Tesla Looks to Improve LFP Battery Performance and Bring Production to the U.S.

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Tesla recently announced plans to onshore Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery production to the United States, and those plans are starting to come together in light of a new patent on LFP chemistries. The newly published patent, WO2024/229047 A1, reveals that Tesla, along with a team including renowned battery researcher Jeff Dahn from Dalhousie University (who has made significant contributions to advancing lithium-ion battery technology, including LFP for Tesla), is developing an improved LFP-based cathode material. This “boosted” LFP will likely be the foundation for future US-made Tesla vehicles.

LFP batteries are already a part of Tesla’s strategy for its Standard Range vehicles and energy storage products. They are prized for their lower cost (by avoiding expensive nickel and cobalt), long cycle life, and ability to charge to 100% without damaging the battery. By bringing LFP production to the US, Tesla could tap into domestic incentives and avoid potential tariffs. This new patent suggests that Tesla isn’t just planning on bringing LFP production to the U.S., but that it’s also looking to improve it.

LFP with a Pinch of Nickel

The core of the patent describes a “blended cathode active material.” This involves taking a standard iron phosphate-based material, like LiFePO4 or LFP, and potentially Lithium Manganese Iron Phosphate, LMFP, which forms the vast majority of the cathode - about 90-99% by weight. Then, adding in a small, carefully controlled amount of nickel oxide-based active material, such as NMC or NCA, typically between 0.1-15% or as lean as 0.1-3% by weight.

The approach isn’t just a simple mix; the patent details crucial pre-processing steps for the nickel-based component. This includes surface area processing like milling to increase its surface area and heating it to temperatures between 650°C and 800°C. These steps are designed to reduce lithium-containing impurities (like LiOH and Li2CO3) in the nickel material, which can be detrimental to battery performance.

Why Blended?

The goal of this LFP-Nickel blend is to increase LFP battery performance. In particular, the patent is targeting improved capacity retention and increased lifetime cycles. The extensive data presented in the patent shows that cells made with this blended cathode exhibit several key advantages over standard LFP cells.

Improved Capacity Retention: The blended cathodes demonstrated a better ability to hold charge over many cycles with tests showing blended cells retaining over 90% capacity after 7,000 hours of cycling at 40°C in some configurations.

Improved Cycle Lifetime: The batteries could endure more charge and discharge cycles while maintaining output voltage, which is key for vehicle lifespans.

Better High-Temperature Performance: Testing at higher temperatures, including up to 70°C showed superior stability and capacity retention.

Reduced Degradation: A fascinating finding highlighted in the patent is that the blend appears to reduce the dissolution of iron from the LFP material, which can then deposit on the anode and hinder long-term performance. The blended cells showed less iron deposition on the anode after extensive cycling.

Lower Internal Resistance Growth: Finally, these new cathodes showed more stable internal resistance over time compared to pure LFP cells, especially at higher temperatures.

By incorporating just a small fraction of the higher-energy nickel material, Tesla hopes to improve LFP battery longevity and improve charge rates without increasing the cost of these batteries, which is one of their most appealing qualities.

Impact on Charging Performance

The patent doesn't explicitly focus on achieving dramatically faster charging speeds as its primary outcome, with most cycling tests conducted at moderate C-rates like C/3*. However, the findings offer strong indicators that charging performance would also be improved.

While the patent doesn't claim a new "fast charge" LFP chemistry outright, the inherent improvements in material stability and resistance characteristics suggest that these blended LFP cells could offer more robust and reliable charging performance.

* C-rates are a measure of how quickly a battery can charge. 1C means the battery can be fully charged in an hour, while C/3 means 33% per hour.

Domestic LFP

This patented technology could be the key to Tesla's US LFP production. It offers a pathway to manufacturing LFP cells that are not only domestically sourced but also offer a tangible performance improvement over conventional LFP chemistries. This could give Tesla a competitive edge, allowing them to offer LFP-powered vehicles and energy products with better longevity, durability, and potentially even slightly better performance characteristics in demanding conditions.

This is especially important today, as Tesla no longer sells vehicles with LFP batteries in the United States and North America due to tariffs. The only LFP battery items they sell within North America are Megapack and Powerwall, which are both excluded from tariffs (and incentives) due to their nature as stationary energy products.

As Tesla continues to innovate across the battery spectrum, from raw materials processing to cell design and manufacturing, innovations like this blended cathode could play an important role in the next generation of more affordable and durable electric vehicles and energy storage solutions. 

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Tesla FSD in Europe: June Update

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The road to bringing FSD to Europe has been a long and complex one and filled with regulatory and bureaucratic hurdles. Elon Musk, as well as other members of Tesla’s AI team, have previously voiced their grievances with the regulatory approval process on X.

However, it appears that there is finally some progress in getting things moving with recent changes to upcoming autonomy regulations, but the process still seems slow.

