Thursday 30 April 2015

Fully Charged: Oslo To London For €5 In Tesla Model S P85.



Electric Cars: Tesla CTO JB Straubel - The Future Of Transportation.


  Lithium technology is the key to mass market in electric cars. Tesla Gigafactory will bring better and cheaper lithium batteries. We have the opportunity to listen to the great history of Tesla Motors in the making.
    Gigafactory will drive this cost efficient rEVolution when it will be even more cheaper to drive EVs. This future means a lot of lithium batteries and the whole new supply chain for the Lithium materials. International Lithium is building this kind of supply chain with leading lithium material producer Ganfeng Lithium from China.





Lithium Batteries Costs Among Market Leaders Are Much Lower Than Previously Reported.


Nature Climate Change


  I would like to share this very interesting report about the dramatic decrease in lithium battery costs than previously thought. Industry insiders are already working around $300 per kWh and Tesla Gigafactory will bring us closer to $100 per kWh - the tipping point for the mass market for electric cars.

  


International Lithium And Ganfeng Lithium: "The End Of The Lithium 'Big 3'.


  "Joe Lowry has published a very interesting article about the lithium market, major producers and rising Chinese powerhouses in lithium industry. You can find now more details on International Lithium strategic partner Ganfeng Lithium. Apple Electric iCar and Warren Buffet BYD move into energy storage to chase Elon Musk with his Tesla Gigafactory bring Lithium back onto the radar screens of investors now. Read more."


International Lithium Corp. and Ganfeng Lithium Commence Work Programs on the Avalonia and Mariana Lithium Projects.




Wednesday 29 April 2015

US Dollar Slides To 95.00 - Confirms Double Top Reversal. Can Somebody Invite Gold To FED's Party?

  


  After disastrous GDP number of 0.2% growth with deflator at - 0.1% US Dollar has finally given up and slides to 95.00 level. 96.24 was crossed yesterday and now we have the confirmation of the US Dollar Double Top Reversal. Gold is still sleeping and cannot believe its luck, somebody has to make a call … Gold could be manipulated all day long, but US Dollar will be very difficult to put back on the parabolic move. Now it is apparent that economy in US is nowhere near to the robust growth after unprecedented historical monetary expansion. What will be coming next? Nobody knows, but short squeeze in Gold and Silver will be very nice to have for a change. Party starts after $1,225, but the real fireworks will come after $1,316.


Huge Miss On The Jobs Report And Gold - The Parabolic Move In US Dollar Is Over.



 


  After today's huge miss on The Jobs Report the parabolic move in US Dollar is officially over. With crashing dollar commodities should finally find the bottom. Gold is already printing very strong Double Bottom Reversal, confirming what we had discussed before. Move above $1,310 will bring all the fun back now. Good Friday to everybody who is not short Gold or Euro … Monday will be interesting with Record Short position in Gold.



Gold: Is US Dollar Parabolic Move Over?




  "This is what is called the parabolic move in US Dollar. It has "coincided" with the collapse in Oil and other commodities. You can appreciate the magnitude of this move and the total devastation is has caused in the commodity markets. Is it over now? Everybody is still bullish on dollar, but FED has already scaled back expectations on the rate hike. Immediately we had the dollar flash crash, which is better seen on the daily chart below. Strong dollar is not very good for the recovering US economy, actually FED is in the corner of 18 Trillion debt, All-Time-High markets and the brave idea to hike the rates. Half of the traders maybe have never even seen rising rates in their lives before. What will happen with the market on fire once the oxygen will be going out? I would say that this "removal of patient does not mean that we are impatient" will lead to the very gradual couple of hikes the most. Once the market realise it, this parabolic move will end in the crash. The higher it goes the harder it will go down. When will it happen? I guess that nobody knows, but at least we have the hesitation now, which could be enough for the margin calls on this the most crowded trade after another 5% move down. Read more."


TNR Gold: Shotgun Gold Project Development in Alaska.


