 250-foot cliff in an attempt to kill his family has had his charges dismissed after doctors say he is “doing well” in a mental health program.
Dharmesh Patel was charged with three counts of attempted murder in connection with a January 2023 crash where he drove his Tesla off a cliff, injuring his wife and two children, aged 7 and 4 at the time.
Patel drove the Tesla off Devil’s Slide in California, an area that is extremely rough to the point that investigators and rescuers expected the worst when arriving at the scene for the first time. Patel supposedly had schizoaffective disorder, according to Deputy District Attorney Dominique Davis.
Shockingly, Patel’s wife, who was in the vehicle, testified that she did not want her husband to be prosecuted, noting that their children missed their father and they wanted him to come back home. Patel’s attorney argued, “not everyone who commits a crime is a criminal.”
Doctor who took Tesla off cliff gets support from unlikely person
A three-day trial in Mental Health Diversion Court ruled in Patel’s favor, which kept him out of jail and instead on house arrest. He was admitted to a Mental Health Diversion Program, which he successfully completed, the Associated Press reported. San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said the judge was “required by law” to dismiss the charges:
“If the person who’s given mental health diversion follows the treatment plan, there’s nothing that can be done, and at the end of the two years he gets it wiped out of his record.”
Wagstaffe said he has argued, along with other DAs in California, to have attempted murder removed from the list of charges eligible to be dismissed due to mental health diversion programs.
Patel had the charges officially dismissed on Monday; his wife waited for him as he left court and they departed the building together, according to Mercury News. Patel surrendered his California medical license in December.
The crash has been one of the best examples of Tesla’s incredible engineering, which has saved four lives in this particular instance. The car was totalled but kept the four human beings alive and safe, which is something that many referred to as “an absolute miracle.”
A common misconception of anti-EV proponents is that the batteries used in the vehicles are detrimental to the environment and that they cause more waste than they are worth. But a look at Tesla’s battery recycling efforts last year shows the company is doing more than ever to recover materials and give portions of the cells a second life.
Tesla reported a significant milestone in its sustainability efforts last year, with battery recycling volumes rising 20% compared to 2024. According to the company’s 2025 Impact Report, Tesla recycled over 14,000 metric tons of battery material through a combination of in-house processing at its Gigafactories and collaborations with third-party recycling partners.
Tesla: “In 2025, we recycled over 14,000 metric tons of battery material through a combination of in-house processing and through our network of recycling partners.”
That’s equivalent to 46,000 long-range battery packs, a +20% increase from 2024. pic.twitter.com/TC3Nz7Kaqf
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) July 7, 2026
This amount of recovered material is equivalent to the resources needed to produce approximately 46,000 long-range battery packs. The increase reflects growing operational scale as Tesla’s global vehicle fleet expands and more batteries reach end-of-life or manufacturing scrap becomes available for processing.
Tesla and Battery Recycling
Battery recycling forms a core part of Tesla’s circular economy strategy. The company designs its batteries for longevity, often exceeding 200,000 miles of driving, and prioritizes repairs, remanufacturing, and second-life applications before full recycling.
Once packs are decommissioned, Tesla ensures 100% are recycled with no materials sent to landfills. This approach recovers critical metals including lithium, nickel, cobalt, and copper, which can be refined and reused in new battery production.
Tesla has advanced hydrometallurgical recycling processes capable of achieving recovery rates up to 98% for key battery metals. These methods are more efficient and environmentally friendly than traditional pyrometallurgical techniques, reducing energy use and enabling higher-purity materials suitable for direct reintegration into battery manufacturing.
Tesla co-founder JB Straubel confirms Redwood’s battery recycling operations are already profitable
In-house capabilities are supplemented by a network of specialized partners, creating a robust system that handles both production scrap and end-of-life packs.
The environmental and economic benefits are substantial. Recycling reduces reliance on virgin mining, lowers the carbon footprint associated with raw material extraction and processing, and helps stabilize supply chains for critical minerals amid rising global EV demand. As millions of Tesla vehicles age, the volume of recyclable material is expected to grow significantly in the coming years.
This 20% year-over-year growth demonstrates the effectiveness of Tesla’s investments in recycling infrastructure and technology. It positions the company as a leader in addressing one of the automotive industry’s major sustainability challenges. Continued innovation in battery design for easier disassembly and higher recyclability will further enhance these efforts.
Overall, Tesla’s progress in 2025 highlights how scaling recycling operations supports both environmental goals and long-term business resilience in the transition to electric mobility. As the EV market matures, such closed-loop systems will become increasingly vital for sustainable growth.
Tesla confirms crucial detail of Miami Robotaxi launch
Radiologist who drove Tesla off cliff has attempted murder charges dismissed
