If China decided tomorrow to cut off battery-grade graphite exports, nearly 100,000 Americans would be out of work in a week. Battery production lines, EV assembly plants and grid-scale battery installations — all of it stops. Without Chinese graphite, there is no battery supply chain in the United States.
This scenario is not just a theoretical possibility. China has already imposed export controls on lithium-ion batteries and graphite anodes — controls that took effect in November 2025 and remain in place, with a temporary suspension of enhanced licensing requirements currently in force through November 2026. Preventing this crisis will require the United States to not just onshore previous-generation dependencies, but lead in production of the next generation of battery technology.
