Graphite One has appointed a lithium-ion battery expert as its new chief technology officer to lead the Canadian battery materials firm’s move into the electric vehicle market.
Dr. Shane Beattie will be responsible for leading the company’s plan to process and manufacture high grade coated spherical graphite products for electric vehicle batteries and energy storage systems.
Beattie has worked with automotive companies using lithium-ion technology including Honda, Jaguar Land Rover, TATA Motors, BMW, and Nissan, and with cell manufacturers including CATL, BYD, A123, Sony, Saft, and Panasonic.
Anthony Huston, CEO of Graphite One, said: “Dr. Beattie is a widely-recognised leader in lithium-ion battery development. Adding him to our team positions us to respond to rapidly rising market demand for advanced graphite material.”
Prior to joining Graphite One, Beattie served as CTO of Elcora Advanced Materials and CEO of BTInnovations.
Last month, Graphite One announced that battery-grade purified spheronized graphite from its Graphite Creek Project was being tested by an unnamed ‘major US multinational EV manufacturer’.
The material was prepared to the manufacturers specification by the company’s US processing partner.
Huston said at the time: “EV manufacturers are beginning to understand that their continued progress is tied to reliable access to quality EV battery materials, including coated spherical graphite from natural graphite, a major component in the anode of lithium-ion batteries.”
The testing is taking place as Graphite One continues its 2019 Field Program at the Graphite Creek deposit, generating data that will be used in the company’s Prefeasibility Study, scheduled for completion in the second quarter of 2020.
