Tesla Champions Ethical Sourcing: Initiates Unprecedented Audit of Battery Supply Chain

Tesla offers to have a third-party audit of its battery suppliers

Tesla

In a bold and unequivocal commitment to ethical practices, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, recently pledged that the company would initiate an independent audit of its battery material suppliers. This resolution has been determined irrespective of the shareholders' rejection of the proposal during a recent meeting. Underlining the gravity of his commitment, Musk declared on Twitter, "And I will review the audit personally. If you drive a Tesla, you should be able to believe in it to your core.”

In an unprecedented gesture of transparency, Musk proposed placing a webcam in the mines, urging the public to report any instance of child labor. This innovative approach shows the company's dedication to ethical mining practices and their efforts to open the entire process to public scrutiny.

Tesla’s decision to conduct this audit is rooted in the company's ongoing commitment to eradicating unethical labor practices from its supply chain, especially those related to cobalt mining. Cobalt, an integral component in many batteries, has been linked to exploitative labor practices in the past, leading to a storm of controversy within the electric vehicle industry.

Contrasting Cobalt Usage: Tesla's Minimal Dependence versus Smartphone Industry's Heavy Reliance

Unlike other companies, Tesla has made considerable strides in limiting cobalt usage in its batteries by utilizing iron-based and nickel-based alternatives, thereby significantly reducing its reliance on this controversial mineral. However, Musk points out that the consumer electronics industry, particularly smartphones, continues to depend heavily on cobalt.

In a pointed remark during the shareholders’ meeting, Musk highlighted that while Tesla uses a nominal amount of cobalt, smartphones utilize it completely. This information is critical for those interested in the ethical sourcing of materials, as it shifts some of the focus towards other sectors that have not taken similar measures to reduce cobalt dependency.

Since 2019, Tesla has been a part of the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT), an initiative that mandates its members to implement measures against prohibited labor forms. This affiliation and active collaboration with the Responsible Business Alliance underscores Tesla’s commitment to ethical labor practices and transparent sourcing.

Tesla's Hands-On Approach: Visit to Cobalt Mines in the DRC

In a hands-on display of this commitment, a Tesla team visited cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) last year. During this trip, they interacted with local stakeholders and NGOs, highlighting their active role in addressing health, safety, and child labor issues in the industry.

By proceeding with the third-party audit despite the shareholders' disapproval, Tesla has showcased its unwavering stand on ethical sourcing and transparency. This groundbreaking decision not only reinforces Tesla's integrity but also sets a remarkable example for the entire industry.

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Tesla Software Update 2025.2 -- The Lesser Known Features (Undocumented Changes)

@TeslaNewswire

Another Tesla update has finished rolling out to the fleet and we once again have a list of undocumented features in this update. Tesla update 2025.2 was the first update of the year and it brought along features such as wiper improvements for the Cybertruck, support for the cabin radar, and third-party charger preconditioning.

However, other changes made it into the release as well but weren’t mentioned in the release notes. If you love following Tesla software changes or just want to be aware of all changes in your vehicle, these will help keep you updated.

Autopilot Warnings

Tesla has now carried over some of the updated warnings from FSD to regular Autopilot.

Warnings such as “Autopilot will not brake” when the accelerator pedal is actively pressed and others will now be presented at the top in a translucent rectangle, instead of near the bottom, where they can be easily missed.

Supercharger Notification

Not a Tesla App

After using a Supercharger, your vehicle will now display a notification with the total cost of the charging session. In addition to the cost, the alert will also display the location, total energy added, and the cost per kW/h.

This is a really nice addition as it brings the price of the charging session front and center when it matters most — as soon as you’re done charging. Previously, you could navigate to Controls > Charging to see the cost of charging.

Recommended Tire Pressure

Not a Tesla App

The Tire Pressure card on the Model 3 and Model Y will now show you the recommended tire pressure in the bottom left corner of the card. It continues to display the tire pressure reading for each wheel.

Service Mode

Max Bracco / X

As usual, Service Mode sees several improvements to make serving your vehicle easier.

Brake Burnishing: The Brake Burnish procedure parameters have been updated to reduce the need for coming to almost a complete stop during each cycle.

Legacy Model S and Model X only.

