GRATOMIC, DOING OUR PART…
In order to accurately understand the current and future demand for electric vehicles, and where Gratomic fits into that, it’s important to understand the long history of electric vehicles and modern lithium-ion batteries. By understanding the path to the modern EV, we can hope to better understand the path forward and anticipate accurate market demand.
While the very first electric cars were produced in the 1830s, the first viable and rechargeable EV wasn’t produced until the mid-1880s. The production of electric vehicles predates the production of the internal combustion engine, and despite a falling public interest over the 20th century, the technology has continued to develop outside of the public eye. Thanks to modern consumers searching out greener alternatives to mainstream vehicles, EV’s stand to take the market by storm with impressive technology that looks to outperform modern gas and diesel-powered vehicles.
While those initial electric cars had limited range and speed, making them ultimately inferior to internal combustion engines, modern strides in battery technology have propelled EV abilities to supersede internal combustion engine performance and provide longer effective ranges and higher top speeds.
With the demand for EV’s skyrocketing and the slow phasing out of internal combustion engines, battery technology is more important than ever. One key aspect to producing high quality batteries is building them with high quality materials, which is where GRAT.V and the Company’s flagship Aukam site enter the picture.
The Aukam graphite project has a long and storied history, spanning decades of operation with a significant period of time being spent unused and underdeveloped. In 2012, Gratomic discovered the golden opportunity that awaits in high-quality vein graphite and began exploration on the site and testing of the historical stockpiles that were left over from previous mining operations that occurred between 1940 and 1974.
Since the beginning, Gratomic’s goal has been to provide an environmentally sustainable, ethically sourced, and high-quality graphite product(s) to help meet the growing global graphite need in the coming years. As the EV market booms and battery technology for renewable energy sources gains mainstream traction, Gratomic aims to meet that market demand by introducing a cleaner alternative spherical battery graphite to the electric vehicle and energy storage battery markets.
Beyond Gratomic’s goals for the global community, the company has successfully connected with the local community to an exceptional degree. CEO Arno Brand, a 7th generation Namibian, ensured that the company properly respected and communicated with local Tribal leaders when beginning exploration of the Aukam property. The company has worked to establish a strong connection in the community and there have been several successful community outreach programs, including a substantial investment in drought relief and, most recently, program centering on supplying local schoolchildren with school supplies, shoes, backpacks and water bottles. GRAT.V’s community outreach focus for 2021 aims to help local youths succeed in their education. The Company has also become integral to the local economy by making it a priority to hire and train local Namibians. Gratomic has continually ensured that its hiring practices reflect safe, responsible and ethical ideals including the unionization of its workers, which is regulated through the Government of Namibia.
Gratomic stands to make an impressive impact on the global graphite community in the coming years, and with the Aukam Graphite Project anticipated to become the largest vein graphite supplier in the world, the sky’s the limit for the bright young company.