 "Nova Gold has published its new presentation for PDAC 2015. Now you can find more information about Alaska as mining jurisdiction and Donlin Gold type of Gold deposit. TNR Gold owns 100% of Shotgun Gold project in Alaska, which has very similar geology to Donlin Gold, according to Greg Johnson - one of the founders of Nova Gold. Read more."




Art Berman - Shale Oil Plays Have Years, Not Decades of Reserves.



Shale Oil just gave us a short term break in order to address peak oil with the new technology.


Electric Cars: Tesla CTO JB Straubel - The Future Of Transportation.


  Lithium technology is the key to mass market in electric cars. Tesla Gigafactory will bring better and cheaper lithium batteries. We have the opportunity to listen to the great history of Tesla Motors in the making.
    Gigafactory will drive this cost efficient rEVolution when it will be even more cheaper to drive EVs. This future means a lot of lithium batteries and the whole new supply chain for the Lithium materials. International Lithium is building this kind of supply chain with leading lithium material producer Ganfeng Lithium from China.





Lithium Batteries Costs Among Market Leaders Are Much Lower Than Previously Reported.


Nature Climate Change


  I would like to share this very interesting report about the dramatic decrease in lithium battery costs than previously thought. Industry insiders are already working around $300 per kWh and Tesla Gigafactory will bring us closer to $100 per kWh - the tipping point for the mass market for electric cars.

  


International Lithium And Ganfeng Lithium: "The End Of The Lithium 'Big 3'.


  "Joe Lowry has published a very interesting article about the lithium market, major producers and rising Chinese powerhouses in lithium industry. You can find now more details on International Lithium strategic partner Ganfeng Lithium. Apple Electric iCar and Warren Buffet BYD move into energy storage to chase Elon Musk with his Tesla Gigafactory bring Lithium back onto the radar screens of investors now. Read more."


International Lithium Corp. and Ganfeng Lithium Commence Work Programs on the Avalonia and Mariana Lithium Projects.




Monday 27 April 2015

Tony Seba: Clean Disruption - Why Conventional Energy And Transportation Will Be Obsolete by 2030.



  Tony Seba has made another brilliant presentation on the power of disruption in energy and transportation space. His logic and set of numbers are very convincing. Elon Musk with Tesla is already leading the way and he has quite a few followers with their own lithium battery Megafactories and EVs in the making.


Lithium Technology: Tesla's $13,000 Battery Could Keep Your Home Online In A Blackout.




  The Guardian reports on the coming announcement by Tesla about its lithium battery for home energy storage. Raw materials for lithium battery are already rising in price and it is even before Tesla's Gigafactory and Chinese Megafactories are coming online!


Lithium Hydroxide - A Perfect Price Storm Just Before Tesla Battery Storage Announcement.

  


  Joe Lowry has published another very interesting article on the current supply and demand in the different sectors of the lithium market and the coming shortage for the lithium battery grade materials. If you are interested in our sector - he will be the one to follow on twitter at https://twitter.com/globallithium.  
  Joe has recently brought to our attention the rising powerhouses from China in lithium materials sector and, as you know, I am personally involved with International Lithium and Ganfeng Lithium from China as well. 

 "War On Pollution" in China produces a range of new concepts of electric cars to conquer the largest auto-market in the world. Not all of them will become the hit in the market, but the trend is apparent - EV is the future for mobility in China. Government supports this leap into the lithium based technology to close the gap with western auto-makers. Security of supply for lithium takes the centre stage in the development of strategic industry - electric cars. Tesla Gigafactory has already spiked interest to the lithium batteries and Megafactories are being built now in China by LG Chem, Foxconn, BYD and Boston Power.

Sunday 26 April 2015

Commodities And AIIB: A World In Change Shanghai Cooperation Organization.



  Here comes the huge market with the rapidly rising middle class for the new economic growth. Infrastructure development will drive the next wave of economic stimulus. Strategic metals will be at the core of the supply chain for the next industrial revolution. Electric Cars, Solar and Wind Energy have already become strategic industries in China. Security of supply for strategic Energy Metals: Copper, Lithium and REE is the matter of state-level planning in that part of the world.


