From the article above in @mark79bond's post. This part bodes...

From the article above in @mark79bond's post. This part bodes well for BAT;

No graphite substitutes on the horizon

New tech is popping up all the time, but graphite anode is here to stay, Thompson says.

“It works, it is cheap, safe, and performance in constantly improving,” he says.

“Even if companies solved some of the inherent issues with these new technologies over the next five or 10 years, they then have to solve the commercial issues, and the scalability issues.”

Benchmark’s George Miller agrees.

“Silicon anode chemistries are forecasted to occupy just 5 per cent of the anode market by 2030 according to the Benchmark Flake Graphite Forecast,” he says.

Synthetic [graphite] offers great consistency, which is key in cell production, but it is expensive, and production is energy intensive which therefore also raises issues linked to emissions.

“Anode producers will often blend the two [synthetic and natural] for the best-performing anode chemistries,” Miller says.

“We see natural graphite as being a larger part of the market in the longer term, primarily due to cost and environmental concerns.”

Graphite plays on the ASX, like their battery metals brethren, are now buoyed by a very positive demand outlook.