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Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party leader Armin Laschet visit the construction site of Tesla’s Gigafactory in Gruenheide near Berlin, Germany, August 13, 2021.
Patrick Pleul | Reuters

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said the fundamental good the electric car maker does will be measured in the acceleration of the world to sustainable energy.

Tesla’s role in the auto industry’s move to electrification is undeniable. Many major automakers are now investing billions in EV and battery manufacturing, and consumer interest in EVs continues to grow. While a Pew Research Center survey this summer found only 7% of U.S. adults currently had an electric or hybrid vehicle, 39% said they were considering an electric vehicle to be the next car they bought. 

“One of the many things he did is he pushed the industry toward taking EV seriously,” former Ford CEO Mark Fields said of Musk.

Tesla didn’t surpass 1% share of new car sales until 2018, but during the first half of 2021, Tesla’s share of the all-electric segment of the auto market stood at about two-thirds.

“Profitability as a pure EV maker is an accomplishment in and of itself,” said Driss Lembachar, manager of transportation and infrastructure research at Morningstar’s Sustainalytics.

Tesla‘s stock price, now near-$900, and its rise to a near-$1 trillion company, shows that investors have been rewarded for sticking with a company that five years ago traded under $50 amid constant reporting on financial struggles.

But for ESG analysts including Lembachar, “There is some room for improvement.”

Beyond Tesla earnings and sales

As Tesla gets set to report its latest earnings on Wednesday and demand for its EVs show continued growth, its balance sheet becomes less volatile, and it ramps up manufacturing around the globe — including operations in Europe and China — its success is also an indication that Tesla has passed beyond its roots as a California start-up. It’s becoming a mature automaker. That is one reason ESG experts are watching closely to see how Musk’s company evolves in relation to investor concerns about environmental, social and governance issues.

Yana Kakar, global managing partner emeritus at Dalberg, said when the ESG debate is boiled down to a choice between whether the product a company produces is good, such as a Tesla EV, or the way it produces the product is good, that is a mistake.

“That’s a false dichotomy,” she said. “There is no necessary tradeoff. It is not a zero-sum game.”

How a company produces its products can be a reflection of the same values in the products it creates, and “that is entirely achievable,” Kakar said. 

This debate over Tesla has a parallel to the rise of Silicon Valley companies that are “revolutionizing” industries and, as a result, have to keep their focus on that primary goal and not ESG.

“That attitude has been particularly prevalent in Silicon Valley,” said Jaakko Kooroshy, head of sustainable investment research at FTSE Russell. “But investors have come around to the view that a company can continue ‘saving the world’ and also have decent sustainability disclosures, and those disclosures do matter in the context of the company trying to save the world.” He added, “The line from Tesla for a very long time was ‘we are busy here saving the world so who cares about our emissions disclosures and corporate governance mechanisms.”

Tesla shareholders are pressing company on ESG

The recent Tesla annual shareholder meeting showed how investor pressure is being applied to the company, with a measure for diversity, equity and inclusion reporting approved by shareholders over management objections. The vote came shortly after a legal case in which a former Tesla contract worker sued over a hostile work environment and was awarded $137 million.

ESG experts say it is a sign that Tesla shareholders are making their voices heard, but it will be another year before ESG experts and shareholders can assess any changes made by Tesla in response to the shareholder measure. Shareholder measures are non-binding, and though corporate management often enacts changes in response to shareholder wins, it is not always with the scope or comprehensiveness that shareholders expected.

To date, in spite of all of the “good” the company is doing related to climate change, Tesla has not had the best ESG track record.

Paul Tudor Jones’ ESG firm JUST Capital ranks Tesla among the bottom 10% of all companies on ESG — its ESG methodology is weighted more heavily to broad social issues than climate specifically.

FTSE Russell has Tesla ranked last among carmakers globally on ESG issues.

Tesla did not respond to a request for comment on its ESG philosophy.

Environment and climate

ESG rating agencies, in the early days of the industry, don’t yet agree on how to assess Tesla even on the “E” of environment with which it is synonymous.

Lembachar said on the environmental pillar in ESG, “They are one of the best … it goes without saying they produce only cars without emissions, and they have been credited for that.”

