EV Surge Continue to Drive Demand for High Purity Graphite Globally

Electric-vehicle sales are accelerating faster than the mines and refineries that feed them. Benchmark Mineral Intelligence now forecasts global EV sales will top 18 million units in 2026, up 42 % from 2024. Each of those cars needs 50–100 kg of graphite anode material - twice the lithium and six times the cobalt. China still holds 82 % of battery-grade graphite output and 100 % of the high-purity coating lines that turn raw flake into anode-ready powder. The math is sobering: unless 450,000t of additional synthetic and natural graphite comes on stream by 2030, the world will face a 700,000t shortfall—enough to idle 13 million EVs.

Washington's answer is money, not mines: the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act earmarks US$7.5 billion for advanced battery materials, yet not a single commercial-scale synthetic-graphite plant has broken ground. Canada's Ontario and Québec governments have fast-tracked environmental permits for two natural-graphite projects, but commissioning dates remain 2028 at the earliest. Europe is moving faster—Syrah's Louisiana facility (U.S.) and Vianode's Norway plant will add a combined 160,000 t yr⁻¹ by 2027, still only 11 % of projected demand.

Technology is shifting the goalposts. Next-generation silicon-rich anodes reduce graphite loadings to 60 %, but they require even purer graphite (≤30 ppm ash) and ultrafine particle size. What this means for automakers and Tier-1 battery suppliers is clear: secure multi-year offtake contracts now.