Firms search for greener supplies of graphite for EV batteries
They hope to break China’s dominance of the industry
Despite probable bumps in the road ahead, caused by faltering economies and component shortages, more than 13m plug-in fully electric or hybrid passenger cars are likely to be sold this year, according to BloombergNEF. This will take the number of EVs on the world’s roads from 27m to more than 40m. But that is still only around 3% of the planet’s vehicle fleet. With another 97% to go, mass electrification of transport means there will be a huge demand for batteries and the materials they are made from.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Their dark materials”
From the March 4th 2023 edition
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