The United States’ EV battery supply chain is set to strengthen with plans from Canadian company Graphite One to develop a domestic source of graphite, a critical material for electric vehicle batteries. The firm intends to mine graphite at its Graphite Creek site in Alaska and process it at a new facility in Ohio, marking a significant step toward onshoring the battery anode supply and reducing dependence on overseas suppliers, particularly China.
While many recent battery innovations focus on cathode chemistry, graphite remains the dominant material for battery anodes, accounting for over 95% of their composition. Alternative materials like silicon and lithium metal have yet to match graphite’s benefits in terms of cost and manufacturability, ensuring sustained demand for graphite in battery manufacturing.
Graphite One's Alaska deposit is reported by the US Geological Survey as the largest graphite reserve in the United States and among the biggest globally. Despite potential higher costs compared to imported graphite, domestic mining could offer strategic advantages by avoiding tariffs and geopolitical risks associated with reliance on foreign sources.
Plans to build a new anode active materials processing plant in Conneaut, Ohio, further consolidate this onshoring effort. The facility will be located on property secured through an agreement with Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad Company, a subsidiary of the Canadian National Railway, reinforcing the cross-border collaboration. This integrated approach—from mine to processing—could redefine US supply security for the expanding EV battery market.