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Tesla’s cobalt-free efforts are being closely watched by LG Chem, Samsung ahead of Battery Day
It appears that it is not only the electric vehicle community that is eagerly anticipating Tesla’s upcoming Battery Day event. Considering the company’s place in the EV movement, as well as its efforts in pursuing a cobalt-free solution for batteries, industry leaders like Samsung and LG Chem are reportedly watching Tesla and its battery announcements closely.
Battery Day has been mentioned by Elon Musk multiple times in the past, and last month, the company noted that the highly-anticipated event will be held on September 22. The CEO has informed analysts that Battery Day will include a “big reveal” of developments in Tesla’s battery efforts. The effects of such developments on the battery supply chain are also expected to be discussed.
Tesla has kept details of Battery Day secret, though industry officials have noted that details on new cobalt-free batteries will be revealed at the upcoming event. Tesla has been working on reducing its batteries’ cobalt content for years, as evidenced by a study from a German firm that determined that Model 3 batteries have 75% less cobalt than the cells used by companies like Volkswagen. In the second-quarter earnings call, Elon Musk noted that eventually, cobalt will be phased out completely.
EV battery makers such as LG Chem and Samsung have mostly favored nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) or nickel cobalt aluminum (NCA) batteries over cobalt-free lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry due to their higher energy density, which allows vehicles to travel longer distances. LFP batteries are more environmentally-friendly and cost-effective, but they tend to be limited when it comes to range. This status quo seems poised to change with Battery Day, at least if speculations prove accurate.
Reports have emerged stating that CATL, one of Tesla’s battery partners in China, has begun supplying LPF batteries for the electric car maker’s locally-produced Model 3. Elon Musk emphasized this in the Q2 2020 earnings call, when he stated that Tesla will be boosting volume production in China of LFP battery packs for the Model 3. By the end of July, Panasonic, Tesla’s longtime battery partner, informed Reuters that it will be commercializing a cobalt-free battery in two to three years for the electric car maker.
Amidst these reports, industry leaders like LG Chem and Samsung are now facing what could very well be a crossroads with their battery strategy. If Tesla has come up with a way to solve the shortcomings of LFP batteries, there is a good chance that the battery industry could also start moving away from cobalt. Tesla, after all, is one of the world’s leading electric car maker, and its EV and energy storage business are both undergoing an aggressive expansion. Cobalt is also a controversial material to begin with, thanks to questionable mining practices in areas such as the Congo.

That being said, LG Chem has stated that it still believes that NMC chemistry will remain the mainstream in the global market due to its energy density advantages. “Though we are producing LFP batteries too, these have their shortcomings in energy density and weight. We believe NCM will remain the mainstream in the global EV battery market,” the company stated during its second-quarter conference call.
Samsung SDI was on the same page, stating that it will be focusing on NCA technology. Citing an industry official who requested anonymity, The Korea Times noted that Samsung is paying close attention to what Tesla will be announcing and unveiling on Battery Day.
“Many battery firms have tried to upgrade the energy density of LFP chemistry, but they have yet to have meaningful outcomes. Tesla is now saying it is increasing its reliance on LFP batteries and is anticipated to come up with information on new cobalt-free batteries during Battery Day. This can either mean that Tesla and CATL have come up with technology to improve the efficiency of LFP batteries or unprecedented technology in removing cobalt,” he said. “Since either way will likely affect the industrial trend, domestic companies are paying attention to what Tesla will reveal during the event,” the industry insider stated.
Tesla’s Battery Day event is expected to be held on September 22, 2020. A live audience is expected to be present, though the event will also be live-streamed.
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Tesla FSD (Supervised) fleet passes 8.4 billion cumulative miles
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system has now surpassed 8.4 billion cumulative miles.
The figure appears on Tesla’s official safety page, which tracks performance data for FSD (Supervised) and other safety technologies.
Tesla has long emphasized that large-scale real-world data is central to improving its neural network-based approach to autonomy. Each mile driven with FSD (Supervised) engaged contributes additional edge cases and scenario training for the system.
The milestone also brings Tesla closer to a benchmark previously outlined by CEO Elon Musk. Musk has stated that roughly 10 billion miles of training data may be needed to achieve safe unsupervised self-driving at scale, citing the “long tail” of rare but complex driving situations that must be learned through experience.
The growth curve of FSD Supervised’s cumulative miles over the past five years has been notable.
As noted in data shared by Tesla watcher Sawyer Merritt, annual FSD (Supervised) miles have increased from roughly 6 million in 2021 to 80 million in 2022, 670 million in 2023, 2.25 billion in 2024, and 4.25 billion in 2025. In just the first 50 days of 2026, Tesla owners logged another 1 billion miles.
At the current pace, the fleet is trending towards hitting about 10 billion FSD Supervised miles this year. The increase has been driven by Tesla’s growing vehicle fleet, periodic free trials, and expanding Robotaxi operations, among others.
With the fleet now past 8.4 billion cumulative miles, Tesla’s supervised system is approaching that threshold, even as regulatory approval for fully unsupervised deployment remains subject to further validation and oversight.
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system has now surpassed 8.4 billion cumulative miles.
The figure appears on Tesla’s official safety page, which tracks performance data for FSD (Supervised) and other safety technologies.
Tesla has long emphasized that large-scale real-world data is central to improving its neural network-based approach to autonomy. Each mile driven with FSD (Supervised) engaged contributes additional edge cases and scenario training for the system.

