Thursday, 5 October 2017

Lithium Race Chasing Tesla: GM Aims To Have 20 All-electric Car Models By 2023, 2 New EVs By 2019.

GM is finally talking about a serious move into electric cars. 20 electric car models are coming by 2023 and 2 new EVs by 2019. They do not have any other way around this disruption after Elon musk has brought Tesla earthquake to all auto industry. The ICE Age is over - China is setting the rules now and even California can follow with a ban on sales of the new DIEsel and gas-powered cars! India and Europe are following the trend already. GM with its productions facilities for millions of cars in annual production can make The Switch to EVs happening very fast.

Ford was very fast to announce its own "Team Edison" which will focus on electric cars after GM's news as well. This Tsunami of Electric Cars is coming and just to stay relevant automakers must invest billions of dollars in all chain of lithium technology very fast. Otherwise, the newcomers like Tesla will be setting the rules and China is ahead of all competition in the supply chains for this Energy rEVolution already. Lithium Technology is here, now maybe even GM and Ford can really make good affordable electric cars?

Cheap lithium batteries change everything and China is the driving force already on the global scale in this development. China is back on an exponential trend of growth in sales of electric cars in August with more than 100,000 EVs sold. It is an annualized trend of more than 1,200,000 electric cars per year. We can start talking about 2,000,000 EVs sold this year alone accounting for all EVs: including electric trucks and busses.

We have the long way to go from 0.2% which electric cars are representing in the global auto fleet, but this growth will be faster than a lot of people think. Once electric cars become cheaper than comparable ICE ones, UBS is talking about in the article below, the game for gas and DIEsel cars is over. All new cars will be electric and nobody really accounting for it yet in any lithium supply chain calculations.

Now we are reaching the tipping point: convergence of technology, new players who bring competition and prices down; and anti-pollution movement by the most important countries for the automakers. DIEselGate was the last drop and auto lobby cannot just swipe it under the rug anymore, consumers are not buying "Clean DIEsel".

LEGAL DISCLAIMER

Please read legal disclaimer. There is no investment advice on this blog. Always consult a qualified financial adviser before any investment decisions. DYOR.

All latest information is available in Company's filings on SEDAR www.sedar.com

Needless to say that lithium supply chains are not even close to the coming Tsunami of electric cars after Tesla Model S Earthquake. Countries like China and India are very serious to clean up their skies from deadly pollution and now we have lithium technology to make it possible: electric cars will take the world over much faster than a lot of people think.

Electrification of China and India will drive the next phase of the worldwide growth in EV fleet. India has announced that all new cars on sale will be electric by 2030 and they are taking it seriously making the first tender for 10,000 EVs to be supplied for the government ministries and agencies now. Transfer of the best technology for Lithium Batteries and Electric Cars will be next. China is already The Centre of The Lithium Universe and exercises its state-level New Energy Plan step by step with the military discipline, starting with securing a Lithium Supply Chain.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER

Please read legal disclaimer. There is no investment advice on this blog. Always consult a qualified financial adviser before any investment decisions. DYOR.

FT:

GM aims to have 20 all-electric car models by 2023

Tuesday, 3 October 2017

Lithium Race And Energy rEVolution: Reds Are Going Green - Electric Cars Are A Hit With Chinese Consumers.

Wall Street Journal made a very good report on the electric cars rEVolution which is happening today in China. The video report is stressing that all this success is the result of the industrial policy by the government in China. We have The New Energy Plan for the transition to Post Carbon Economy in action in China on a state level. With announcements from GM and Ford embracing electric cars, we have some hope in the West now not to be left in the poisonous DIEsel and Gas ICE Cars dust as well.

Lithium is the magic metal at the very heart of this Energy rEVolution and China is building the supply chains for the Next Industrial rEVolution with military discipline leaving the rest of the world totally unprepared for the coming geopolitical transition.

As you know, I have been preaching for years that security of lithium supply will be the most important factor determining the competitive advantage among different producers of critical raw materials for the Energy rEVolution. This Lithium Race will have the very far-reaching geopolitical implications. Now it looks like that Tesla is realizing that there is no secure supply of lithium for its massive expansion of operations from the underneath of Gigafactory floor in Nevada. Even if Panasonic is producing cathode for lithium cells which are made at Tesla Gigafactory in Nevada the supply chain is going all over the globe and back to China.

