Car Batteries- Chinese Graphite Supply may Increase in Price ?

E-car batteries

​Any materials that are mined from the Earth are eventually going to run out. Most of these materials also cause some kind of pollution, even going back to the mining of coal, we suffered years of pollution​ in the coal mining areas.

We then discovered oil and same problems occurred, We have had massive pollution problems since its discovery. But like anything else we have to way out the pros and cons of these materials and probably have to take a hit on the chin, because the advantages will out way the disadvantages.

We in the west have cleaned up our act as regards the pollution caused, but the developing countries which includes China will be taking the brunt of the new generation pollutants, that are involving in our strive for a greener planet.

I recently saw a TV documentary about China's coal reserves and mountains of stacked coal mountains stretched to the horizon as far as the eye could see, it made our Northern England coal stacks look like ant hills.

The same happened with lead acid car and truck batteries (and all other lead acid batteries for that matter). They were produced in unregulated factories and the waste products were just emptied into the rivers, the pollution caused was horrific. Eventually the Chinese authorities clamp down on these companies due to outside pressure and only the ones with proper environmental controls were allowed to continue producing these batteries.

Graphite used to make Litium-Ion car batteries

The same is now happening in the mining of graphite, an important and indeed vital component in the making of the batteries that are used in electric car batteries such as the ones used in Toyota's electric Prius cars as well as other important gadgets now used, these include i-Phones.

This is turning out to be the same story as the lead acid batteries. The mines that produce the graphite are

causing massive pollution problems in the water table close to the factories where crops are been grown, as well as air pollution surrounding the processing plants.

This has caused the Chinese authorities to do the same as the lead acid plants and closing some of them down, This is a problem for the growing demand for the graphite as the rest of the World surges on with its quest for a greener planet.

Each electric car uses as much as 50 kg of graphite in the battery production and this move by China is expected to increase the price of graphite by as much as 30%, this year alone, causing a headache amongst the World's electric battery battery manufacturers.

Eric Roberts

Hi I would like to introduce myself. I have worked in the Garage and tyre and Battery business now for 40 years. I have worked for a couple for national tyre companies in my younger days, before tarting my first business. I now own a garage and MOT testing centre, here in the UK called Pellon Tyre and Auto-centre, and I am a keen blogger about anything to do with cars and their related products that will help my business. We are members of Point-S and