Waiting on the Dutch

Elon commented on X recently, stating that Tesla is waiting for approval from Dutch authorities and then the EU to start rolling out FSD in Europe. Tesla is focusing on acquiring approvals from the Dutch transportation authority, which will provide them with the platform they need to gain broader acceptance in Europe. Outside of the Netherlands, Tesla is also conducting testing in Norway, which provides a couple of avenues for them to obtain national-level approval.

The frustration has been ongoing, with multiple committee meetings bringing up autonomy regulation but always pulling back at the last second before approving anything. The last meeting on Regulation 157, which governs Automated Lane Keeping Systems, concluded with authorities from the UK and Spain requesting additional time to analyze the data before reaching a conclusion.

Tesla, as well as Elon, have motioned several times for owners to reach out to their elected representatives to move the process forward, as it seems that Tesla’s own efforts are being stymied. 

This can seem odd, especially since Tesla has previously demoed FSD working exceptionally smoothly on European roads - and just did it again in Rome when they shared the video below on X.

FSD Supervised testing in Rome, Italy

Pending regulatory approval pic.twitter.com/TXh3uQIfrx

— Tesla Europe & Middle East (@teslaeurope) June 12, 2025

DCAS Phase 3

While the approval process has been slow, Kees Roelandschap pointed out that there may be a different regulatory step that could allow FSD to gain a foothold in Europe.

According to Kees, the European Commission is now taking a new approach to approving ADAS systems under the new DCAS Phase 3 regulations. The Commission is now seeking data from systems currently operational in the United States that can perform System-Initiated Maneuvers and don’t require hands-on intervention for every request.

This is key because those are two of the core functionalities that make FSD so usable, and it also means that there may not be a need to wait years for proper regulations to be written from scratch. Now, the Commission will be looking at real-world data based on existing, deployed technology, which could speed up the process immensely.

What This Means

This new, data-driven regulatory approach could be the path for Tesla to reach its previous target of September for European FSD. While the cogs of bureaucracy are ever slow, sometimes all it takes is a little data to have them turn a bit faster in this case.

Alongside specific countries granting approval for limited field testing with employees, there is some light at the end of the tunnel for FSD in Europe, and hopes are that a release will occur by the end of 2025. With Europe now looking to North America for how FSD is performing, Tesla’s Robotaxi results could also play a role.

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Tesla Launches 'TeslaVision' Contest With Big Prizes — See Last Year’s Winner [VIDEO]

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Tesla’s marketing has always been relatively unconventional, relying on word-of-mouth rather than traditional advertising. The passion of the owner’s community is always massive, but it is especially high now with the launch of the Robotaxi network just around the corner.

Tesla is now tapping into that spring of fan creativity and announced the TeslaVision video contest, with some seriously impressive prizes up for grabs.

Announcing the TeslaVision fan video showcase

Tesla owners & supporters have always been able to see our products & mission for what they truly are.

Your word of mouth has made Tesla what it is today.

The OGs will remember that in 2017, we held our first video contest. 8 years… pic.twitter.com/6pPpkqmqOH

— Tesla (@Tesla) June 10, 2025

The Contest

The core of the contest is simple. Create a video that shows how your Tesla gives you more in life. Tesla is looking for submissions that highlight themes of freedom, safety, fun, and convenience.

Prizes

The prizes definitely make this contest worth entering if you’re good with a camera and have some basic video editing abilities.

For North America, the prizes include a brand new Model Y AWD Long Range, alongside an all-expenses-paid trip to Austin for a tour of Giga Texas. The grand prize winner will also be able to custom order their Model Y, allowing them to select their preferred wheels and color.

The two runners-up won’t get a Model Y, but they’ll also enjoy an all-expenses-paid trip to Giga Texas for a tour of the factory.

The travel and tour include lodging in Austin for 2 nights, as well as economy-class round-trip tickets from anywhere in North America. Tesla will also provide a vehicle for use during the trip.

Hopefully, these winners will also have the opportunity to experience the Robotaxi network while they’re in Austin, as it’s expected to be opened to the public later this month.

Project Loveday

For long-time followers of Tesla, this contest may feel familiar. The contest is a direct throwback to the 2017 Project Loveday contest, which was inspired by a letter to Tesla from a 10-year-old aspiring marketer. That contest was won by MKBHD, with his submission below:

How to Enter

If you’re ready to start filming, here are the key pieces of information you’ll need to know:

• Video must be 90 seconds or less

• Video must be uploaded to YouTube with a public URL

• Make a post on X and Instagram tagging “@Tesla” and include the words “TeslaVision contest” in the post.

• Provide links to both social media posts in your submission to Tesla’s form

• Provide your personal details in the form

• You have until July 17th, 2025, or until Tesla receives 10,000 entries, whichever comes first.

You can find the official submission form and all region-specific details on Tesla's website.

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