The real test to the market and supply chains for Energy rEVolution will come with the coming tide of Electric Cars and the following tsunami of Energy Storage. Bloomberg has recently reported that there will be more than 120 models of electric cars by 2020 and you should not be surprised as we have discussed here before that there are more than 70 models of electric cars on sale in China already. The next few years will determine who will have the keys to the new Energy rEVolution and control the supply chains. Hungry Dragons are flying high already and mostly in China, the question remains who and how will feed them without fear of being burnt in the process.

Lithium Race: The Switch Is On - China Sets New Deadline For Electric Car Quota From 2019.

We have finally actual steps taken by China in its transition into the Post Carbon Economy and leaving literally The ICE Age in the poisonous dust behind. China is The Centre of The Lithium Universe and now they are ready to start geopolitical shift which will affect everything. BYD is talking about China going all electric from 2030, but today we have the first major step in that direction with an introduction of a quota for electric cars from 2019. In short two years time, all automakers in China with over 30,000 cars in annual sales will have to produce at least 10% electric cars. It can be translated in over 2.8 million new electric cars in China being sold in 2019! Last year China has seen the fastest growth pace in three years with total auto sales climbing to 28.03 million cars. From 2020 automakers will have to produce 12% of electric cars.

Now we have a better understanding why Ganfeng Lithium: JV partner of International Lithium - was going vertical last few months. This kind of news is travelling very fast in the state corridors of power in China. This geopolitical move will have very wide political and economic implications as we have discussed it here for a long time. China is very well positioned to take the lead now and the ICE Age Of Oil is officially over.

We are reaching the tipping point this year: convergence of technology, new players who bring competition and prices down; and anti-pollution movement by the most important countries for the automakers. DIEselGate was the last drop and auto lobby cannot just swipe it under the rug anymore, consumers are not buying "Clean DIEsel".

LEGAL DISCLAIMER

Please read legal disclaimer. There is no investment advice on this blog. Always consult a qualified financial adviser before any investment decisions. DYOR.

All latest information is available in Company's filings on SEDAR www.sedar.com

Sunday, 1 October 2017

Lithium Race: The Switch Is On - Top 10 All-New Electric Cars To Go On Sale In 2018-2019.

We are talking a lot about Tesla here and that Elon Musk has brought an earthquake to auto industry which will bring the coming Tsunami of Electric Cars. But it is not only Tesla. The great electric cars are coming. The more - the better, Tesla Model 3 will start the real mass market in the West and all other electric cars will help to bring the costs down very fast.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER

Please read legal disclaimer. There is no investment advice on this blog. Always consult a qualified financial adviser before any investment decisions. DYOR.

All latest information is available in Company's filings on SEDAR www.sedar.com

LEGAL DISCLAIMER

Please read legal disclaimer. There is no investment advice on this blog. Always consult a qualified financial adviser before any investment decisions. DYOR.

Lithium Race At UBS: Electric Vehicles To Reach Cost Parity With Petrol Cars By 2018.

The most important here is who is talking. This time it is UBS, one of the largest wealth managing bank in the world. The clients will listen. Almost nothing drives human nature more than a wallet. Now we can add officially the most powerful driver for millions of future drivers to buy an electric car. You will start saving money from day one comparing to owning a similar class ICE car. UBS is talking about total cost of ownership at the moment, but by 2020 we can expect that the cost of buying an electric car will be lower than an ICE one. This will ignite The Switch we are talking about here. And do not forget that UBS has tested not the best affordable electric car by any stretch of an imagination.

Tesla Model S brought an earthquake to the ICE Age auto industry and Elon Musk has demonstrated that the best cars can be electric. Now tsunami of Tesla Model 3s is coming ... "We had the best electric cars and we had affordable electric cars, now we have the best affordable electric car." Read more.

"BYD is very proud to be back on the wave in China in July with over 11k EVs sold, it gives us over 130k per year EVs sold annualized. Elon Musk is talking about the rate of production with 20k Teslas per month by the end of this year and over 500k per year by the end of 2018. Now he estimates the demand for Tesla Model 3 at 700k per year. Bloomberg estimates that we will be able to choose from 200 EV models by 2020. The market is not even close to the proper translation of what kind of EV tsunami is coming and how it will affect the demand for lithium and other energy metals."

Lithium Race: Tesla Model S Brought An Earthquake To The ICE Age Auto Industry, Now Tsunami Of Model 3s Is Coming ...

The most important message in this video is the presenter - the future belongs to the new generation and they will be buying electric cars. "I am a geek. I have never liked cars, I have never been a fan of cars until Tesla". Tesla Model S brought an earthquake to the ICE Age auto industry and Elon Musk has demonstrated that the best cars can be electric. Now tsunami of Tesla Model 3s is coming ... "We had the best electric cars and we had affordable electric cars, now we have the best affordable electric car." Read more.