Charge Port Calibration: The charge port door calibration routine (PROC_CP_X_DOOR-SENSOR-CALIBRATION) and charge port latch calibration route (PROC_CP_X_LATCH-CALIBRATION) have been added to the Charging panel. Those routines are required to be run following the replacement of the charge port or charge port door.

All Model 3s and Model Ys.

Signal Viewer Panel: A new Signal Viewer panel is available to monitor multiple signal values live on a graph. If one or more of the signal values is unavailable, the graph will stop updating. To access the new panel, tap Tools > Signal Viewer.

All vehicles with AMD Ryzen.

Noise Recording Panel: To improve the user experience, the recording duration has been decreased to 30 seconds, and reliability of the download routine PROC_ICE_X_FETCH-DIAGNOSTIC-AUDIO-RECORDS has been improved.

Cybertruck only.

Next Update

If you want to read about the official changes in this update, check out our release notes for 2025.2.

Tesla has now started pushing software update 2025.8, but it’s currently only going out to a very small segment of vehicles. It’ll soon go out to more owners in larger waves, but if you’re interested in seeing what’s coming take a look at our 2025.8 update release notes and the undocumented features we’re aware of so far.

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Tesla Reveals Number of Cybertrucks Sold in Trim Replacement Recall

@TeslaTruckClub on X

Tesla has issued a voluntary recall for all Cybertrucks built to date, for an issue with the Cant Rail - the upper trim piece on the sides of the vehicle that sits above the window glass. This is a pretty big deal that it reveals some key information - in fact, it is the Cybertruck’s first full-blown recall that will impact all vehicles.

The Issue

The Cant Rail, being a thin piece of metal attached to a narrow portion of the vehicle, is currently held down by a single bolt and automotive-grade adhesives. Tesla has noted that the adhesives are becoming brittle due to heat and cold cycles over time, resulting in some vehicles having the trim pieces either break or fall off.

This has been an ongoing issue with the Cybertruck - but was previously considered resolved as the issue mostly went away as Tesla improved their adhesive application. 

As of March 20th, Tesla issued a voluntary recall to address the problem after conducting an engineering survey to determine a fix.

Tesla Reveals Number of Cybertrucks Sold

Tesla doesn’t break out Cybertruck sales on their earnings report, instead lumping it into an “Other Models” category that includes Model S, Model X, and Semi sales in addition to the Cybertruck. Since Tesla needs to reveal how many Cybertrucks are affected by this issue, this is our first official glimpse into how many Cybertrucks Tesla has sold.

The recall shows that Tesla has sold 46,096 Cybertrucks to date, which is the number of vehicles recalled. An estimated 1% of vehicles (approximately 460) have the defect, and Tesla has had 151 warranty claims to date in relation to the Cant Rail issue, which have already been remedied. As usual, no fatalities, collisions, or other injuries are related to this issue have been noted.

You can review the recall notice here if you’re interested.

The Fix

The fix to this issue is to fully replace the Cant Rail. That means that Tesla will be removing the existing Cant Rail from the vehicle - which is attached with adhesives - and then replacing it with a new part that uses a new structural adhesive that will not face environmental embrittlement, alongside being reinforced with a nut that will clamp the panel to the vehicle’s structure. Tesla will also weld the panel with an interior stud, solidifying the whole assembly.

Overall, it doesn’t sound like it’ll be a quick and easy fix, but it will be a very solid fix that should make sure that no more of these trim pieces fly off.

Wraps and Coatings

Those who have wrapped, coated, or otherwise treated the surface of their Cybertrucks will be in for a bit of a problem with this particular recall. The existing Cant Rail will be entirely removed from the vehicle, and replaced with a new piece, as mentioned above.

Because of this, the old Cant Rail exterior will no longer be on your vehicle - which includes your wrap or coating. When you go in for this recall, you will need to get the Cant Rails on your vehicle re-wrapped or re-coated, at your own expense.

Tesla is not providing reimbursement at this time for wraps or coatings done by third parties. If Tesla has installed your wrap due to a wrap promotion or through the in-house Tesla Wrap Program, you’ll want to confirm with your local service department if they can source and replace the wrap. 

At this time, there’s been no official guidance from Tesla on in-house wraps, but we expect that because this is a recall and the wrap is a service from Tesla. Hopefully, we’ll hear something officially soon.

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