InsideEVs.
We have a great start for the mass market for electric cars lithium race! InsideEVs reports about 33 GM Bolt pre-orders just at one dealer. Chevy Bolt is on track to be delivered this year. Tesla Model 3 will be unveiled in March at Geneva Auto Show and will hit the road in 2017. We are entering into the new phase of The Next Industrial rEVolution, when electric cars will grow exponentially from the very low base of 0.8% of total sales in the world. Just in China alone 26 companies are now making 51 models of electric cars. China has become the largest lithium market in the world, moves to claim the largest lithium battery market next and will become the largest electric cars marker in the world this year. Lithium is the magic metal at the very heart of this Energy rEVolution.
International Lithium is building vertically integrated lithium business with Ganfeng Lithium. Read more.
My Outrages Lithium Price Prediction Of $15k per MT Of LCE And Joe Lowry On China Lithium Market Upheaval.
Copyright Global Lithium LLC, used with permission.
Joe Lowry makes very interesting observations about the dynamic in our Lithium Universe. China is the largest Lithium Market in the world now. Security of Lithium Supply becomes the most important element of your business plan, when market is growing exponentially. It is all happening even before Tesla Gigafactory is coming online with other Lithium Megafactories to follow. My prediction about $15k MT LCE prices in China now suddenly does not look totally outrages any more!
"Asia is taking the very important lead in this space as well. China is not only leapfrogging directly into the Lithium Energy Space with Electric Cars and Solar, but building the advanced materials base for this new Energy rEVolution. Panasonic, Nissan, Toyota, NEC, Sony, Samsung, Huyndai, LG Chem and others are staking its own place in electric cars now. China is the largest Lithium Market in the world already, moving to claim the largest Lithium Battery Producer title and Electric Cars in China will become the largest World's EV market early in the next year.Listen to that podcast, read the article about LG Chem and do your own research. Numerous companies are building Lithium Batteries facilities now in China: LG Chem, BYD, Boston Power (Ganfeng Lithium has 10% stake), Foxconn, Samsung, A123 - which will exceed even Tesla Gigafactory production capacity! 17 start ups only this year are trying to capitalise in lithium batteries market on the "War on Pollution" announced by China and state-level plan to build new strategic industry - Electric Cars. Read more."
Lithium Race: Will Price War Between GM Bolt And Tesla Model 3 Bring Us Mass Market For EVs?
"Finally, GM Bolt is out as production model at CES 2016! What is even better: GM promises to deliver now 200 miles with around $30k price tag! We are getting to my 20/200 EV mass market formula now: when $20k buys you BMW 2 type EV with 200 miles range. The first Price War in the Electric Space is officially on now! GM Bolt is priced "around" $30k and is challenging Tesla Model 3 to be unveiled at Geneva Auto show in March this year. Elon Musk will easily match performance of GM Bolt, in my personal opinion. Tesla can deserve even price premium to GM Bolt: next move from Elon Musk will be very interesting - will he go for the bold statement and the market share by matching GM Bolt at $30k price tag instead of $35k?
Later, Gigafactory will allow Elon Musk to be more aggressive with pricing with the increased volume, but what will be Tesla's move now? GM Bolt is supplied by LG Chem with lithium batteries: it will be very interesting to know the price and whether LG Chem is going for the market share as well now by selling lithium batteries below cost. I have never heard that LG Chem is working on the next stage of Lithium Solid State Batteries, can somebody help me here, please?
Lithium Solid State Batteries can be the largest secret around Gigafactory and Tesla Model 3 future. If Elon Musk is really working on it now and will be able to commercialise it - we can talk about $100/kWh lithium battery cost, when 50 kWh lithium battery for Tesla Model 3 will be costing only $5k and will provide at least 200 miles range! Read more."
InsideEVs:
Despite GM only have taken the wraps off the production-intent Chevrolet Bolt EV last month at CES in Las Vegas and the NAIAS in Detroit, one Chevy dealer
is showing that demand for the 200+ mile EV is already very high.
is showing that demand for the 200+ mile EV is already very high.
That dealer is Bourgeois Chevrolet in Rawdon, Quebec (Canada), where part-owner Samuel Jeanson says he has already taken 33 pre-orders of the Bolt EV, despite the EVsarrival being almost a year off.
arrival being almost a year off.
These orders on the Bolt have also been acquired even though the EV is still is not officially on sale by GM, it has no stated MSRP, and consumers putting down deposits today have no guarantee of any special early delivery dates by doing so. These customers are operating only out of a strong desire to own the plug-in.
“Hey, Where Are All The Trucks And SUVs?” – Bourgeois Chevrolet Owners Out Front With Volt Fleet (Mario Bourgeois, Hugo Jeanson and Samuel Jeanson)
We should also note that Bourgeois Chevrolet is not your ordinary dealership.
.
They also received the very first 2016 Chevrolet Volt delivery anywhere in North America…and they really love plug-in vehicles. In fact, as AutoNews recently found out, they more often than not, attempt to convert customers attempting to buy gas cars, to make the switch into plug-ins – a refreshing change!
“Bourgeois Chevrolet sold a record 287 electrified vehicles in 2015, including 192 new and 95 used….(for the year) Bourgeois sold 704 vehicles in 2015, so that means more than 40 percent of sales were plug-in hybrids“It is an amazing market,” says Jeanson, who has sold Volts to customers from as far away as British Columbia. “Even customers who come in for conventional product and ask for gas, we sell them an EV”
GM CEO Mary Berra With Chevy Bolt On Stage In Las Vegas
Today, the dealership looks to scoop up as many plug-ins as possible from GM directly, but they also roam auctions both in Canada and the U.S. looking for deals, while also taking in unwanted new Volts from other dealers. Besides the 33 Bolt pre-orders, Bourgeois says they have 43 pre-sold copies of the new 2017 edition of the Volt, which just went into production last week.
to scoop up as many plug-ins as possible from GM directly, but they also roam auctions both in Canada and the U.S. looking for deals, while also taking in unwanted new Volts from other dealers. Besides the 33 Bolt pre-orders, Bourgeois says they have 43 pre-sold copies of the new 2017 edition of the Volt, which just went into production last week.
Chevrolet Bolt EV (Interior Shown) Coming In Late 2016
Part of the difference between the Quebec dealer and other traditional retail models is that the business is family owned, and no sales people work on commission.
The owners freely admit that plug-ins take longer to both educate and sell to customers, but having sales people that are in no hurry to rush off to the next sales, is an advantage in this case.
“The dealership has been in the family 50 years, and we didn’t have any commission for 50 years,” says dealer Jeanson, “People want to know how it works. It takes three to four times longer to sell an EV than a regular car.”“If a salesman is selling an EV on commission, he’s not interested in selling an EV. They have the same price and less profit.”
AutoNews, Hat tip to Breezy, Teng Y!
Kirill Klip 
Richard Masoner 
