Lithium: Volvo To Start Serial Production Of Hybrid Buses TNR.v, CZX.v, RM.v, LMR.v, WLC.v, LI.v, CLQ.v, HAO.v, ABN.v, AVL.to, RES.v, QUC.v, AONE, HEV

Now we have another mass market for lithium batteries in development: mass transit has a massive support from Federal and Local governments in Europe and Volvo is a very serious player here.

Electric Cars is the only commercially viable technology today to sustain mobility world wide with rising Oil prices. Lithium is at the heart of Green Mobility revolution - it is an industry adopted standard for batteries and billions of dollars are invested into battery technology and upcoming by the end of this year Electric Cars on a mass market scale. This Bull market is still very young - only a year or so from the beginning after the crash of 2008.We will provide you with few links to study the subject further:"

Highlights of the Volvo 7700 Hybrid

A fuel-saver for the environment

The Volvo 7700 Hybrid is a parallel hybrid, which means that a diesel engine and an electric motor work together or independently to power the bus. In urban traffic fuel savings are up to 35 percent and in suburban traffic approximately 20 percent.Highly efficient electric motor. The electric motor is used to start the bus and to accelerate it up to about 20 km/h, giving you considerable fuel savings and near-silent take-offs. With full torque from the start the acceleration is excellent, offering quick starts from standstills.

Stand stills without exhaust gases.

At higher speeds, the diesel engine takes over, while also recharging the batteries. Since the electric motor serves both as a motor and a generator you actually recharge when driving and braking. During idling at a red light or bus stop the diesel engine is shut off, resulting in zero emissions.

Reduced emissions

The Volvo 7700 Hybrid bus proves that low emission levels and high capacity can be combined. The Volvo system reduces emissions of CO2 dramatically, but also NOx and particulate emissions by as much as 40–50 percent. With an optional filter particulate matter can be reduced by an additional 80 percent.

Get the most out of your Volvo 7700 Hybrid

Buying a Volvo bus opens the door to a complete offer of services and products for increased productivity; from service contracts, fuel management systems and certified Volvo 7700 Hybrid mechanic on site, to driver training. There is also a wide variety of other services such as refurbishment of an older vehicle, parts online and 24/7 help with Volvo Action Service. Some of the services are offered with a fixed price per kilometre, depending on local market conditions and driving distance, while other services are one-time costs."

This is how it works

Lithium ion batteries

The Volvo 7700 Hybrid has active temperature controlled lithium ion battery cells, with individual cell charge control. This results in reliable and efficient energy storage. Volvo Buses’ lithium ion battery is known for its high energy storage capacity, low weight and low environmental impact. It is optimised so that the hybrid can run everywhere, regardless of climate. There is no scarcity of lithium and it can be exploited with low environmental impact.

Electric motor/generatorI-SAM (Integrated Starter Alternator Motor) is a permanent magnet motor running on alternating current. It also functions as a generator. Energy converter DC/DCThe energy converter provides conversion from 600V/24V 7.5 kW.

Transmission

The close ratio Volvo I-Shift automatic gear-changing transmission has software that interacts with the hybrid system and is optimised for city and commuter traffic.Powertrain Management Unit (PMU)The brain of the system is an electronic control module that regulates engagement and disengagement of electric and diesel power, as well as gear-changing modes and battery recharging.

Diesel engine

Fuel efficient 4-cylinder, 5-litre Volvo D5E diesel engine, producing 210 hp. Installed vertically in the left rear corner, just as in the rest of the Volvo 7700 range.

Volvo To Start Serial Production Of Hybrid Buses
Published:31-May-2010
By Staff Reporter
Volvo Buses said that it will now start serial production of its hybrid bus Volvo 7700 Hybrid and double-decker Volvo B5L Hybrid. These hybrid buses are expected to reduce fuel consumption by up to 35% and carbon emissions by an equal amount.
According to Volvo, the 12-meter Volvo 7700 Hybrid bus is now being built in its plant in Wroclaw, Poland and chassis for double-decker Volvo B5L Hybrid will be built in Boras, Sweden. The coaches for double-deckers will be built by Wrightbus in Northern Ireland.
Volvo’s hybrid buses feature a small diesel engine and an electric engine that can operate it independently or jointly. When the brakes are applied the brake energy is utilized and stored in a battery, which then drives the electric engine when bus accelerates again.
In addition, the engine switches off automatically at bus stops and then restarts only with the help of electric engine. The diesel engine does not start until the bus reaches 15-20 km/hour.
Hakan Karlsson, president of Volvo Buses, said: “This is a major step for the Volvo Group and for the bus industry. There is now a hybrid bus in the market, which will significantly reduce fuel consumption, strongly reduce emissions and is also commercially viable.”

US Dollar Collapse: Canadian Currency Appreciates as GDP Rises Most in a Decade TNR.v, CZX.v, GRC.to, ASM.v, NGQ.to, CGS.v, CGP.v, MGN, GDX, SLV, F

For all those looking for Inflation signs we will advise to cross the boarder to the North of Green Buck Fantasy Land. China is tightening monetary policy with Brazil, Norway, Australia and now Canada will follow. Notice the similarity: they are all connected to the places where the Growth is and Commodities are coming from. Real decoupling is well under way and all recent bail out will end in Inflation.

