Elon Musk and his behemoth electric vehicle company, Tesla, are increasingly cropping up in complicated policy fights tied to critical minerals and China’s role in growing EV supply chains — raising questions about the tech billionaire’s influence and potential conflicts.
In a case that played out in the Beltway on Wednesday, attorneys for Tesla and Panasonic urged members of the International Trade Commission to throw out a request from domestic graphite producers to impose steep tariffs on imports of Chinese active and anode material. Tesla and other automakers rely on imports of graphite from China, which dominates the mining and processing of the mineral, a key ingredient in EV batteries.
Also this week, the federal government took a tougher stance against a Chinese EV battery producer working with Tesla, calling into question ongoing arrangements Tesla has in the U.S and abroad with that company, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., or CATL.
Both cases shine a light on the gnarly business entanglements present throughout Tesla’s supply chains as Musk takes the reins of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, and spends much of his time in the orbit of President-elect Donald Trump. Musk could have a major role in shaping federal policy, including the laws and regulations that govern Tesla.