Commodities, US Dollar and FED: Steen Jakobsen: Get Ready For The Biggest Margin Call In History.


This warning comes from CIO of Saxo Bank. I found the situation with copper particularly interesting at this point of the economic cycle. If economy is so strong that all markets, apart from commodities, are hitting new ALL-Time-Highs - why Copper is still not participating in this party? It looks like Copper and other Green Metals becoming the win-win proposition now. If economy really has started to grow they will participate, additionally driven by green technology demand. If economy happen to be weak, another round of stimulus will come - this time from China. Infrastructure development will be the key for the future economic growth and demand for metals. Now China is driving it with AIIB and 1 Trillion in projects to spur growth!
  This year will be very interesting with US Dollar sliding below 97.00 last week, after 96.24 the Double Top Reversal will be confirmed and technical crowd will drive it lower pushing commodities higher. Is Oil already indicating this scenario? The money flow in Solar and Lithium Energy Storage from Apple, Google, BYD with Warren Buffett and Tesla will drive the new green metals super cycle.


Copper, Lithium And REE: SunPower And Apple Are Teaming Up To Build Solar Projects In China.


Apple is moving fast into Solar space now and brings attention to the rapid growth in Solar Power installations all around the world. China is particularly important market with its huge air pollution problem. This is where the clean electricity will come from to charge electric cars. With Tesla Gigafactory coming announcement for the home lithium battery to integrate solar installations, this huge segment of growth for the lithium technology will gain further traction. 
  As we have discussed before, Solar Power will be the catalyst for strategic green energy metals: Copper, Lithium and REE. Backed by Warren Buffet China's BYD is another contender to capitalise on the growth in utility storage. International Lithium strategic partner Ganfeng Lithium is taking its part in this growing sector as well with the investment in Boston Power and supplies Lithium materials to the major players in battery industry. 


International Lithium Corp. Commences Drilling at Avalonia Lithium Pegmatite Project, Ireland.





 Molycorp will supply Shin-Etsu Chemical with REE, which will produce REE magnets for Siemens. Like in International Lithium case with Ganfeng Lithium - security of supply for strategic materials is taking the centre stage for advance of the green technology.

Copper's Bright New Age: Solar Electricity Utility Scale And Electric Cars.


"Investment growth in solar electricity is dramatic, and along with wind it will dominate the worldwide energy scene within a few decades. Copper demand will increase because of the growing use of solar electricity. Solar power is among the quickest to build, creates jobs, community benefits, new tax revenue for small towns. Air conditioning and peak energy demands align with when the sun is shining. The USA, China and Germany are aggressively adding solar power. Copper is either the only choice or the quality technology choice for solar parks due to its conductivity, durability, malleability and so on."


  Copper and Lithium become the strategic metals for the ongoing green revolution. Solar and Wind Energy and Electric Cars will drive the new demand for these metals. Solar Energy is growing very fast all over the world now. Energy Storage will be the next step to ignite this growth. This is the new focus of Elon Musk and his Gigafactory. He will introduce the home storage system based on the lithium batteries in the next few months. Copper will have its special place in this mass scale roll out of distributed energy generation systems with Wind and Solar Power. Integral part of this system - Energy Storage is getting popular now with Elon Musk Gigafactory and Warren Buffet with BYD making the headlines. These Trillion Dollar industries: Electric Cars and Energy Storage will drive the demand for Copper and Lithium in the future.


Lithium Market: China Electric Vehicle Industry Report, 2014-2015.


 


  "War On Pollution" in China produces a range of new concepts of electric cars to conquer the largest auto-market in the world. Not all of them will become the hit in the market, but the trend is apparent - EV is the future for mobility in China. Government supports this leap into the lithium based technology to close the gap with western auto-makers. Security of supply for lithium takes the centre stage in the development of strategic industry - electric cars. Tesla Gigafactory has already spiked interest to the lithium batteries and Megafactories are being built now in China by LG Chem, Foxconn, BYD and Boston Power.




International Lithium And Ganfeng Lithium: "The End Of The Lithium 'Big 3'.


