Issue link: http://resourceworld.uberflip.com/i/1058321
D E C E M B E R / J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 9 www.resourceworld.com 23 both the EU and the US have named graphite a supply- critical mineral. The Graphite and Anodes Conference focused on markets for graphite materials and provided insight into how these markets will change. In his open- ing comments, Simon Moores, Managing Director at Benchmark, noted that general investors lost nerve in 2018; however, the demand for graphite is up 22%. As a key component of the lithium-ion battery, and an area where technological developments are improving energy density, life cycle and cost, anode materials are at the centre of the lithium-ion battery revolution. A keynote speaker on the state of the industry, Andrew Miller, Senior Analyst at Benchmark, stated that the demand outlook for the graphite market is positive, given growing consumption from industrial markets and emerging value-added applications. Miller added that graphite is a key anode material, and the demand for lithium-ion batteries is growing aggres- sively. This demand began in 2000 with the advent of smart phones, increased in 2015 with the adoption of EVs, and continued with the addition of station- ary storage. Miller projects that anode producers will require major supply expansions to meet the expected A look at 300-mile Thor electric semi trucks Thor Trucks, Inc. recently hosted the Benchmark Minerals Intelligence conference delegates on a tour of their Los Angeles-based laboratory. Thor is privately funded, and co-founders, Dakota Semler and Giordano Sordoni, revealed their innovative electric truck design in 2017. It's a fully capable, fully electric semi that can haul 80,000 pounds of cargo and can travel 300 miles on a single charge. Thor is the Fast Company 2018 World Changing Ideas Awards winner in the transportation category. "The majority of the Class 8, heavy duty truck market is more local and regional," Semler says. The Thor truck is designed for partners like United Parcel Service [UPS-NYSE], who drive predictable routes, have return-to-base operations, experience stop and go driving, and drive less than 150 miles per day. The Thor truck can recharge after a work day in 90 minutes, and the battery pack is designed specifically for commercial heavy-duty applications. It contains the highest-energy density lithium-ion cylindrical cells available. Thor Trucks plans to use many off-the-shelf components and to partner with other companies for those parts, along with manufacturing, distribution, and maintenance. Says Semier, "Gone is everything you knew about electric vehicles. Electric is powerful, electric is sexy, and electric is here to stay." n BATTERY MINERALS