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Tesla Confirms Vale Nickel Deal, Lifts Veil on U.S. Race Data

  • Report also notes supply deals with Albemarle, Livent
  • EV maker says it pays for employee health-care travel
Photographer: Brent Lewin/Bloomberg
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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.