The electric-vehicle maker reportedly has a multi-year supply deal with the miner Vale, which has not been officially announced. (Bloomberg)

Talking point: As my colleague Martin has reported, sanctions on Russia have squeezed the already competitive nickel industry, perhaps to Canada’s advantage. Automakers are also entering into more mining-related agreements. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has long promised “a giant contract” for efficient and green nickel mining, and the company shopped around Canada for the metal as far back as 2020. Though Vale would not comment specifically on the Bloomberg report, spokesperson Cinthia Saito told The Logic in a statement the company generally has “been involved in conversations with stakeholders at all points in the electric-vehicle supply chain,” and that such discussions were consistent with Vale’s goal to increase the share of its nickel used for EVs from five per cent to up to 40 per cent. Tesla, which disbanded its U.S. public relations team in 2020, did not respond to a request for comment.