"The cost of lithium batteries is going down very fast and I believe that fully electric cars will rule the world very soon. Tesla Model 3 with 65 kWh lithium battery provides over 200 miles of range and will become the standard in the industry with its mass volume production from this July. There is around 60 kg of LCE (Lithium Carbonate Equivalent) in one Tesla Model 3 battery. We will need 36 Million Tonnes of LCE to be produced by 2040 to put this IEA plan into life.

To put it into perspective, the total lithium production last year was around 200,000 T of LCE. Now you can better understand why there is the real cut throat competition for the security of lithium supply which is still hidden from the most of the people by the clouds of toxic cancer hazard fumes emitted by all DIEsel cars on our roads. ICE (Internal Combustion Engines) are on the way out, all cars will be electric very soon and we are facing the total disconnect between the coming demand for lithium and the available supply. Read more."

International Lithium's JVs With Ganfeng Lithium Is An Entry Point To A Vertically Integrated Business With An Industry Giant From China.

International Lithium's (TSXV: ILC) Joint Ventures with Ganfeng Lithium in Argentina and Ireland is an entry point to a vertically integrated lithium business with a USD $6 Billion market cap industry giant from China. ILC's strategy is to build VC Capital in a number of M&A transactions. Construction of ILC Royalty Portfolio is our underlining business model. International Lithium's stake in the Mariana joint venture is of particular interest for OEMs entering into the electric car and lithium battery business looking to secure their long-term lithium supply. Read more.

Please contact us to explore this opportunity. Thank you! InternationalLithiumCorp@gmail.com

Friday, 29 September 2017

Lithium Race To Survive The Electrification: "Why China Can Ban Non-Electric Cars And Not California?"

Governor of California Jerry Brown is asking the right question. Is it possible that California can ban non-electric cars? It will be the huge endorsement for its own economy which is home not only to Tesla Motors, but Apple, Google and other tech giants who are looking at the next trillion dollar business to disrupt. Electric cars provide this opportunity, but can it be really done now in the U.S.?

The answer will determine the speed of geopolitical shift in power balance when China will be leading the world into Post-Carbon Economy. The Old Empire which was built on the basis of a Century of Oil as a source of Energy Domination, military control of ICE Age supply chains and $20 Trillion debt accumulated in order to manage its decline is coming to the end.

Energy rEVolution will be happening anyway, now it is time to decide who will join it in time to survive this disruption. DIEsel engines will only be the first and not the only victims of this transition now. China is building supply chains for Energy rEVOlution with military discipline. China already controls 75% of lithium supply materials for the batteries driving this Electrification of Transportation and Energy sectors.

For years we are following here Apple iCar, Google and Foxconn among many others working on the different parts of electric cars technology or the new electric cars. Now we are reaching the tipping point: convergence of technology, new players who bring competition and prices down; and anti-pollution movement by the most important countries for the automakers. DIEselGate was the last drop and auto lobby cannot just swipe it under the rug anymore, consumers are not buying "Clean DIEsel". Now automakers will have to change or the newcomers like Tesla or, maybe, even Dyson will start taking their market share from them very fast.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER

Please read legal disclaimer. There is no investment advice on this blog. Always consult a qualified financial adviser before any investment decisions. DYOR.

All latest information is available in Company's filings on SEDAR www.sedar.com

Back Into The Future - Lithium Will Power Us For The Next 50 Years And Then Robots.

Lithium Race: Which Will Be The First Country To Ban Fuel-Burning Cars: Norway, Netherlands, Germany, India or China?

Dr. Joe Romm provides us with more information on the recent decision of German Bundesrat to ban fuel-burning cars. This tipping point for electric cars to become the fast-growing mass market is the result of the technological advance called "The Learning Curve" when doubling of production brings on average 26% in cost reduction. It is true for the price of Solar PV, it is even faster for the chip makers and for Lithium Batteries Bloomberg reports about 14-19% cost reduction every year.

Now we are in the fast lane approaching this transition with first electric cars priced below $40k and with a range of over 200 miles coming to the market: GM Bolt and Tesla Model 3. BMW i3 with the new larger battery, Renault Zoe with 400 km range and Nissan Leaf with upgraded battery are driving the sales in Europe and China stands on its own with 25 companies making 51 models of electric cars.

