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Tesla China supplier CATL launches cost-effective sodium-ion battery cell

Credit: Tesla/YouTube

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Tesla China battery cell supplier Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL) unveiled its sodium-ion battery earlier today, along with a solution that could integrate the cells with lithium-ion batteries in a single pack. The sodium-ion cells are a more cost-effective option than the lithium-ion batteries, opening the door for lower prices in the EV battleground market of China.

The introduction of sodium-ion cells is an alternative option to the lithium-ion cells Tesla has used in its vehicles. CATL Chairman Zeng Yuqun highlighted the favorable characteristics of utilizing sodium-ion cells during the company’s online launch event earlier today.

“Sodium-ion batteries have unique advantages in low-temperature performance, fast charging, and environmental adaptability,” Zeng said. “Moreover, they’re compatible and complementary with lithium-ion batteries. Diversified technical routes are an important guarantee for the long-term development of the industry.”

Tesla battery partner CATL extends supply deal to 2025

CATL said it will set up a supply chain for the new cells in 2023. The cells do not contain lithium, cobalt, or nickel, but the battery manufacturer did not disclose any cost details of the new cell.

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Tesla has long been working with suppliers for battery cells and has partnerships with Panasonic, LG Chem, and CATL to supply its electric vehicles with batteries. While working with third-party suppliers, the company has also researched on its own with the help of a battery team at Dalhousie University with legendary cell scientist Jeff Dahn. Tesla is not opposed to exploring battery cell chemistries favorable for electric vehicles, especially if the new cells can create more range, power, or a longer life cycle.

CATL has worked with Tesla since Gigafactory Shanghai started producing vehicles in late 2019. Tesla started customer deliveries in early 2020 at the Chinese plant and has relied on CATL’s world-class battery manufacturing to keep up with growing demand in China. CATL sold 34.1 GWh in the first half of 2021, up 234% year-over-year, according to Automotive News ChinaThe company has a 30 percent market share, but the company has been struggling with the rising cost of lithium carbonate, which has doubled this year. Additionally, nickel has also increased in price this year.

Due to increased demand, lithium prices are expected to trend higher this year and into next year, especially as more automakers extend into the electric automotive sector. These forecasts have launched battery makers like CATL into a widespread effort to experiment and develop other cell chemistries that would be favorable for their clients, and sodium-ion batteries are a great alternative.

Despite the sodium-ion cell’s reputation for somewhat lower energy density, CATL said that its Research and Development team had reached an energy density of 160 watt-hours per kilogram, and it should exceed 200 Wh/kg in the coming years as more experimentation continues. For comparison, lithium-ion cells can reach about 285 Wh/kg, according to K. M. Abraham, a research professor at Northeastern University. Interestingly, the solution CATL also unveiled at the event is also expected to compensate for the reduced energy density of the sodium-ion cell, while preserving the advantage the cell makeup has to offer.

News of the new cell shot Tesla stock up over 4.6% in early trading hours on Thursday. At the time of writing, TSLA stock traded at $677.07, up $30.23.

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Disclosure: Joey Klender is a TSLA Shareholder.

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 China breaks 8-month slump by selling 71,599 vehicles wholesale in June

Tesla China’s June numbers were released by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) on Tuesday.

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Credit: Tesla Asia/X

Tesla China was able to sell 71,599 vehicles wholesale in June 2025, reversing eight consecutive months of year-over-year declines. The figure marks a 0.83% increase from the 71,599 vehicles sold wholesale in June 2024 and a 16.1% jump compared to the 61,662 vehicles sold wholesale in May. 

Tesla China’s June numbers were released by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) on Tuesday.

Tesla China’s June results in focus

Tesla produces both the Model 3 and Model Y at its Shanghai Gigafactory, which serves as the company’s primary vehicle export hub. Earlier this year, Tesla initiated a changeover for its best-selling vehicle, the Model Y, resulting in a drop in vehicle sales during the first and second quarters.

Tesla’s second-quarter China sales totaled 191,720 units including exports. While these numbers represent a 6.8% year-over-year decline for Tesla China, Q2 did show sequential improvement, rising about 11% from Q1 2025, as noted in a CNEV Post report.

For the first half of the year, Tesla sold 364,474 vehicles wholesale. This represents a 14.6% drop compared to the 426,623 units sold wholesale in the first half of 2024.

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China’s competitive local EV market

Tesla’s position in China is notable, especially as the new Model Y is gaining ground in the country’s BEV segment. That being said, Tesla is also facing competition from impressive local brands such as Xiaomi, whose new YU7 electric SUV is larger and more affordable than the Model Y. 

