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Tesla’s nickel future will benefit the company and the consumer
It is no secret that batteries play a massive role in Tesla’s future. Not only do the materials that are mined for the company’s electric cars need to be sustainably sourced, but they need to fit the company’s long and short-term goals.
For a long time, the talk about electric vehicle batteries has been focused on cobalt. The chemical element is controversial for several reasons: it is expensive, it is mined in immoral ways in many countries, and it is not great for the environment. However, companies can choose to source it responsibly, and Tesla has maintained that its cobalt sources are moral and proper in their obtaining of the element.
But during yesterday’s Q2 2020 Earnings Call with Tesla executives, cobalt was not mentioned even once. The focus stood on nickel and the benefits it could play for future company projects, which are based on the foundation that batteries need to be long-lasting and energy-dense. This fact is especially prevalent when it comes to the company’s commercial Semi truck, which will be responsible for transitioning the considerable commerce and trucking industry to function more sustainably.
“Please mine more nickel,” CEO Elon Musk pleaded to mining companies. “Tesla will give you a giant contract for a long period of time if you mine nickel efficiently and in an environmentally sensitive way.”
Nickel is included in the current EV batteries that Tesla uses. A Nickel-Cobalt-Aluminum battery has been produced at Giga Nevada, but the company continues to submit patents that could revolutionize the way its batteries function. Ultimately, the goal is to have million-mile capable cells that will not only translate to a longer lifespan for an electric car but also an extended time of use for Tesla energy storage products.
Musk was adamant during yesterday’s call that Nickel mining is crucial to the company’s fleet of future vehicles. Why? Because Nickel-based battery cells can handle what the Tesla Semi will require to function, which is high energy density. This will ultimately translate to an extended range.
The Semi will be responsible for hauling massive amounts of cargo across the country. It will have to scale steep grades and handle different weather scenarios in every area it travels in. All of these factors will inevitably affect the Semi’s range, and the way to combat that is to come up with more energy-dense cells that are capable of handling a multitude of situations.
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“Obviously, those are needed for something like Semi, where every, every unit of mass that you add in a battery pack, you have to subtract in cargo,” Musk said. “So it’s very important to have a mass efficient and long-range pack for four batteries.”
But Tesla’s nickel operation goes far past the company’s Semi plans. It also translates to be beneficial for passenger vehicles that are aimed toward mass-market production, like the Model 3 and Model Y.
After Tesla scrapped plans for the Standard Range RWD Model Y earlier this month, Musk indicated that the new normal for EVs should be 300 miles of range. The Standard Range Y wouldn’t fit that description, as the CEO said it would be capable of less than 250 miles. In Tesla terms, that is unacceptable.
A question during yesterday’s call suggested that Tesla could be shifting from smaller-pack vehicles to larger ones, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. The real struggle is creating effective electric transport across the entire market, instead of for one type of vehicle.
Range is a substantial part of driving an electric vehicle, regardless of who made the car. The focus for Tesla is increasing range and longevity for the company and the consumer. Across each of its cars, the range is of utmost importance, and it begins with nickel mining.
Featured
Tesla finally got its Nevada Robotaxi Permit but with a few catches hard to miss
Nevada granted Tesla’s robotaxi permit, but capped the fleet at just ten vehicles for now.
Tesla has received its robotaxi permit in Nevada, more than two months after regulators closed the public comment period on the company’s application. News of the approval surfaced Wednesday night when Tesla investor and longtime company watcher Sawyer Merritt posted a copy of the interim order, and the Nevada Transportation Authority’s own carrier registry now lists the permit, AVNC Permit 002 under Docket 26-05015, as active for Tesla Robotaxi, LLC.
Tesla asked Nevada in June for authority to run up to 5,000 vehicles in Clark County within a year, however the permit the NTA issued is initially capping Tesla at ten fully autonomous vehicles and confines them to a defined geofence along the Las Vegas Strip corridor. Any expansion of that operating area, or any increase to the fleet size, requires the NTA’s approval first.
Tesla has received its Autonomous Vehicle Network Company permit in Nevada.
The Nevada Transportation Authority says that operations are limited to a maximum fleet of 10 fully autonomous vehicles and shall be conducted only within the Authority-approved Operational Design… https://t.co/Cxfd6GIfDk pic.twitter.com/iOO6wSZkHF
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) August 13, 2026
The order also sets rules that look more restrictive than what Tesla runs in Austin. Rides are barred on roads with posted speed limits above 45 miles per hour, pickups are off limits within a quarter mile of Harry Reid International Airport without separate authorization, and every vehicle has to carry visible “Robotaxi” markings while notifying riders before each trip that no one is driving. The order also requires “appropriate human supervision”, language that suggests Nevada isn’t ready to let Tesla offer the rides without a safety monitor that it has run in parts of Austin since January. As with standard protocol with robotaxi services, Tesla must report any accident, system failure, or vehicle that becomes stranded on a Nevada road within five business days.
