US seeks steep tariffs on battery material

The Commerce Department announced steep tariffs on a key ingredient for batteries Thursday, imposing an additional cost on electric vehicle manufacturers and dealing another blow to an industry already suffering from significant policy changes.

- JACK EWING NEW YORK (NYT)

China supplies almost all the refined graphite that Tesla and other car companies and suppliers use to make batteries. On Thursday, the Trump administration issued a preliminary ruling that Chinese suppliers were guilty of "dumping" and imposed tariffs of 93.5%. In trade law, dumping is the practice of selling goods in another country for a lower price than in its home market.