Tesla strikes battery-metal deal to ensure supply

High demand: A Model 3 sedan charging at a Tesla dealership in Colorado. The US carmaker has committed to purchase 75,000 tonnes of nickel concentrates produced from Talon’s Tamarack project in Minnesota. — AP

NEW YORK: Tesla Inc has agreed to purchase nickel supplies from miner Talon Metals Corp as an expected surge in demand spurs automakers to secure access to battery metals and other electric-car parts.

Tesla committed to purchase 75,000 tonnes of nickel concentrates produced from Talon’s Tamarack project, with the price linked to the London Metal Exchange’s cash-settlement price for nickel, Talon said in a statement.