Former Tesla co-founder JB Straubel’s battery recycling startup Redwood Materials announced recently that it had come to terms with Envision AESC for cell recycling efforts. After CNBC initially reported the partnership yesterday, Teslarati spoke to the battery recycling startup, indicating there are plenty of details that make the pairing ideal for the entire EV sector.
While Redwood’s most recent announcement sheds light on a partnership with AESC, it is not the only contributor to the batter recycling efforts that Straubel’s company is working on. With the conglomerate’s announcement, Redwood now works with the two largest battery manufacturing companies in North America. Along with AESC, Redwood is also working with Panasonic, Tesla’s supplier at its factory in Sparks, Nevada, known as the Tesla Gigafactory. While Envision AESC works out of Tennessee, Redwood has established two battery cell producers in separate regions of the United States, working on expanding its footprint of possible EV manufacturers who need assistance in responsibly disposing of their batteries.
Resuing battery materials will eliminate some criticism regarding mining, which can be hazardous to the environment. Ultimately, Redwood aims to give EV manufacturers the ability to reuse their materials, and it has gotten to the point that the difference between new and recycled materials is relatively “indistinguishable,” Straubel said.
However, Bill Williams, Envision AESC’s Director of Business Development, also chimed in on the partnership with Redwood. The two companies’ goals of sustainability and cost-effectiveness will help the development of the electric vehicle sector, along with the ongoing production of energy storage products that are becoming more popular.
Williams said:
“Envision AESC’s partnership with Redwood Materials will allow all production scrap from our US factory to be recycled, and, eventually, for Redwood to supply material for AESC. This circular supply chain supports Envision AESC’s deep commitment to sustainability and already creates substantial cost savings for Envision AESC that will be passed down to future electric vehicles and energy products.”
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Batteries from AESC’s facility in Smyrna, Tennessee, are being used to power electric buses, energy storage units, and the Nissan LEAF, among many other products, a Redwood spokesperson told Teslarati. Additionally, the material being received by Redwood from both the Tesla Gigafactory makes up for more than 1 GWh of material from Panasonic alone. This is ultimately fueled by the expansion of the Gigafactory, and the material received by Redwood will return to Panasonic and be put into new batteries, according to Redwood’s spokesperson.
Redwood will recycle all production scrap from any of its partners, including cathode and anode materials and cells or battery modules that don’t pass validation and are past the point of repair. The goal of its partnership with AESC is to produce material that could eventually be returned to the supplier as a part of a fully circular supply chain, eliminating the need for massive mining pushes or extensive contracts with battery material suppliers, the spokesperson added.
Redwood’s development of recycled goods will eventually turn the EV sector into an even more sustainable industry that could lead to the complete phase-out of combustion engines altogether. If batteries are sourced properly as the EV sector continues to grow, many of the cars on the road could contain recycled materials thanks to Redwood’s initiative, turning the already Earth-friendly EV sector into one of the most sustainable industries globally.
Elon Musk
xAI’s Grok approved for Pentagon classified systems: report
Under the agreement, Grok can be deployed in systems handling classified intelligence analysis, weapons development, and battlefield operations.
Elon Musk’s xAI has signed an agreement with the United States Department of Defense (DoD) to allow Grok to be used in classified military systems.
Previously, Anthropic’s Claude had been the only AI system approved for the most sensitive military work, but a dispute over usage safeguards has reportedly prompted the Pentagon to broaden its options, as noted in a report from Axios.
Under the agreement, Grok can be deployed in systems handling classified intelligence analysis, weapons development, and battlefield operations.
The publication reported that xAI agreed to the Pentagon’s requirement that its technology be usable for “all lawful purposes,” a standard Anthropic has reportedly resisted due to alleged ethical restrictions tied to mass surveillance and autonomous weapons use.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to meet with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei in what sources expect to be a tense meeting, with the publication hinting that the Pentagon could designate Anthropic a “supply chain risk” if the company does not lift its safeguards.
Axios stated that replacing Claude fully might be technically challenging even if xAI or other alternative AI systems take its place. That being said, other AI systems are already in use by the DoD.