But in 2018, FTSE Russell gave Tesla a “zero” on environment because even though its revenue sources are green and its cars are non-emitting, the company didn’t disclose its own operational emissions.

Historically, Tesla did not provide transparency in terms of reporting its Scope 1 and Scope 2 carbon emissions, water use, or waste management. But Tesla has improved as investors pressed for more information and it has started publishing more corporate disclosures in recent years, said Kooroshy, which has led to an improvement in Tesla’s environmental ranking in the FTSE Russell ESG analysis.

How Tesla deals with the waste it generates and its water usage, particularly as it is starting to scale around the world and provide millions of vehicles, does matter, he said. There are many ways to produce EVs, some cleaner and some more problematic, and supply chains and sourcing of raw materials such as cobalt, which goes into batteries, and human rights and labor issues in regions where minerals are sourced, need to be considered by investors as risk factors.

“What is clear is that Tesla has made some improvements, but compared to many of its peers in the auto industry, its environmental reporting is still fairly rudimentary,” Kooroshy said. “They are conscious of, and made commitments to disclose more data points in future, and as they do, when they do, we will see it reflected in those ratings.” 

Labor

On balance, social and governance issues remain the major hurdles for Tesla. MCSI places Tesla above average in its rankings, but not as an ESG leader.

“If you look at labor management or product safety quality, we see some issues there,” said Arne Klug, vice president of ESG research at MSCI. “We couldn’t say that the company’s programs, in terms of labor management, or product safety, quality, are really aligned with its growth strategy based on our assessment.”

In March, the National Labor Relations Board ruled that Tesla violated federal labor laws while United Auto Workers and other unions tried to organize at its original plant in Fremont, California. The NLRB also found Tesla guilty of “coercively interrogating” three employees over unionizing activities, illegally firing another and disciplining another.

For JUST Capital, worker issues are one of the primary reasons Tesla gets “tripped” up in its rankings, Whittaker said. How a company supports local communities, what is it doing on diversity, and what it is doing on fair pay and worker issues, are all issues that JUST weighs more heavily than climate alone in its overall ESG rankings because Whittaker said, “the public weighs them highly.”

The labor issues will pose a material risk to Tesla as it expands around the world, Lembachar said, as they do for any company with global operations where a confrontation with a labor force at one site can increase the risk of more general strikes.

“Workforce issues can have more of an effect now that the company is getting out of this start-up stage and expanding around the world and in Europe, where there is a really strong union tradition,” he said. “The company must be prepared for labor-related risks and, according to us, must have stronger labor-related programs prepared to tackle issues related to the expansion of its workforce engine around the world.”

Autopilot as an ESG issue

Tesla is facing investigations from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration regarding Autopilot, the automated driving technology currently in Tesla’s Models 3, S, X and Y in 2021.

While it may at first not seem obvious how self-driving is an ESG issue, it in fact falls within traditional categories that date all the way back to the days of Ralph Nader and “unsafe at any speed”: product safety and passenger safety.

Lembachar said Tesla’s full self-driving (FSD) is something his firm receives a lot of questions about as an ESG scoring metric, but he says it is simple: “Anything related to passenger safety is product governance and falls under the ‘Social’ pillar. Everything related to recalls, accidents, defects, responsibility of company is product governance.”

He was quick to point out that if self-driving works it may ultimately cut down on accidents by as much as 90%, and Tesla is potentially far ahead of competitors with the technology. But in a period of time when it is being scrutinized as the cause of accidents and fatalities, self-driving remains a product governance negative, and that metric has a heavy weighting for the auto industry. That hits other companies, too, such as GM after its recent recall on electric cars due to battery fire risk. And Lembacher said these issues have a material cost: for GM, more than $1 billion in the case of the recalls. “That is a very material issue,” he said.

Corporate governance and Tesla’ ESG future

Even though tweets may seem ephemeral, Musk’s confrontation with the Securities and Exchange Commission over controversial tweets can negatively impact the company’s corporate governance score.

