Myth: The Tesla uses a lot of graphite in their battery, which contributes to China’s pollution problem. Actually: The logic here is: “Tesla batteries use grap

Myth: The Tesla uses a lot of graphite in their battery, which contributes to China’s pollution problem. Actually: The logic here is: “Tesla batteries use graphite; the world’s biggest source of graphite is in China; China has terrible pollution; therefore, Tesla is partially responsible for China’s pollution.” Except when I did some digging, I learned that Tesla uses synthetic graphite made mostly in Japan and Poland, and that the average Model S uses 100kg of it. That 100kg lasts for ten years, so the amount of graphite used to make a Model S is similar to the amount you’d use if you had a few barbecues a year.