  "Joe Lowry has published a very interesting article about the lithium market, major producers and rising Chinese powerhouses in lithium industry. You can find now more details on International Lithium strategic partner Ganfeng Lithium. Apple Electric iCar and Warren Buffet BYD move into energy storage to chase Elon Musk with his Tesla Gigafactory bring Lithium back onto the radar screens of investors now. Read more."

  




China Electric Vehicle Industry Report, 2014-2015



Synopsis
2014 may be called the “first year” of the development of Chinese electric vehicles, with annual sales reaching 74,763, 3.2 times higher than in 2013. With the ascent in the global electric vehicle market, China becomes the second largest market in the world after the United States, eyeing 23.5% market share. Among the top 20 most popular models in 2014, BYD Qin, Kandi K10, Chery QQ3 EV, Zotye E20, BAIC E150 EV and BYD e6 came from China, representing a combined 15.3% share of total sales in the global market.
In terms of market segments:
Almost 34,000 Chinese BEV passenger cars were sold in 2014, surging by 190% year on year; popular models were, in order, Chery QQ3EV, Zotye E20, BAIC E150 EV, BYD E6, JAC iEV4, and Zotye Cloud 100 with their market share totaling as high as 85%. BEV as the ultimate goal of China’s new energy vehicle development will still see new models launched by companies for participation in market competition.
In 2014, China recorded PHEV passenger car sales of 17,500, 123 times that in 2013. In today’s Chinese PHEV passenger car market, there are mainly BYD Qin and Roewe 550 plug-in with the former holding a dominant position with sales of 14,747. In 2015, Chang’an Automobile, Dongfeng Motor, GAC, Volvo, etc. are planning to launch PHEV models, which will intensify market competition. At the same time, companies affected by the policy are expected to turn to the development of EREV (extended range electric vehicle) models.
In the aspect of corporate development, Zotye, BYD, BAIC, Kandi, etc. have made plans for electric car sales target and models in 2015. Among them, Zotye shows the highest target of 80,000 in sales by continuing to rely on its two main models i.e. E20 and Cloud 100 with 50,000 and 30,000, respectively.
As the biggest winner in China’s EV market, BYD sold an accumulative of 20,972 electric cars in 2014, with its market share rising to 28.05%; there are mainly Qin (plug-in), E6 (BEV) and DENZA (BEV, a joint venture brand) in passenger vehicle market, K9 (battery-electric bus) and J9 (heavy battery-electric truck) in commercial vehicle market. In 2015, BYD continues to focus on the passenger vehicle market by launching Tang (Q1, mid-size SUV), Shang (Q2, MPV), Song (Q3, compact SUV) and Yuan (Q4, small SUV) quarter by quarter.
Kandi, a dark horse in China’s EV market, obtained the qualification for producing electric cars with the help of Geely Automobile. In 2014, it posted sales of 10,935, second only to BYD. Concerning its two EV models i.e. Mini K10 and Panda K11, the former is self-produced by Kandi while the latter in the light of Geely Panda. In July 2013, Kandi and Geely were pioneered in China’s “micro-bus” mode in Hangzhou and promoted the business model of by-hour lease which was later copied to Shanghai, Chengdu, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Changsha, Changzhou, etc. in succession. By the end of 2014, Kandi’s micro-bus project has launched a total of 14,398 electric cars.
The New BEV Passenger Car Production Enterprise Investment Projects and Rules on the Production Admission Administration has completed opinion collection in March 2015 and is expected to be introduced within the year. In accordance with the opinion draft, there is hope of loosening electric car production qualification in China, Then parts manufacturing firms (e.g. Wanxiang), internet companies (e.g. Letv), low-speed electric car companies (e.g. Yogomo) and other non-traditional car companies are likely to get the electric car production license, and Chinese electric vehicle market will present the characteristics of diversification.
The report highlights the followings:
  • Policy environment for China’s electric vehicle market;
  • Global and China’s electric vehicle market sales, and sales of main models;
  • China’s electric vehicle market structure and competition pattern;
  • Sales, main models, and import market of two segments i.e. BEV passenger car and PHEV passenger car in China;
  • Major companies in China’s electric car infrastructure and key components;
  • Development of electric vehicle demonstration cities in China;
  • EV development, products, sales, development strategy, etc. of major companies in China."

