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Tesla and BHP look to make Nickel supply deal: report

(Credit: Tesla)

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Tesla and high-volume nickel miner BHP are looking to come to terms in a deal that would see the mining company supply vast amounts of the metal to the electric automaker for EV batteries.

Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that sources familiar with the matter know that BHP and Tesla are currently in talks, but the main hold up is pricing. No final agreement has been made according to the sources, who wished to remain anonymous.

BHP is a world leader in the mining operations of coal, copper, iron ore, nickel, petroleum, and potash. The company’s only Nickel mine is located in Perth, Western Australia, known as “Nickel West.”

Credit: BHP.com

Tesla recently announced at its Battery Day event that its new Long Range and Mass Sensitive EV battery cathodes would utilize nickel to operate efficiently and cut costs. For its Long Range batteries, which will operate in the Powerwall energy storage system, and Model 3, Model S, and Model X vehicles, nickel and manganese would be the two primary materials used in the cells. Meanwhile, the Mass Sensitive cathodes, which will be used in the Cybertruck and Semi, will use high nickel for efficient operation.

(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced during the company’s Q2 Earnings Call that nickel was among its main focuses moving forward. The CEO was vocal about his company’s need for a large-scale nickel supplier as Tesla looked to move away from batteries that used cobalt, a controversial material popular in EV batteries.

“Well, I’d just like to reemphasize, any mining companies out there, please mine more nickel, OK?” Musk said. “Wherever you are in the world, please mine more nickel, and don’t wait for nickel to go back to some long — some high point that you experienced some five years ago or whatever. Go for efficiency, as environmentally friendly, nickel mining at high volume. Tesla will give you a giant contract for a long period of time if you mine nickel efficiently and in an environmentally sensitive way.”

Since then, Tesla has been in talks with several nickel producers and miners in an attempt to get the ball rolling. Earlier this week, Teslarati reported that Tesla had reached out to the Indonesian government looking to make a deal about a possible partnership that would supply the automaker with nickel. However, it was just a discussion, and no agreement has been made with the Indonesian entities either.

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Musk’s comments during the Q2 Earnings Call signified that Tesla was undoubtedly looking to get its hands on nickel for a battery project. However, Battery Day then revealed that the company is working to create and produce in-house battery cells using a formidable cell production line.

Ultimately, Tesla is working diligently to produce a highly-capable cell line that uses responsibly sourced materials within its batteries. With requests from Canada’s Giga Metals and Brazil’s Vale SA, there are plenty of takers, but the price must be right for Tesla.

Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

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Tesla launches ‘Mad Max’ Full Self-Driving Speed Profile, its fastest yet

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Credit: Teslarati

Tesla launched its fastest Full Self-Driving Speed Profile with the v14.1.2 Software Update on Wednesday, as “Mad Max” mode has overtaken “Hurry” as the most spirited travel option on FSD.

On Wednesday evening, Tesla’s Head of AI, Ashok Elluswamy, teased that the v14.1.2 Software Update would be released to those drivers in the Early Access Program (EAP). He said it was a “much-awaited feature.”

Tesla just teased something crazy with the next Full Self-Driving update

Many people, myself included, believed it would be the introduction of “Banish,” which would be a perfect complement to the Actually Smart Summon (ASS) suite, as it would find a parking spot and park itself after dropping you off at the front door of your destination.

However, Elluswamy’s post on X finished with two emojis: one a race car, the other being smoke behind the car.

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On Wednesday night, we received the v14.1.2 software update to the new Model Y, which revealed that “Mad Max” mode was the new addition:

The release notes state that:

“Introduced new speed profile MAD MAX, which comes with higher speeds and more frequent lane changes than Hurry.”

It is pretty interesting that Tesla would introduce yet another speed profile that is even faster and more aggressive than “Hurry.” Personally, I’ve found Hurry to be realistic in terms of other drivers and their aggressiveness, speed of travel, and overall lane change behavior, especially on interstates.

Mad Max mode will be an interesting adjustment.

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk first talked about Mad Max mode back in 2018 in posts on X, first mentioning the feature with the Tesla Semi:

Musk then teased Mad Max mode in 2019 with an early Autopilot update, stating that it would be an ideal option for aggressive traffic seen in places like Los Angeles. There was formerly a mode of the same name back in the late 2010s:

Now that it’s here, we’ll be testing it very soon and giving you a good idea of what to expect when it releases to others in the coming weeks.

