The Trump administration signaled it intends to impose steep tariffs on imports of Chinese graphite used to make electric vehicle batteries, marking a win for American producers but a blow to Elon Musk’s Tesla.
The Commerce Department on Tuesday released a preliminary determination — as part of an ongoing probe for the International Trade Commission — that found imports of Chinese graphite are being unfairly subsidized and laid out a plan to impose tariffs of up to 721 percent on some natural and artificial graphite active anode material from China that’s used to make lithium-ion battery anode material.
The agency’s ruling names three distinct companies that will face tariffs, with Huzhou Kaijin New Energy Technology facing the highest tariffs. The ITC still needs to approve the finding, which could happen in December.
The department is also conducting a separate anti-dumping duty investigation of active anode material from China.
