Hi no it wasent 10% for 2018, it was 8% for 2018 and 10% for 2019, and 12% for 2020. If you read carefully the article I posted, it states that te chinese government decided to drop the 2018 requirements but maintain the aggressive 2019 requirement to allow some free time for automakers to adapt. Going by history, when the chinese decide to do something they do it, they are serious about business. They could have maintained the 2018 mandate but they knew it was unrealistic. Better define realistic and achievable goals and impose them striclty.
Regarding why this is a game changer, it is because of the size of the chinese car maarket, read this :
it is now around 24Million cars per year market (30% of the whole worldide 90 million cars indsutry). 10% EVs is 2.4Million EV NEW BUILT cars in 2019.
Assuming 50kg of graphite feestock per car (25kg off spherical graphtie assuming an average of 25kwh battery per car), that is already 120.000 tonnes of additional graphite demand.
