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’s Vice President of Vehicle Engineering, Lars Moravy, recently took to X and opened the floor for user input. There, he asked the community for features and improvements they’d like to see to make Teslas better heading into 2026.
This post generated thousands of suggestions - and we recapped the best of them. There were also a few that Lars responded to, giving owners hope for some much-requested future changes, so let’s take a look at what may be coming
Lumbar Profile Support
Today, lumbar support is one of the few items that is not saved in the Tesla profile. That means if you have multiple drivers who use the same vehicle, you’re often left adjusting this setting manually, as it retains the setting that was last used. One community member suggested saving your lumbar setting to your profile just like Tesla does for other seat settings.
Lars said making this change seems doable, but it’ll take some engineering magic. The lumbar support isn’t tied to an absolute sensor like the other seat settings. This suggests that Tesla does not have an exact value to save, as it does with other seat functions, but Lars believes Tesla can find a way to save lumbar preferences. Tesla could potentially time how long the motor runs to get to the user’s lumbar setting and save this value.
With that said, it seems the vehicle engineering team may take a look at this one, and we may see it included in a future update.
Model 3 Signal Stalk Retrofit
The move away from traditional stalks in favor of the steering wheel buttons on the Refreshed Model 3 has been a point of debate. While the author is squarely in the camp of steering wheel buttons (at least with the Cybertruck), many dissent and say that the buttons on the Refreshed 3 aren’t as satisfying or easy to use.
Many other drivers also prefer the tactile feel and muscle memory of a physical stalk for signaling. Tesla appears to favor stalks, as they retained the turn signal stalk with the new Model Y. There are also rumors that Tesla is going to reintroduce the turn signal stalk to the Model 3.
If Tesla adds stalks back to the new Model 3, current 2024+ Model 3 owners are still left without stalks. However, a user suggested adding stalks as a retrofit option. Lars said that he would try to consider a retrofitted signal stalk for the Refreshed Model 3, similar to the simplified version in the Refreshed Model Y.
While less definitive than the lumbar support response, it appears that Tesla may at least consider offering a stalk retrofit for the new Model 3. If you’re a lover of signal stalks and can’t wait for Tesla to get an official one - we recommend the Enhauto S3XY Stalks, which are customizable and feel very close to Tesla’s original fit and finish.
With that said, it’s nice to see Tesla incorporating more community feedback into its vehicle design these days. Perhaps one day, they’ll address the infamous auto wipers. They have gotten better, but they’re still not as reliable as what’s available in most other vehicles. With that said, we look forward to the changes that will emerge from these recent conversations.
Sometimes, even with Tesla’s intensive bug-testing regime, bugs manage to make it out into the wild. In this particular case, a European user (@darkwaffle48484 on X) noticed that their 2024 Model 3 was using up more battery than normal while parked. Normally, they noted that the vehicle would lose about 1-2% per week; however, recently, they noticed much larger drops of 3-4% per night.
They monitored their Tesla widget and noticed the car wasn’t entering deep sleep. The widget consistently showed a recent connection time—usually within the past 45 minutes.
Fix Inbound
After discussing the issue with other Tesla owners and realizing it was somewhat widespread, they contacted Tesla Service. The service team confirmed that it was a firmware bug affecting the Telematics Control Unit (TCU), which prevented the vehicle from entering deep sleep mode.
The TCU is essentially the communications hub of your Tesla - and is mounted on the ceiling of newer vehicles such as the Model 3 and the new Model Y. It enables cellular and location services (via GPS) and also handles Wi-Fi and Bluetooth services. Tesla Service stated that this bug is planned to be fixed in update 2025.14.6, although the exact version number could change. However, they confirmed that they are aware of the issue and it is being addressed.
@darkwaffle48484
When the user reached out to Tesla Service, Tesla Service responded with the following (translated from Dutch):
“It has been confirmed that this is a firmware bug. The fix is in one of the next updates. Currently, it is planned for 2025.14.6 (subject to change). Do you have any more questions?”
Potentially Region-Specific
This bug could potentially be region-specific. TCUs often require specific hardware components, such as modems, as well as specific firmware versions that support different regions and cellular providers. These enable Tesla to comply with local cellular standards and regulations and ensure that your vehicle can connect to the networks available in that particular region.
At this point, it’s not clear when the fix will roll out, but given that update 2025.14.1 has practically stopped rolling out, Tesla may be waiting to resume the rollout with update 2025.14.3 or this 2025.14.6 version.
If you’ve noticed this issue and are in a non-European nation, let us know.
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