“In terms of corporate governance, we see the confrontation between Musk and the SEC as problematic,” Lembacher said. “Tweets are problematic when they change the share price and that can be harmful for shareholders … and that’s why the SEC has been flagging it. There is a risk that the regulator at some point will sanction the company and since we are running a risk rating product, we have to flag this issue.”

Questions also remain about the company’s acquisition of SolarCity, which was controlled by Musk’s cousins (a legal case is ongoing brought by shareholders).

The corporate governance issues raise a bigger question about Musk’s impact on ESG ratings.

“It is not enough to say the company is being run by a ‘genius’ and as a result, ‘please don’t ask us too many questions,” Kooroshy said. “There is no doubt about the achievements of this company, particularly about accelerating the transition to sustainable energy. This is stuff for the history books, but at the end of the day, for investors trying to understand how much of a portfolio to invest in this company … not enough, he said. “It’s still not a free pass. … Making these disclosures doesn’t stop them from innovating.”

Kakar said Tesla’s mission of accelerating the transition to sustainable energy, and its focus on that as an argument in its defense, is implicitly a relative statement comparing itself to other automakers, and that is where the false tradeoff comes in. “It is terrific they are making EVs … but relative to the next guy is not the important point, and doesn’t obfuscate responsibility.” 

Many ESG investors and ESG investment products today accentuate the “E” and climate specifically. “That’s where the action is at and investors have seen it as a good story, and if you think about environmental performance and climate as the big opportunities, you see Tesla as a big solution and will be attracted to it,” Whittaker said.

But as any company grows in scope and scale, the range of issues they have to contend with changes and investors will ask more about the “how” behind the growing business.

“That’s what is going to happen with Tesla as people become more aware of the social risk of how it operates,” Whittaker said. “It is bound to become more of an issue for investors and more of an operational risk for the company if it doesn’t perform well … more prominent in the overall calculus of company competitiveness and success.”

“That is not to say it won’t do well,” he added. “Musk is an incredible entrepreneur and business leader and I am sure if it becomes an issue he thinks will affect the value of the company or brand, he will respond accordingly. I expect it will become more of an issue for the management team to have to deal with.”

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EcoFlow’s Halloween Sale adds Monthly Madness promotions with up to 65% discounts, extra savings, 3x EcoCredits from $249, more

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October 30, 2025

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EcoFlow's Halloween Sale adds Monthly Madness promotions with up to 65% discounts, extra savings, 3x EcoCredits from 9, more


Our Green Deals today is being headlined by EcoFlow’s switched-up Halloween Sale with Monthly Madness promotions lasting only for the next two days with up to 65% discounts, bonus savings, 3x EcoCredit rewards, and more. Among the expanded lineup, we spotted the brand’s new DELTA 3 Max Portable Power Station coming with a FREE trolley at a new $721 low. Speaking of switched-up sales, Rad Power Bikes has not only extended its Haul-o-ween Sale, but is also offering up to $200 discounts/bundles on select e-bikes alongside some extra savings on e-bikes and accessories – all starting from $89. We also have Autel’s MaxiCharger Home 50A Level 2 EV Chargers in either a wood grain or blue colorway at $404, as well as a one-day-only snow shovel deal, and many soon-to-end deals on power stations waiting for you below. And don’t forget about the hangover deals from last week that are collected together at the bottom of the page, like yesterday’s exclusive camping-ready Bluetti power station deals, the new low on Heybike’s Tyson Uni-body e-bike, and more.

Head below for other New Green Deals we’ve found today and, of course, Electrek’s best EV buying and leasing deals. Also, check out the new Electrek Tesla Shop for the best deals on Tesla accessories.

EcoFlow has switched up its ongoing Halloween Sale to include its Monthly Madness promotions for the last two days of October, complete with a bonus 5% sitewide savings code, a free gift promotion with orders over $1,000, member-only deals (sign-up is free), 3x EcoCredit rewards, and the chance to cash them in for additional savings. Among the expanded lineup, as well as the member-only deals, you can find the brand’s new DELTA 3 Max Portable Power Station with a FREE trolley at $721.05 shipped, after using the code 25EFHWAFF at checkout, which beats its Amazon pricing by $78. This is one of the brand’s latest releases that hit the market at the end of September carrying a $1,499 MSRP, which we saw taken down to $759 with the launch savings while spending most of the time at $799 over at Amazon. Now, for the next two days, you’re getting even more savings as a total $778 is cut from the tag, landing it $38 under our previous mention at a new all-time low price. Head below for more on this new backup power solution and the expanded lineup of deals.

