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As Tesla sales tank, it’s not exactly the best time for the automaker to receive more bad press. However, Tesla faces a lawsuit for allegedly using child labor to mine precious metals for its EV batteries as Elon Musk laughs about it. 

A lawsuit claims Tesla uses child labor to mine precious metals 

According to SEC.gov, Tesla relies on child labor to mine precious metals such as cobalt. Tesla is being sued for failing to address documented labor by children in its supply chain. 

The lawsuit claims that Tesla sources cobalt from mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that might be produced by kids.

Roughly 60% of the world’s cobalt comes from the DRC. About 20% of it is mined by hand with the use of children. UNICEF estimates that about 40,000 children are miners in the DRC, but the actual number could be higher. 

Tesla is one of five companies facing a federal class action lawsuit with allegations of knowingly benefiting from and abetting the cruel and brutal use of young children in the DRC. 

14 plaintiffs are children who were seriously injured while mining for cobalt or are the family members of children killed during tunnel collapses. 

Tesla plans to source 6,000 tons of cobalt annually from a DRC mine linked to child labor. However, Tesla claims to have a zero-tolerance policy. 

Tesla doesn’t have any information about how it communicates and monitors to prevent children from being forced into the mines. 

At one point Elon Musk said he would install a webcam to monitor the mine in real time. However, this was walked back to only producing a single blurry satellite image each month.

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Allison Barfield

Allison Barfield joined MotorBiscuit in 2020 and covers all things trucks, SUVs, and Jeeps. Having grown up on a farm in Rock Hill, South Carolina, she’s no stranger to the “Best in Class” truck and SUV debates; people in her hometown were always gathering to help work on vehicles together, and deliberation would naturally arise.

Allison graduated from the University of South Carolina with a degree in Media Arts. She has helped bring awareness to issues Women In Trucking face and has promoted Truckers Against Trafficking, an anti-trafficking NGO.

A fan of creatively dark literature, Allison appreciates the works of Shirley Jackson and Emily Dickenson. She lives in a mountainous area of the country and enjoys off-roading and camping. Her dog, Bruce, often joins her in testing trucks and SUVs for our site.