Automotive manufacturers globally are seeking to reduce the use of cobalt in the production of their electric vehicles, owing to concerns that its extraction has been associated with human rights abuses. Nevertheless, with big global expansion plans, electric-car pioneer Tesla will need to secure supplies of the critical mineral for factories in China and Germany. It has been reported that the US firm has struck a deal with mining group Glencore to supply as much as 6 000 t of the metal a year for lithium-ion batteries that power electric cars similar to the ones pictured here. Photograph: Bloomberg