Upgraded from the DELTA 3 Classic model, EcoFlow’s new DELTA 3 Max power station starts improvements with a doubled 2,048Wh LiFePO4 capacity over its predecessor, which you can expand up to 10,240Wh by using extra batteries for the DELTA 3, DELTA Pro 3, DELTA 2 Max, or DELTA 2, giving it a nice array of modular versatility. It produces up to 2,400W of power output (surging up to 3,400W) to devices connected to any of its nine port options, broken down into four ACs, three USB-Cs, one USB-A, and one car port. It brings four ways to recharge its own battery, with a standard AC outlet taking 68 minutes to reach 80%, which is how long a gas generator would also take, while utilizing its max 500W solar input can get you back to 80% in 3.43 hours of sunlight, and also benefits from the brand’s alternator charger.

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***Note: The prices for this Halloween Monthly Madness Sale below have not had the extra 5% savings factored in (which doesn’t work with select offers like the flash sale items), so be sure to use the code 25EFHWAFF at checkout to score the best deal!

EcoFlow’s Halloween Monthly Madness member-only deals:

EcoFlow’s Halloween Monthly Madness power beast deals:

EcoFlow’s Halloween Monthly Madness wicked watts deals:

EcoFlow’s Halloween Monthly Madness Sale also has a promotion that gives you a 15% bonus savings when buying any two add-on accessories, which you can view at the bottom of the main sale’s page here.

man and woman riding Rad Power RadRover 6 Plus e-bikes through forest

Rad Power has both extended and condensed its Haul-o-ween Sale, with one e-bike seeing a $200 discount, while the brand’s RadWagons get a FREE accessory of up to a $200 value – plus, a bonus 15% discount on select models and gear for military, first responders, teachers, and other qualified GOVX members. During this sale, we’re seeing the continuance of the brand’s RadRover 6 Plus Step-Thru Fat-Tire e-bike at $1,399 shipped. This is a popular multi-terrain commuter that normally goes for $1,599 in full, though we’ve regularly seen it dropped down between $1,399 and $1,299, with some falls to $1,199 earlier in the year before tariffs began stiffening up the market. For only a handful of days more, you can jump on it for your needs with $200 cut from the price tag at the third-lowest rate we have tracked to date.

If you want to learn more about the RadRover 6 Plus, or browse the full lineup of deals, be sure to check out our original coverage of this extended sale here.

man charging EV with Autel wood grain MaxiCharger Home 50A Ev charger

Save $165 on Autel’s stylish MaxiCharger Home 50A level 2 EV chargers in wood or blue colorways at $404

Autel’s official Amazon storefront is offering its MaxiCharger Home Level 2 50A EV Charger, in either a Wood Grain or the Prime-exclusive Sierra Blue colorway, at $403.75 shipped. Both of these normally go for $569 in full, with the Sierra Blue colorway spending far more time at that rate than the Wood Grain variant, which saw discounts to $455, $425, and a one-time appearance of its $399 low back in January, whereas the Sierra Blue’s $399 low was last seen in 2024. You’re looking at a $165 markdown on these two colorful charging solutions, which lands them both at the second-best prices we have tracked, though this is an annual low for the Sierra Blue model in particular.

If you want to learn more about these EV chargers, be sure to check out our original coverage of these deals here.

man uses Greenworks 80V 12-inch snow shovel in front of home

Get the 80V Greenworks 12-inch snow shovel with a 2.0Ah battery and rapid charger at $250 for today only

As part of its Deals of the Day, and following right behind yesterday’s one-day snow blower deal, Best Buy is now offering the Greenworks 80V 12-inch Cordless Brushless Snow Shovel with a 2.0Ah battery and rapid charger at $249.99 shipped, which also matches Amazon’s pricing. Normally going for $350 in full here, as well as directly from Greenworks’ website, where it is currently priced, it’s been regularly seen instead down between $300 and $275 over 2025. While we have seen it go lower in the past, for the rest of the day, you’re looking at a $100 markdown that lands it amongst the lowest prices we’ve seen from Best Buy, letting you bulk up your arsenal to tackle snow-clearing needs in the upcoming months.