Commodities, US Dollar and FED: Steen Jakobsen: Get Ready For The Biggest Margin Call In History.



  This warning comes from CIO of Saxo Bank. I found the situation with copper particularly interesting at this point of the economic cycle. If economy is so strong that all markets, apart from commodities, are hitting new ALL-Time-Highs - why Copper is still not participating in this party? It looks like Copper and other Green Metals becoming the win-win proposition now. If economy really has started to grow they will participate, additionally driven by green technology demand. If economy happens to be weak, another round of stimulus will come - this time from China. Infrastructure development will be the key for the future economic growth and demand for metals. Now China is driving it with AIIB and 1 Trillion in projects to spur growth!
  This year will be very interesting with US Dollar sliding below 97.00 last week, after 96.24 the Double Top Reversal will be confirmed and technical crowd will drive it lower pushing commodities higher. Is Oil already indicating this scenario? The money flow in Solar and Lithium Energy Storage from Apple, Google, BYD with Warren Buffett and Tesla will drive the new green metals super cycle.


Copper, Lithium And REE: SunPower And Apple Are Teaming Up To Build Solar Projects In China.


Apple is moving fast into Solar space now and brings attention to the rapid growth in Solar Power installations all around the world. China is particularly important market with its huge air pollution problem. This is where the clean electricity will come from to charge electric cars. With Tesla Gigafactory coming announcement for the home lithium battery to integrate solar installations, this huge segment of growth for the lithium technology will gain further traction. 
  As we have discussed before, Solar Power will be the catalyst for strategic green energy metals: Copper, Lithium and REE. Backed by Warren Buffet China's BYD is another contender to capitalise on the growth in utility storage. International Lithium strategic partner Ganfeng Lithium is taking its part in this growing sector as well with the investment in Boston Power and supplies Lithium materials to the major players in battery industry. 


International Lithium Corp. Commences Drilling at Avalonia Lithium Pegmatite Project, Ireland.





 Molycorp will supply Shin-Etsu Chemical with REE, which will produce REE magnets for Siemens. Like in International Lithium case with Ganfeng Lithium - security of supply for strategic materials is taking the centre stage for advance of the green technology.

Copper's Bright New Age: Solar Electricity Utility Scale And Electric Cars.


"Investment growth in solar electricity is dramatic, and along with wind it will dominate the worldwide energy scene within a few decades. Copper demand will increase because of the growing use of solar electricity. Solar power is among the quickest to build, creates jobs, community benefits, new tax revenue for small towns. Air conditioning and peak energy demands align with when the sun is shining. The USA, China and Germany are aggressively adding solar power. Copper is either the only choice or the quality technology choice for solar parks due to its conductivity, durability, malleability and so on."


  Copper and Lithium become the strategic metals for the ongoing green revolution. Solar and Wind Energy and Electric Cars will drive the new demand for these metals. Solar Energy is growing very fast all over the world now. Energy Storage will be the next step to ignite this growth. This is the new focus of Elon Musk and his Gigafactory. He will introduce the home storage system based on the lithium batteries in the next few months. Copper will have its special place in this mass scale roll out of distributed energy generation systems with Wind and Solar Power. Integral part of this system - Energy Storage is getting popular now with Elon Musk Gigafactory and Warren Buffet with BYD making the headlines. These Trillion Dollar industries: Electric Cars and Energy Storage will drive the demand for Copper and Lithium in the future.

Copper Surges As Freeport Halts Grasberg Mine - The Looming Supply Gap Comes Sooner.


 "Copper is in the very tight supply now and price is surging for the second day. This example just shows that resource nationalism is not going away. Security and diversity of supply will be the key. When Dr Copper will buy into the recovery story? Nobody knows it, but I doubt that FED can start any meaningful rate hikes before Copper will go back above $3.0 mark. FED is not driven by commodity prices, but there is no real growth before commodities will turn up again. Copper takes the particular place now as electrification of our transportation and introducing Solar Power on the mass scale will be driving the demand in years to come. Industry insiders will be our guide as usual here. Just follow the smart money, as this supply gap can be coming much sooner now. Read more."

