Chinese export restrictions

On October 20, 2023, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce announced that it would restrict the export of the types of graphite used in military and EV applications.  Today China is the source of 60% of all natural graphite production and 90% of all synthetic graphite production.  News of the Chinese move sent shockwaves through the EV community and probably through the U.S. military as well.  Lithium-ion batteries used in EV’s and in military applications require large amounts of battery-grade graphite. Although the restriction of Chinese graphite may cause a short-term disruption in the supply of battery-grade graphite in North America, that [...]