If you want to learn more about this snow shovel’s capabilities, be sure to check out our original coverage of this one-day-only deal here.

jackery power stations with spooky pumpkin and bats
woman carries Anker powercore reserve power station towards car near lake

Best Fall EV deals!

Best new Green Deals landing this week

The savings this week are also continuing to a collection of other markdowns. To the same tune as the offers above, these all help you take a more energy-conscious approach to your routine. Winter means you can lock in even better off-season price cuts on electric tools for the lawn while saving on EVs and tons of other gear.


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Kia launches a ‘full-scale attack’ as its first EV storms into Japan’s forbidden land

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October 30, 2025

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Kia launches a 'full-scale attack' as its first EV storms into Japan's forbidden land

Kia-first-EV-Japan

Kia is officially entering the forbidden land after unveiling its first vehicle in Japan. The PV5 will spearhead Kia’s “full-scale attack” on the Japanese market as it looks to take on Toyota, Honda, and Nissan on their home turf.

Kia launches its first EV in Japan, the PV5

At the Japan Mobility Show on Wednesday, Kia declared its foray into the Japanese market. The PV5, Kia’s first electric van, will serve as a vanguard as it looks to break into Japan’s auto market.

Domestic automakers like Toyota, Honda, and Nissan account for about 90% of new car sales in Japan, making it nearly impossible for foreign automakers to compete.

Kia sees an opportunity to capitalize on Japanese brands that have been slow to transition to EVs, focusing on hybrids instead.

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After unveiling the PV5 in Japan for the first time, Kia said it’s launching a “full-scale attack” on the Japanese EV van market. Kia said the decision comes as demand for EV vans and other electric vehicles is expected to pick up, driven by the Japanese government’s policy to convert 30% of new car sales to EVs by 2030.

Sang Dae Kim alongside the Kia PV5 Passenger (Source: Kia)

Last year, Kia signed a contract with Sojitz, a leading trading company in Japan, to sell electric vans in the country.

Kia and Sojitz are establishing a new business, “Kia PBV Japan,” to establish a local distribution network across the region.

Kia-first-EV-Japan
Kia PV5 display at the Japan Mobility Show (Source: Kia)

Over the next year, Kia plans to add eight dealers and 100 service centers. Kia will launch the PV5 Passenger and Cargo models in Japan in 2026, but more variants are set to follow shortly after. The PV5 WAV, a wheelchair accessible version, and the larger PV7 will arrive in 2027.

Kia-first-EV-Japan
Kia PV5 Passenger (left) and Cargo (right) Source: Kia

“Kia’s entry into Japan is significant in that it goes beyond simply launching new cars and introduces a new form of mobility to Japanese society,” Sang Dae Kim, head of Kia’s PBV business, said.

The PV5 is already rolling out across Europe and South Korea, but Kia has much bigger plans. In addition to Japan, Kia plans to launch the PV5 in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa in 2026.

By the end of the decade, the company aims to sell 250,000 electric vans a year. Japan is expected to be a key market with limited electric solutions in the commercial space. Kia said the PV5 can “also address social issues such as increased logistics, labor shortages, and regional transportation gaps.”


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Toyota’s solid-state EV battery dreams might actually come true

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5 hours ago

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October 30, 2025

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Toyota's solid-state EV battery dreams might actually come true

Toyota-solid-state-battery-EV

Toyota is still on track to launch its first solid-state battery-powered vehicle within the next two to three years. An executive confirmed Toyota’s timeline at the Tokyo Motor Show this week.

Toyota’s first solid-state battery-powered EV is on track

Earlier this month, Toyota said it aims to “achieve the world’s first practical use of all-solid-state batteries in BEVs” after securing a new partnership with Sumitomo Metal Mining Co. to mass-produce the new battery tech.