Tesla is entering a market Nevada already knows well. Zoox, the Amazon owned robotaxi company, has run its own autonomous vehicle permit in the state since last year, building up to roughly 100 vehicles and 350,000 rides along the Strip. That history likely explains why the NTA started Tesla at ten cars rather than the fleet size the company asked for. The agency has a template for scaling a permit up once a company proves out its safety record.
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Tesla’s Nevada application first surfaced in June, when the company filed for the permit alongside plans for a maintenance hub in southwest Las Vegas. The company has said it won’t meaningfully scale its robotaxi fleet anywhere until FSD v15 ships, expected in late 2026 or early 2027, which makes the ten vehicle cap less of a constraint today than it might look on paper. For now, Tesla has the legal right to start Nevada rides. Whether it starts before FSD v15 arrives is a separate question the permit doesn’t answer.
Tesla Energy has introduced the Powerwall Lease in conjunction with Tesla Electric, making the service available in Texas. This new option delivers whole-home backup power using two Powerwall units for a net monthly cost of $35 after credits, accompanied by a low fixed electricity rate.
Under the lease terms, customers pay a one-time order fee of $100. The base lease payment for the two Powerwalls is approximately $122 per month during the first year, subject to a 3 percent annual escalator thereafter. Enrollment in a qualifying Tesla Electric Backup plan or Virtual Power Plant plan provides an $87 monthly credit.
Powerwall Lease is now available with Tesla Electric in Texas
Whole-home backup for $35/month, with a low fixed electricity rate
– Two Powerwalls, $0 installation
– Storm Watch outage protection
– One app to manage it all pic.twitter.com/oTzqc6K3aF— Tesla Energy (@teslaenergy) August 13, 2026
This credit lowers the effective cost to roughly $35 per month plus applicable tax.
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Installation of the standard system carries no additional charge. The package features Storm Watch for outage protection and allows complete management through a single Tesla application. The system supplies continuous whole-home backup capability.
The Powerwall system enables households to maintain electricity during severe storms that disrupt the utility grid. When outages occur, the batteries automatically provide seamless backup power to the home.
Tesla announces 100k Powerwalls are participating in Virtual Power Plants
Tesla Storm Watch monitors weather forecasts and ensures the units are fully charged ahead of anticipated severe weather events so that power remains available throughout the disruption, keeping lights, refrigeration, and other essential systems operating without interruption.
Availability is restricted to select Texas locations where retail electric choice exists. Participants must lease exactly two Powerwall units and maintain continuous enrollment with Tesla Electric. Solar panels cannot be included under this particular lease arrangement.
The monthly credit activates automatically once the system is installed, receives permission to operate, and enrollment is confirmed. To retain the credit, customers are required to stay enrolled in Tesla Electric and fulfill all program conditions.
Nonstandard installations that involve electrical upgrades or special permitting may lead to extra expenses and might impact eligibility for the credit, so be sure to check with either your installer or Tesla to ensure you will still qualify.
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Elon Musk continues to tease the unveiling event for the Tesla Roadster, a continuing trend that has grown into a bigger game of “When” for fans who have been waiting years for the car to finally enter production.
A video shared on X of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast that Musk appeared on last year, teasing the Roadster unveiling, was shared once again on the social media platform. The poster said the Roadster event will be “unforgettable.”
Musk agreed:
Yes
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 12, 2026
The timing is interesting because just yesterday, Musk said that we will be getting flying cars, and for years, Tesla has hinted that it could develop a SpaceX cold gas thruster package that would help the car float or fly for a short period of time.
It would be reasonable to assume Tesla’s major delays with this unveiling event are likely caused by the company’s need to break the rules and push the envelope on nearly everything. Last July, Lars Moravy, Tesla’s VP of Vehicle Engineering, said:
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“Roadster is definitely in development. We did talk about it last Sunday night. We are gearing up for a super cool demo. It’s going to be mind blowing. We showed Elon some cool demos last week of the tech we’ve been working on and he got a little excited.”
The latest updates that Tesla has given us are that the Roadster is in design development, and it did have several potential dates for an unveiling event this year, including April. It was then pushed to August.
However, there are no clues as to when Tesla will be ready, and fans are certainly getting frustrated with the delays.
For what it is worth, Franz von Holzhausen told Jay Leno this week that the event would be “very soon.”
We sure hope.
Tesla finally got its Nevada Robotaxi Permit but with a few catches hard to miss
Tesla launches Powerwall Lease for affordable home backup
