Electric Vehicles are Creating a Substantial Opportunity for Graphite

December 22, 2020 - Baystreet.ca


With the electric vehicle market showing no signs of slowing, the EV battery market could become a $133.46 billion market over the next seven years. However, for that to happen, graphite is a necessity. “This is because graphite serves as the anode in the lithium-ion batteries that power these EVs, not to mention the growing number of portable tools and electronics that use the same type of battery.” In addition, such dependence is why the USGS includes graphite on its list of 35 minerals and metals considered critical to the United States. “USGS also sees a major spike in U.S. demand for graphite when Tesla Motor's Gigafactory, an enormous lithium-ion battery facility being constructed in Nevada, is fully operational.” Growing demand for electric vehicles is creating opportunity for Gratomic Inc. (TSXV:GRAT) (OTCQB:CBULF), Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA), Nio Inc. (NYSE:NIO), General Motors Company (NYSE:GM), and Li Auto Inc. (NASDAQ:LI).

Gratomic Inc. (TSXV:GRAT)(OTCQB:CBULF) BREAKING NEWS: Gratomic Inc. is pleased to announce the completion of a National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects technical report dated December 9, 2020 with an effective date of March 16, 2018 and entitled "Technical Report Buckingham Graphite Project Québec Canada" in respect of its 100% owned Buckingham graphite project in Quebec. The Technical Report was co-authored by Roger Moss, Ph.D., P.Geo. and Isabelle Robillard, M.SC., P.Geo. The Technical Report provides a summary of work carried out on the Buckingham project between 2013 and 2018 and recommends a follow up exploration program for the property.

The Buckingham Project is primarily underlain by paragneiss and marble of the Central Metasedimentary Belt of the Grenville Province. Two zones of graphite mineralization, the Case Zone and the Uncle Zone were identified during work between 2013 and 2016. The Case Zone is comprised mainly of quartzo-feldspathic paragneiss intercalated with quartzite and marble and contains mostly flake type graphite. The geology underlying the Uncle Zone is comprised primarily of undifferentiated skarns, marble and pegmatite, and contains lump or vein style graphite mineralization.

Work mainly focussed on the Case Zone after preliminary investigations of the Uncle Zone. An airborne TDEM survey carried out during 2016 showed seven anomalies, including a 1.5km long conductor that extended the potential of the Case Zone to the South. Drilling and trenching programs between 2016 and 2018 tested the EM conductor over approximately 700 metres along strike and to vertical depths of up to 111 metres. Significant mineralized intercepts were returned from the entire length of the drill-tested EM conductor. From the NE to the SW, best intersections include 8.87% Cg over 47 m (ddh CK17-04), 4.94% Cg over 66 m (ddh CK18-09), 6.06% Cg over 88 m (ddh CK17-02), 6.88% Cg over 62 m (ddh CK18-07), 3.52% Cg over 53 m (ddh CK17-01) 5.86% Cg over 17 m (ddh CK17-08) and 5.68% Cg over 40 m (ddh CK17-05). These intersections do not represent true widths as more structural data is needed for their calculation (see news releases dated September 28, 2017 and April 3, 2018).

Graphite mineralization is associated with paragneiss and marble, with the highest grades typically hosted by marble. In addition to the surface mineralization seen in outcrop and in trenches, up to three discrete zones of graphite mineralization were intersected in the drilling, although most of the graphite was encountered at vertical depths less than 64 metres.

Recommended follow up work includes a Phase 1 program of mapping and trenching to extend the mineralization along strike to the south of the previous work along the EM conductor and metallurgical testing of a bulk sample from the Case Zone. Dependent on results of Phase 1, a follow up infill drilling program in the northern part of the property with step outs to the south is recommended to outline an initial graphite resource.

Roger Moss, PhD., P.Geo., a Qualified Person in accordance with Canadian regulatory requirements as set out in NI 43-101, and a co-author of the Technical Report, has read and approved the scientific and technical information that forms the basis for the disclosure contained in this release.

"This project fits really well into our Corporate Strategy and the results are astonishing. This project is one of the most promising I have personally experienced out of Canada. We will continue to develop all the Company's assets as we bring Aukam into the commissioning phase and give shareholders reassurance that the Company has the intention to expand its presence as a going concern in the graphite industry," stated Arno Brand, President & CEO.

"These results show how careful Gratomic has always been in choosing its assets, in which it invests, and this will reflect the long-term value of our Company. The results rival the best Canadian graphite assets I have ever known," commented Armando Farhate, COO & Head of Graphite Marketing and Sales for Gratomic Inc.

Other related developments from around the markets include:

Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA)produced 145,035 vehicles and delivered nearly 140,000 vehicles in the third quarter of 2020. According to the company, “The third quarter of 2020 was a record quarter on many levels. Over the past four quarters, we generated over $1.9B of free cash flow while spending $2.4B on new production capacity, service centers, Supercharging locations and other capital investments. While we took additional SBC expense in Q3, our GAAP operating margin reached 9.2%. We are increasingly focused on our next phase of growth.”

Nio Inc. (NYSE:NIO), a pioneer in China’s premium smart electric vehicle market announced its unaudited financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2020. “We achieved a new record-high quarterly deliveries of 12,206 ES8s, ES6s and EC6s in total in the third quarter of 2020, followed by the best-ever monthly deliveries of 5,055 vehicles in October,” said William Bin Li, founder, chairman and CEO of NIO. “In view of the growing market demand for our competitive products, we are motivated to continuously elevate the production capacity to the next level. We expect to deliver 16,500 to 17,000 vehicles in the coming fourth quarter.”

General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) announced it has signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with Nikola Corporation for a global supply agreement to provide its Hydrotec fuel cell system for Nikola’s Class 7/8 semi-trucks. The MoU replaces the previous transaction announced Sept. 8, 2020. “This supply agreement recognizes our leading fuel cell technology expertise and development,” said Doug Parks, GM executive vice president of Global Product Development, Purchasing and Supply Chain. “Providing our Hydrotec fuel cell systems to the heavy-duty class of commercial vehicles is an important part of our growth strategy and reinforces our commitment toward an all-electric, zero-emissions future.”

Li Auto Inc. (NASDAQ:LI), an innovator in China’s new energy vehicle market announced its unaudited financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2020. Mr. Xiang Li, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Li Auto, commented, “This is our first quarterly earnings release as a public company, and we are pleased to announce robust third quarter results reflecting not only our strong growth momentum driven by the outstanding value proposition of our products, but also our relentless pursuit of operating efficiencies. We delivered 8,660 Li ONEs in the third quarter, representing a 31.1% quarter-over-quarter increase and setting a new quarterly record. Cumulative deliveries in 2020 at the end of October reached 21,852 vehicles. This is a strong testament to the competitiveness of the Li ONE. For the fourth quarter of 2020, we expect our growth momentum to continue with deliveries reaching 11,000 to 12,000 vehicles.”.

Legal Disclaimer / Except for the historical information presented herein, matters discussed in this article contains forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. Winning Media is not registered with any financial or securities regulatory authority and does not provide nor claims to provide investment advice or recommendations to readers of this release. For making specific investment decisions, readers should seek their own advice. Winning Media is only compensated for its services in the form of cash-based compensation. Pursuant to an agreement Winning Media has been paid three thousand five hundred dollars for advertising and marketing services for Gratomic Inc. by a third party. We own ZERO shares of Gratomic Inc. Please click here for full disclaimer.

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