China raised the price of lithium-ion batteries because of pollution

We are still using the old lithium-ion battery technology of many years ago, while the demand for this type of battery is increasing, as mobile devices and electric vehicles are increasingly being used. more.

Graphite , one of the components used to make lithium-ion batteries, and China, which provides a lot of these materials, recently closed many graphite mines, to reduce the situation. Air pollution, water and dust, caused by the exploitation of this mineral.

The reduction in graphite production will directly affect technology companies using this material to make lithium-ion batteries, including Tesla. The carmaker is about to launch a li-ion battery factory in California and plans to double the demand for graphite. However, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that the graphite they used was exploited in a very clean and safe way, and the source of extraction was mainly in Japan, not China.

However, China's cut in graphite production will certainly have a big impact on this market, because researchers say the lithium-ion battery of an electric car needs 50kg of graphite, one hybrids need up to 10kg, laptops need about 100g and a phone needs 15g. Show that the demand for this material is extremely large. According to an estimate by Lux Research, li-ion batteries will reach a market share of 52% in 2018 at a value of about $ 41 billion.