Backed By Warren Buffett China's BYD Takes Aim At Elon Musk's Tesla Gigafactory In Battery Race.





  "Our industry is getting hotter by the day. After Apple Electric iCar rumours running wild and getting more and more confirmation, we have Warren Buffett stepping into the Lithium Battery Race. Now we have Tesla with its Gigafactory, LG Chem with its Megafactory in China and Boston Power with stake holding by or strategic partner Ganfeng Lithium in Lithium Battery Race. BYD with Warren Buffett backing is making this investment landscape even more exciting. As Elon Musk has said: "All transportation, apart from rockets, will be electric" Read more."

Lithium Technology: Tesla's $13,000 Battery Could Keep Your Home Online In A Blackout.




  The Guardian reports on the coming announcement by Tesla about its lithium battery for home energy storage. Raw materials for lithium battery are already rising in price and it is even before Tesla's Gigafactory and Chinese Megafactories are coming online!


Lithium Hydroxide - A Perfect Price Storm Just Before Tesla Battery Storage Announcement.

  


  Joe Lowry has published another very interesting article on the current supply and demand in the different sectors of the lithium market and the coming shortage for the lithium battery grade materials. If you are interested in our sector - he will be the one to follow on twitter at https://twitter.com/globallithium.  
  Joe has recently brought to our attention the rising powerhouses from China in lithium materials sector and, as you know, I am personally involved with International Lithium and Ganfeng Lithium from China as well. 

 "War On Pollution" in China produces a range of new concepts of electric cars to conquer the largest auto-market in the world. Not all of them will become the hit in the market, but the trend is apparent - EV is the future for mobility in China. Government supports this leap into the lithium based technology to close the gap with western auto-makers. Security of supply for lithium takes the centre stage in the development of strategic industry - electric cars. Tesla Gigafactory has already spiked interest to the lithium batteries and Megafactories are being built now in China by LG Chem, Foxconn, BYD and Boston Power.

The Guardian:

Tesla's $13,000 battery could keep your home online in a blackout


"Elon Musk is a man who likes to make waves. Whether it’s privatizing space exploration or shaking up commuting with the Hyperloop high speed transport system, the billionaire technocrat aims big. Now his electric car company, Tesla, is planning to change the way people power their homes.
In a tweet last month, Musk announced that Tesla would be unveiling a new product on 30 April. It is now widely thought to be a large battery capable of powering a house and an even larger “utility” sized power unit.
Energy supply is a big business and a key market for Tesla, which has spent a fortune developing batteries for its cars. Home batteries can be powered up overnight, when energy companies typically charge less for electricity, and turned on during the day to power a home. They can also be used to store power generated by green - but intermittent - sources like solar and wind. Read more on The Guardian."

Saturday 25 April 2015

Bix Weir - Silver, Gold And The End Game.



  Not everything is gold, but you can always find some … Coming from very different perspectives a lot of knowledgeable opinions are pointing out the obvious - you cannot print yourself to prosperity and the real value will find the light of day again. It will always be the wishful thinking until the people with the real money will start to buy Gold in thousand of tonnes per year … and this is exactly what China is doing right now.


China bank may have ‘tripled bullion holdings’.



  

  The amount of gold holdings by PBOC is the very important validation of the monetary role of gold. Estimations in the market are as high as 5,000 t or even 30,000 t spread between different Chinese agencies. 


TNR Gold: Shotgun Gold Project Development in Alaska.


 "Nova Gold has published its new presentation for PDAC 2015. Now you can find more information about Alaska as mining jurisdiction and Donlin Gold type of Gold deposit. TNR Gold owns 100% of Shotgun Gold project in Alaska, which has very similar geology to Donlin Gold, according to Greg Johnson - one of the founders of Nova Gold. Read more."