Tesla Inc. confirmed a deal to buy nickel from mining giant Vale SA among other metal-supply contracts in an annual report on the company’s global impact, which also provided detailed data on the racial composition of its U.S. workforce.
The electric-vehicle maker’s report issued Friday is the most comprehensive view Tesla has given of its metals-supplier relationships, a topic of increased interest as global auto industry demand for EV batteries has exceeded supplies. Unlike most other major carmakers, Tesla has sought to manufacture its own battery cells and buy raw materials directly from metals producers.
Tesla listed Vale as a direct supplier of nickel for batteries, sourcing the metal from an integrated mine and refining site in Canada, which Bloomberg News first reported in March. The report also detailed agreements with producers such as Albemarle Corp., Livent Corp. and China’s Sichuan Yahua Industrial Group Co. for supplies of lithium.
