Soon after, you provide an interview transcript which answers your questions. I can only ask, did you read the interview?
Here are some excerpts:
"You can make synthetic graphite for probably about double the price of natural, but that quality is not good enough for lithium-ion batteries."
"But when you’re talking about the companies that are making the high-end synthetic graphite for lithium-ion batteries, they’re picking out very, very special precursors. They’re doing very special heat-treating processes and then special milling to create a special shape with a certain density. That material is a lot more expensive to make. It’s probably costing them five to 10 times what it costs to make natural graphite."
"That being said, if natural graphite wants to compete for this market, it is going to have to prove to high-end battery manufacturers that it is a consistent material and that over time it can make a very good-quality anode. Natural graphite will be lower cost than synthetic, so if they can prove its consistency, then on an equal price basis, natural graphite will have a cost advantage."
So, if natural graphite (i.e ZEN) can prove its quality, it wins the market. And that's from a synthetic producer.
Lar
