"So back to the original question and I am not trying to be comical about this - is there another alternative for Tesla if they want to replace outside NA synthetic with inside NA natural?"

I will try and answer this question but I don't have all the answers, but I have looked. I have searched on numerous flake company websites looking for the characteristics of their graphite.....almost all only discuss purity. The process to upgrade flake to the purity level required for Lion batteries is expensive and harsh on the graphite, It can cause irregularities, porosity issues, brittleness, etc.

Zen was very clear on the release of characterisitics of Albany graphite. While I think flake can work in batteries, as far as I know, it is inferior to synthetic....thus the premium paid for synthetic. This was the reason I researched the comparability of Albany graphite to synthetic, which seem to be as good if not better in most cases.

I therefore wouldn't dismiss flake companies in this regard, but Albany graphite appears to be superior and will offer superior performance. Thus high end user applications will pay a premium for this product........this without even getting in to the discussion on the environmental superiority(much cleaner) compared to synthetic. I can't find any holes in the story, but I continue to look.

Best,

Quincey