The milestone also brings Tesla closer to a benchmark previously outlined by CEO Elon Musk. Musk has stated that roughly 10 billion miles of training data may be needed to achieve safe unsupervised self-driving at scale, citing the “long tail” of rare but complex driving situations that must be learned through experience.
The growth curve of FSD Supervised’s cumulative miles over the past five years has been notable.
As noted in data shared by Tesla watcher Sawyer Merritt, annual FSD (Supervised) miles have increased from roughly 6 million in 2021 to 80 million in 2022, 670 million in 2023, 2.25 billion in 2024, and 4.25 billion in 2025. In just the first 50 days of 2026, Tesla owners logged another 1 billion miles.
At the current pace, the fleet is trending towards hitting about 10 billion FSD Supervised miles this year. The increase has been driven by Tesla’s growing vehicle fleet, periodic free trials, and expanding Robotaxi operations, among others.
With the fleet now past 8.4 billion cumulative miles, Tesla’s supervised system is approaching that threshold, even as regulatory approval for fully unsupervised deployment remains subject to further validation and oversight.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk fires back after Wikipedia co-founder claims neutrality and dubs Grokipedia “ridiculous”
Musk’s response to Wales’ comments, which were posted on social media platform X, was short and direct: “Famous last words.”
Elon Musk fired back at Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales after the longtime online encyclopedia leader dismissed xAI’s new AI-powered alternative, Grokipedia, as a “ridiculous” idea that is bound to fail.
Musk’s response to Wales’ comments, which were posted on social media platform X, was short and direct: “Famous last words.”
Wales made the comments while answering questions about Wikipedia’s neutrality. According to Wales, Wikipedia prides itself on neutrality.
“One of our core values at Wikipedia is neutrality. A neutral point of view is non-negotiable. It’s in the community, unquestioned… The idea that we’ve become somehow ‘Wokepidea’ is just not true,” Wales said.
When asked about potential competition from Grokipedia, Wales downplayed the situation. “There is no competition. I don’t know if anyone uses Grokipedia. I think it is a ridiculous idea that will never work,” Wales wrote.
After Grokipedia went live, Larry Sanger, also a co-founder of Wikipedia, wrote on X that his initial impression of the AI-powered Wikipedia alternative was “very OK.”
“My initial impression, looking at my own article and poking around here and there, is that Grokipedia is very OK. The jury’s still out as to whether it’s actually better than Wikipedia. But at this point I would have to say ‘maybe!’” Sanger stated.
Musk responded to Sanger’s assessment by saying it was “accurate.” In a separate post, he added that even in its V0.1 form, Grokipedia was already better than Wikipedia.
During a past appearance on the Tucker Carlson Show, Sanger argued that Wikipedia has drifted from its original vision, citing concerns about how its “Reliable sources/Perennial sources” framework categorizes publications by perceived credibility. As per Sanger, Wikipedia’s “Reliable sources/Perennial sources” list leans heavily left, with conservative publications getting effectively blacklisted in favor of their more liberal counterparts.
As of writing, Grokipedia has reportedly surpassed 80% of English Wikipedia’s article count.
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Tesla Sweden appeals after grid company refuses to restore existing Supercharger due to union strike
The charging site was previously functioning before it was temporarily disconnected in April last year for electrical safety reasons.
Tesla Sweden is seeking regulatory intervention after a Swedish power grid company refused to reconnect an already operational Supercharger station in Åre due to ongoing union sympathy actions.
The charging site was previously functioning before it was temporarily disconnected in April last year for electrical safety reasons. A temporary construction power cabinet supplying the station had fallen over, described by Tesla as occurring “under unclear circumstances.” The power was then cut at the request of Tesla’s installation contractor to allow safe repair work.
While the safety issue was resolved, the station has not been brought back online. Stefan Sedin, CEO of Jämtkraft elnät, told Dagens Arbete (DA) that power will not be restored to the existing Supercharger station as long as the electric vehicle maker’s union issues are ongoing.
“One of our installers noticed that the construction power had been backed up and was on the ground. We asked Tesla to fix the system, and their installation company in turn asked us to cut the power so that they could do the work safely.
“When everything was restored, the question arose: ‘Wait a minute, can we reconnect the station to the electricity grid? Or what does the notice actually say?’ We consulted with our employer organization, who were clear that as long as sympathy measures are in place, we cannot reconnect this facility,” Sedin said.
The union’s sympathy actions, which began in March 2024, apply to work involving “planning, preparation, new connections, grid expansion, service, maintenance and repairs” of Tesla’s charging infrastructure in Sweden.
Tesla Sweden has argued that reconnecting an existing facility is not equivalent to establishing a new grid connection. In a filing to the Swedish Energy Market Inspectorate, the company stated that reconnecting the installation “is therefore not covered by the sympathy measures and cannot therefore constitute a reason for not reconnecting the facility to the electricity grid.”
Sedin, for his part, noted that Tesla’s issue with the Supercharger is quite unique. And while Jämtkraft elnät itself has no issue with Tesla, its actions are based on the unions’ sympathy measures against the electric vehicle maker.
“This is absolutely the first time that I have been involved in matters relating to union conflicts or sympathy measures. That is why we have relied entirely on the assessment of our employer organization. This is not something that we have made any decisions about ourselves at all.
“It is not that Jämtkraft elnät has a conflict with Tesla, but our actions are based on these sympathy measures. Should it turn out that we have made an incorrect assessment, we will correct ourselves. It is no more difficult than that for us,” the executive said.