Grok already operates in the Pentagon’s unclassified systems alongside Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Google is reportedly close to an agreement that will result in Gemini being used for classified use, while OpenAI’s progress toward classified deployment is described as slower but still feasible.
The publication noted that the Pentagon continues talks with several AI companies as it prepares for potential changes in classified AI sourcing.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk denies Starlink’s price cuts are due to Amazon Kuiper
“This has nothing to do with Kuiper, we’re just trying to make Starlink more affordable to a broader audience,” Musk wrote in a post on X.
Elon Musk has pushed back on claims that Starlink’s recent price reductions are tied to Amazon’s Kuiper project.
In a post on X, Musk responded directly to a report suggesting that Starlink was cutting prices and offering free hardware to partners ahead of a planned IPO and increased competition from Kuiper.
“This has nothing to do with Kuiper, we’re just trying to make Starlink more affordable to a broader audience,” Musk wrote in a post on X. “The lower the cost, the more Starlink can be used by people who don’t have much money, especially in the developing world.”
The speculation originated from a post summarizing a report from The Information, which ran with the headline “SpaceX’s Starlink Makes Land Grab as Amazon Threat Looms.” The report stated that SpaceX is aggressively cutting prices and giving free hardware to distribution partners, which was interpreted as a reaction to Amazon’s Kuiper’s upcoming rollout and possible IPO.
In a way, Musk’s comments could be quite accurate considering Starlink’s current scale. The constellation currently has more than 9,700 satellites in operation today, making it by far the largest satellite broadband network in operation. It has also managed to grow its user base to 10 million active customers across more than 150 countries worldwide.
Amazon’s Kuiper, by comparison, has launched approximately 211 satellites to date, as per data from SatelliteMap.Space, some of which were launched by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. Starlink surpassed that number in early January 2020, during the early buildout of its first-generation network.
Lower pricing also aligns with Starlink’s broader expansion strategy. SpaceX continues to deploy satellites at a rapid pace using Falcon 9, and future launches aboard Starship are expected to significantly accelerate the constellation’s growth. A larger network improves capacity and global coverage, which can support a broader customer base.
In that context, price reductions can be viewed as a way to match expanding supply with growing demand. Musk’s companies have historically used aggressive pricing strategies to drive adoption at scale, particularly when vertical integration allows costs to decline over time.
News
Tesla Giga Berlin makes a statement of solidarity amid IG Metall conflict
The display comes as tensions between Tesla and IG Metall continue to escalate.
Tesla Giga Berlin is sending a strong message of solidarity amid its ongoing legal dispute with German union IG Metall.
In a post on social media platform X, Giga Berlin plant manager André Thierig shared an image of the facility’s lobby covered with a large banner that reads: “Progress. Innovation. Success.” He added that the slogan reflects what the facility has stood for since Day One.
“Our lobby at Giga Berlin covered in a huge banner these days. Progress. Innovation. Success – this is what we stand for since we started production in 2022 and how we will go into our future!” Thierig wrote in his post on X.
The display comes as tensions between Tesla and IG Metall continue to escalate.
The dispute began after Tesla accused a union representative of secretly recording a works council meeting at Giga Berlin. Tesla stated that it filed a criminal complaint after the alleged incident. Police later confirmed they had seized a computer belonging to an IG Metall member as part of their investigation.
“What has happened today at Giga Berlin is truly beyond words! An external union representative from IG Metall attended a works council meeting. For unknown reasons he recorded the internal meeting and was caught in action! We obviously called police and filed a criminal complaint!” Thierig wrote on X at the time.
IG Metall denied the accusation and characterized Tesla’s move as an election tactic ahead of upcoming works council elections. The union subsequently filed a defamation complaint against Thierig. Authorities later confirmed that an investigation had been opened in connection with the matter.
Giga Berlin began production in 2022 and has since become one of Tesla’s key European manufacturing hubs, producing the Model Y, the company’s best-selling vehicle. The facility has expanded capacity over the past years despite environmental protests, labor disputes, and regulatory scrutiny.
xAI’s Grok approved for Pentagon classified systems: report
Elon Musk denies Starlink’s price cuts are due to Amazon Kuiper