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Tesla just teased something crazy with the next Full Self-Driving update

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Credit: Tesla Europe & Middle East | X

Tesla just teased something crazy with the next Full Self-Driving update, which will be released to Early Access Program (EAP) members today.

Tesla just recently released the v14 Full Self-Driving update, and it followed up just a few days later with v14.1.1.

The subsequent release helped refine a handful of things, especially an issue with stuttering at intersections and overall indecisiveness, but it was more of a smoothing over of the initial v14.1 Full Self-Driving release.

However, on Wednesday evening, Tesla’s Head of AI, Ashok Elluswamy, said that the company would be releasing v14.1.2 to EAP members today, and that it would “debut a much-awaited feature.”

He followed that up with a racecar emoji and a smoke emoji, potentially hinting toward something speed-related. However, it could mean something totally different.

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Some suggested it was potentially a new Speed Profile that could rank above the “Hurry” option, but that seems unnecessary. As far as other features that have been teased, one that definitely comes to mind is the “Banish” feature that was recently teased by CEO Elon Musk.

Banish is essentially the finishing touch to Tesla’s Actually Smart Summon (ASS), which launched earlier this year.

While ASS will bring your car to your location using the Tesla app on your phone, Banish does just the opposite by dropping you off at the door of your destination and finding a parking spot on its own.

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Elon Musk teases ‘Banish’ feature to pair perfectly with Summon

This was recently teased by Musk yet again, as he said earlier this month that Full Self-Driving would be capable of it very soon.

Based on what we’ve seen out of v14.1 and v14.1.1, there is some potential that Banish could be released and could be the feature that Elluswamy is hinting toward, although there is no direct evidence of that.

Luckily, I was able to get into the EAP, so as the feature is released and the Release Notes are available, we’ll be able to report on exactly what feature is on the way.

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Tesla benefits from new incentive program that’s active after tax credit loss

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(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla benefits from an incentive program in Texas that has become active following the loss of the $7,500 EV tax credit, which was a significant advantage for EV drivers.

In Texas, the State Commission on Environmental Quality has a grant program for light-duty motor vehicles that are either purchased or leased by consumers.

Referred to as the Light-Duty Motor Vehicle Purchase or Lease Incentive Program (LDPLIP), the program opened on October 13 and provides grants for consumers who want to buy new energy vehicles.

Will Tesla thrive without the EV tax credit? Five reasons why they might

The program allows for grants of up to $2,500 for electric or hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

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These are the eligibility criteria:

  • Individuals or entities who purchase or lease an eligible vehicle on or after September 1, 2025, and who apply for or acquire title and registration of the vehicle in Texas
  • Applicants must have taken possession of the vehicle before applying
  • Applicants must commit to operating and registering the vehicle in Texas for at least one year

Additionally, the car must:

  • Be included on the TCEQ Eligible Vehicle List
  • Be new and must not have been the subject of any prior retail sale or lease
  • Have a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less

They are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.

The good news is that Tesla’s entire vehicle lineup, as of October 7, qualifies. Here is what the LDPLIP’s list of qualifying vehicles shows for Tesla:

  • Tesla Cybertruck AWD
  • Tesla Cybertruck Beast
  • Tesla Model S AWD
  • Tesla Model S Plaid
  • Tesla Model X AWD
  • Tesla Model X Plaid
  • Tesla Model Y Long Range RWD
  • Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD
  • Tesla Model Y Performance
  • Tesla Model 3 Long Range RWD
  • Tesla Model 3 Long Range AWD
  • Tesla Model 3 Performance

This list was published during the day of October 7, which is coincidentally the same day Tesla launched its Tesla Model 3 ‘Standard’ and Tesla Model Y ‘Standard.’

We reached out to the program to confirm that these vehicles qualify for that grant, and we will update when we hear back.

With the loss of the Federal EV Tax Credit, local programs are still available to help with the cost of an EV. Although electric cars are affordable, there are benefits to choosing one, especially as these grant programs continue to become available.

The full list of vehicles that qualify for the grant is available here.

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