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The specific type of aluminum for which Tesla requested a tariff exclusion "is not produced in the United States in a sufficient and reasonably available amount or of a satisfactory quality," according to the BIS document granting Tesla's request.
The document offers insight into the rationale behind the waiver, that no reasonable alternative source of supply exists for Tesla.
There has been growing concern among U.S. automakers that domestic mining of metals such as lithium and aluminum (key materials for rechargeable car, laptop and smartphone batteries) is vastly insufficient to support expected demand. Roughly half of the world's lithium mines are located in China, which also controls 60% of global electric battery production capacity.