The momentum of the YU7 is impressive, as the vehicle was able to secure 200,000 firm orders within three minutes and over 240,000 locked-in orders within 18 hours. Xiaomi’s previous model, the SU7 electric sedan, which is aimed at the Tesla Model 3, also remains popular, with June deliveries surpassing 25,000 units for the ninth straight month.

While China’s EV market is getting more competitive, Tesla’s new Model Y is also ramping its production and deliveries. Needless to say, Tesla China’s results for the remaining two quarters of 2025 will be very interesting.

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Tesla reveals it is using AI to make factories more sustainable: here’s how

Tesla is using AI in its Gigafactory Nevada factory to improve HVAC efficiency.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has revealed in its Extended Impact Report for 2024 that it is using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enable its factories to be more sustainable. One example it used was its achievement of managing “the majority of the HVAC infrastructure at Gigafactory Nevada is now AI-controlled” last year.

In a commitment to becoming more efficient and making its production as eco-friendly as possible, Tesla has been working for years to find solutions to reduce energy consumption in its factories.

For example, in 2023, Tesla implemented optimization controls in the plastics and paint shops located at Gigafactory Texas, which increased the efficiency of natural gas consumption. Tesla plans to phase out natural gas use across its factories eventually, but for now, it prioritizes work to reduce emissions from that energy source specifically.

It also uses Hygrometric Control Logic for Air Handling Units at Giafactory Berlin, resulting in 17,000 MWh in energy savings each year. At Gigafactory Nevada, Tesla saves 9.5 GWh of energy through the use of N-Methylpyrrolidone refineries when extracting critical raw material.

Perhaps the most interesting way Tesla is conserving energy is through the use of AI at Gigafactory Nevada, as it describes its use of AI to reduce energy demand:

“In 2023, AI Control for HVAC was expanded from Nevada and Texas to now include our Berlin-Brandenburg and Fremont factories. AI Control policy enables HVAC systems within each factory to work together to process sensor data, model factory dynamics, and apply control actions that safely minimize the energy required to support production. In 2024, this system achieved two milestones: the majority of HVAC infrastructure at Gigafactory Nevada is now AI-controlled, reducing fan and thermal energy demand; and the AI algorithm was extended to manage entire chiller plants, creating a closed-loop control system that optimizes both chilled water consumption and the energy required for its generation, all while maintaining factory conditions.”

Tesla utilizes AI Control “primarily on systems that heat or cool critical factory production spaces and equipment.” AI Control communicates with the preexisting standard control logic of each system, and any issues can be resolved by quickly reverting back to standard control. There were none in 2024.

Tesla says that it is utilizing AI to drive impact at its factories, and it has proven to be a valuable tool in reducing energy consumption at one of its facilities.

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Tesla analysts believe Musk and Trump feud will pass

Tesla CEO Elon Musk and U.S. President Donald Trump’s feud shall pass, several bulls say.

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The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
President Donald J. Trump purchases a Tesla on the South Lawn, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)

Tesla analysts are breaking down the current feud between CEO Elon Musk and U.S. President Donald Trump, as the two continue to disagree on the “Big Beautiful Bill” and its impact on the country’s national debt.

Musk, who headed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under the Trump Administration, left his post in May. Soon thereafter, he and President Trump entered a very public and verbal disagreement, where things turned sour. They reconciled to an extent, and things seemed to be in the past.

However, the second disagreement between the two started on Monday, as Musk continued to push back on the “Big Beautiful Bill” that the Trump administration is attempting to sign into law. It would, by Musk’s estimation, increase spending and reverse the work DOGE did to trim the deficit.

President Trump has hinted that DOGE could be “the monster” that “eats Elon,” threatening to end the subsidies that SpaceX and Tesla receive. Musk has not been opposed to ending government subsidies for companies, including his own, as long as they are all abolished.

How Tesla could benefit from the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ that axes EV subsidies

Despite this contentious back-and-forth between the two, analysts are sharing their opinions now, and a few of the more bullish Tesla observers are convinced that this feud will pass, Trump and Musk will resolve their differences as they have before, and things will return to normal.

ARK Invest’s Cathie Wood said this morning that the feud between Musk and Trump is another example of “this too shall pass:”

Additionally, Wedbush’s Dan Ives, in a note to investors this morning, said that the situation “will settle:”

“We believe this situation will settle and at the end of the day Musk needs Trump and Trump needs Musk given the AI Arms Race going on between the US and China. The jabs between Musk and Trump will continue as the Budget rolls through Congress but Tesla investors want Musk to focus on driving Tesla and stop this political angle…which has turned into a life of its own in a roller coaster ride since the November elections.”

Tesla shares are down about 5 percent at 3:10 p.m. on the East Coast.

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