While lithium seems to garner all the headlines, the amount of lithium in a lithium-ion battery is a paltry 2% of its total volume. That's why Elon Musk says that lithium-ion batteries should really be called "nickel-graphite batteries." Graphite makes up 95% of the anode - the negative electrode - of the lithium-ion batteries that power electric vehicles. That's around 146 pounds of graphite per EV! Unfortunately, graphite is in short supply - and North America has no operating graphite mines. In order to reduce Tesla's dependence on China for battery metals, Musk had to go to the African nation of Mozambique to find more graphite for his EV batteries. Fortunately, one little-known company with assets in a mining-friendly state aims to provide a "Made in America for America" graphite supply for the booming EV market. See Why All-American Graphite Has Investors So Interested |