Toyota has been hyping up solid-state batteries for nearly a decade. It was initially planning to launch them in 2020, but the launch was pushed back to 2023, then to 2026. The new tech is still a few years away, but Toyota insists it will become a reality.

At the Tokyo Motor Show, Keiji Kaita, president of Toyota’s Carbon Neutral Advanced Engineering Development Center, confirmed it’s “sticking on the schedule” to introduce its first solid-state battery-powered EV by 2028.

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Kaita added that solid-state batteries are “very important in the future,” promising to nearly triple driving range while cutting charging time in half.

Toyota-solid-state-battery-EV
Toyota CEO Koji Sato reveals the Corolla Concept at the Japan Mobility Show (Source: Toyota)

“For the all-solid-state battery, the characteristic is high power, compact, and long range,” Toyota’s executive explained at the event (via Autocar).

However, as to which vehicle it will debut in first, remains a mystery. “Whether it will be a Lexus or Toyota, we will leave that to your imagination,” Kaita said.

Toyota-Corolla-EV
The Toyota Corolla EV Concept (Source: Toyota)

While solid-state batteries offer the potential for drastic improvements in driving range, charging time, and output, Toyota said they will also reduce emissions with less environmental impact.

“We will try to reduce the carbon footprint, and the key here is reducing the CO2 output in the process of manufacturing the material. But the most important thing is producing a battery whose life is longer,” Kaita explained at the event.

Toyota-solid-state-battery-EV
Toyota EV battery roadmap (Source: Toyota)

According to Hiroki Nakajima, Toyota’s chief technical officer, solid-state batteries could, “technically speaking,” be used in its current EV platform. However, the tech is better suited for a dedicated platform.

Toyota recently revealed a solid-state battery pack prototype, claiming it can deliver 745 miles of range (1,200 km) and charge in under 10 minutes.

To make it a reality, Toyota is partnering with several major Japanese firms, including Idemitsu Kosan, to mass-produce solid-state EV batteries.

Toyota-solid-state-battery-EV
Idemitsu’s value chain for solid electrolytes used in all-solid-state EV batteries (Source: Idemitsu)

Idemitsu announced plans earlier this year to build a large-scale production plant for lithium sulfide, a key raw material used in all-solid-state EV batteries. Once complete, the facility will be capable of producing 1,000 metric tons of lithium sulfide annually. Idemitsu aims to begin mass-producing all-solid-state batteries in 2027.

The partnership is part of Japan’s broader strategy to wean itself off of China and South Korea to establish a domestic supply of EV batteries.

Toyota-first-all-solid-state-EV
Toyota-first-all-solid-state-EV

Toyota is one of a few companies investing a combined 1 trillion yen ($7 billion) to build electric vehicle batteries in Japan.

To maximize range and efficiency, Toyota plans to reduce the height of the battery housed under the vehicle to 120 mm. In high-performance EVs, it could be reduced to as low as 100 mm. Toyota previewed the design in the Corolla Concept, which debuted at the Tokyo Motor Show on Wednesday.

Electrek’s Take

Toyota has been making bold claims about solid-state EV batteries for nearly a decade now. Will it finally bring the new battery tech to market?

Toyota insists it’s still on track to launch them in 2027 or 2028, but how many times have we heard this before? Until we see prototypes out for testing and real-life results, I’ll believe it when I see it.

Meanwhile, others are already testing solid-state batteries on the road. Mercedes announced that it put “the first car powered by a lithium-metal solid-state battery on the road” in February. And then, just last month, Mercedes drove an EQS equipped with solid-state batteries for nearly 750 miles (1,205 km).

Mercedes also considers solid-state batteries to be a “game-changer” for electric vehicles. It plans to put the battery tech into series production by the end of the decade.

Nissan also recently took a big step toward commercializing all-solid-state EV batteries after prototype cells reached performance targets set for mass production

CATL and BYD, which account for over half of global EV battery sales, plan to introduce solid-state batteries around 2027, with mass production closer to 2030.

In August, SAIC MG claimed the new MG4 was “the world’s first mass-produced semi-solid-state” electric vehicle to hit the market.

If Toyota wants to be among the first, it had better get moving.


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