Lithium Technology is here and the best electric cars will become only cheaper and better. Bloomberg estimates 2022 - 2026 when EVs will reach parity with ICE on capital cost alone. I will translate: depending on the country from 2022 electric cars will become cheaper to buy than comparable ICE ones. They will provide much better performance, safety and fraction of running cost to operate. This progress is inevitable and Tesla shows what is coming with Tesla Model S outselling ALL luxury sedan brands in the U.S. and Western Europe by a very wide margin. In the Q3 of this year, Tesla Model S sales were almost double of Mercedes S-Class and more than double of BMW 7!

And, finally, as Dr. Joe Romm is pointing out that governments start to wake up to the horrible cancer hazard air pollution on our streets from fuel-burning cars and voices for the ban of such cars are louder and louder. We can already add Netherlands to his list of countries and I have put China there as well. Masters of the asymmetric warfare Chinese will definitely capitalize on the advance they have managed to gain with their New Energy Plan at the right time. China has the largest EVs market in the world, Warren Buffett-backed BYD is the largest manufacturer of electric cars, Chinese companies are the largest lithium chemicals producers for the lithium batteries already. Lithium Megafactories are rising with billions of dollars in investments and they are buying the best lithium projects to secure supply of this critical metal.
If and when China will ban fuel-burning cars remains the speculation at this moment, but it will change the geopolitical landscape overnight making many Trillions of dollars in assets in the West worthless and some major companies literally shrinking in size within a year or two. We will have more Chinese names at the top of the World's largest companies for sure and size of the Chinese economy will jump reflecting the new growth based on the manufacturing base of the 21st century. This Energy rEVolution will be very fast and brutal to those unprepared. It is time to check your portfolios in order not to get caught in "The Death Spiral" - like Fitch is predicting for the oil companies. And whoever would like to start new trade wars should be thinking twice and long-term in advance, like China is doing building secure lithium supply to power new Energy Plan and Electric rEVolution. With the diminishing role of Oil as the only source of Energy, will our world be able to have a peaceful transition to the new order? I will leave these worries to our brave politicians, you should think about your investments and on which side of the history you would like to be to make the difference. You can find my chronicles of this Energy rEVolution on this blog and below are some links for your own research including the Dr. Joe Romm article. Read more."

The New York Times:

California Today: Should California Ban Non-Electric Cars?

Mike McPhate

CALIFORNIA TODAY

Good morning.

(Want to get California Today by email? Here’s the sign-up.)

What if California did away altogether with cars powered by fossil fuels?

Gov. Jerry Brown is said to have considered the question. According to a report in Bloomberg, he asked a state regulator about a plan by Chinato phase out sales of fossil-fuel vehicles.

“I’ve gotten messages from the governor asking, ‘Why haven’t we done something already?’” said Mary Nichols, chairwoman of the California Air Resources Board. “The governor has certainly indicated an interest in why China can do this and not California.”

The remarks have thrilled environmentalists who see tailpipe pollution — accounting for about a third of total greenhouse gas emissions — as a bane to both air quality and the climate.

“It’s an important conversation to have and we’re glad it’s starting to get some traction,” said Gina Coplon-Newfield, who heads the Sierra Club’s clean transportation unit.

For now, conversation is all it appears to be.

A spokesman for the air resources board, Dave Clegern, declined to say whether officials were serious about a ban.

“Given the existential challenge we face,” he said in a statement, “the administration is looking at many, many possible measures.”

If California did pursue a ban, a number of questions would have to be worked out.

Would it roll out in phases? Would it apply also to hybrids that use both gas and electricity? And how would people afford the more costly cars?

Industry experts said any ban would require a broad expansion of charging stations, as well as upgrades to the electrical grid.

Such obstacles haven’t stopped other governments.

India, France, Britain and Norway have all moved toward phasing out diesel and gas fueled cars.

Kerry Jackson, a fellow at the Pacific Research Institute, a free-market think tank in San Francisco, said Ms. Nichols’s comments were more evidence a state held captive to overzealous environmentalists.

“The reaction is like, ‘Gee, somebody has been reading The Onion and they got taken in by the parody,” he said. “But then it fades a little bit and you go, ‘Yeah, this is California.’”

There’s also another matter: Consumers haven’t exactly embraced electric vehicles.

While Californians have been the nation’s leading adopters, electric vehicle sales in the state amount to less than five percent of the total.

“I think really the lag here is consumers,” said Jessica Caldwell, an analyst at Edmunds. “For the automakers, they have to balance the lawmakers’ desires versus what they can actually sell.”