"We will leave the situation on how technically stock like P&G could drop 50% in fifteen minutes to be investigated by the mass media, but will confirm here one more time: it was second Deflationary Test with sudden drop in liquidity this time driven by sovereign debt crisis. Call it Run On The Bank among Big Guys. Fifteen minutes made no mistake about the state of the market and economy in deflationary environment - we have seen the future and it is ugly. Deflation spiral means death of financial market by thousand cuts - financial system is insolvent and the only way to run it is to keep liquidity high enough that nobody is testing it to deliver. QE will provide flood of money, debt will be rolled over and by destroying the value of FIAT currencies Debt will be Inflated out in the end. This time it is different - it is not only our theory, but confirmed market action. This time the most important here is that Gold was at almost all time high at the moment of test, Gold was moving up against all currencies and this time in a sharp contrast to the events of 2008 it was sharply up and over 1200 on the day of Market Crash. This new round of QE (when Europe has not even started!) will be going already from this very high base in Gold value and rising Inflation in Commodity and Growth driven economies. We will not go into the debt issue today in details and will only point out that it is a notch under 13 Trillion and in dangerously close proximity to 100% of GDP of U.S.
After pictures from Greece we do not think that anybody will go there in U.S. Corp. Deflation will be prevented by any means, it is easy and price to pay is not so obvious. Newly printed US Dollars are "free", but price to drop them is not: you need Oil to keep you helicopters flying and here will be our first conundrum: At what point price of Oil becomes prohibitive to use Helicopters by Ben Bernanke in his open market operations?"

Canadian Currency Appreciates as GDP Rises Most in a DecadeMay 31, 2010, 11:18 AM EDT

By Chris Fournier
May 31 (Bloomberg) -- Canada’s dollar rose after a report showed the economy expanded at the fastest pace in a decade in the first quarter, increasing pressure on the country’s central bank to raise interest rates tomorrow.
“Very good GDP, strong numbers,” said John Curran, a Toronto-based senior vice president at CanadianForex Ltd., an online foreign-exchange dealer. “It certainly looks by all calculations like the bank should be raising rates tomorrow. Dealer sentiment has swung strongly in favor of a rate hike.”
The Canadian currency advanced as much as 1.3 percent to C$1.0414 per U.S. dollar, the strongest level since May 20, before trading at C$1.0478 at 11:07 a.m. in Toronto, compared with C$1.0546 on May 28. One Canadian dollar buys 95.45 U.S. cents.
Twenty-five of 27 economists in a Bloomberg survey say Carney will tomorrow increase the record low target lending rate by a quarter-percentage point to 0.5 percent, the first Group of Seven central banker to do so since last year’s global recession.
Crude for July delivery gained as much as 71 cents, or 1 percent, to $74.68 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Crude is Canada’s largest export. The loonie tends to follow movements in crude oil and stocks.
Canada’s dollar has depreciated 2.1 percent this month versus the greenback along with other higher-yielding currencies and the euro amid concern the sovereign-debt crisis in Europe may hamper the global economic recovery.
The yield on Canada’s 10-year bond dropped as much as 40 basis points last month, from 3.65 percent on April 30 to 3.25 percent on May 25. It traded today at 3.32 percent.
--With assistance from Greg Quinn in Ottawa. Editors: James Holloway
To contact the reporter on this story: Chris Fournier in Montreal at cfournier3@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Dave Liedtka at dliedtka@bloomberg.net"

International Lithium Corp: Introduction to Lithium and ILC TNR.v, CZX.v, RM.v, LMR.v, WLC.v, CLQ.v, HAO.v, ABN.v, AVL.to, RES.v, QUC.v, GM, F

http://www.tnrgoldcorp.com/i/pdf/TNRLi-VEVA.pdf

China, Oil and Lithium: Beijing to mass produce electric cars TNR.v, CZX.v, RM.v, LMR.v, LI.v, WLC.v, F, BYDDY, NSANY, DAI, RNO, GM, HEV, AONE, LUN.to

After groundbreaking Toyota move with Tesla, Daimler is pushing its way into Electric Cars mass market and in Asian market with BYD. Companies have announced a few cooperation ideas before and now it is the time is for the bold action and they are establishing a J/V. Auto Majors are buying time in Electric Car market battle field. Nissan is a clear leader on the pricing side for EV now and GM Volt will be first to market with Range Extender model alongside with BYD. Toyota has lost its time on Soft Hybrid side and Daimler was very cautious with its engagement in Electric Cars as well. Daimler has made an impressive Electric show at Frankfurt Motor Show last year, but real things were among Hybrids and Smart Electric to test the grounds with small town car. This concept model above was still at the prototype level at that time. Now BYD will get premium auto brand, safety and mass production technology and Daimler will get access to batteries, low cost production base and the market.

"Competition for Oil is heating up and aggressive move by China into Electric Cars leaves no other options for US than to follow. In order to keep power China needs gradually improve standard of living, it will bring upside pressure on labor cost. Electrification will not only provide Energy Security to China, but will significantly reduce the cost of its transportation element and provide another opportunity to stay among low cost producers. Situation is completely different to U.S. - they have capital to invest in Electric Mobility CAPEX now and rip the rewards of lower cash cost on transportation side later. We will refer you to the Economics of Electric Cars.
Recent Ash Cloud events in Europe brought a very sobering sense of the feeling to be grounded. It is amazing how many things are taking for granted. This time it is Ash Cloud - what will happen with oil above 150?
Electric Cars is the only commercially viable technology today to sustain mobility world wide with rising Oil prices. Lithium is at the heart of Green Mobility revolution - it is an industry adopted standard for batteries and billions of dollars are invested into battery technology and upcoming by the end of this year Electric Cars on a mass market scale. This Bull market is still very young - only a year or so from the beginning after the crash of 2008."

The Malay Mail:

Beijing to mass produce electric cars

Submitted by amir azree on Friday, May 28th, 2010
Friday, May 28th, 2010 11:04:00

ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY: The BYD Auto on show at the company's factory in Shenzhen

FRANKFURT: Chinese auto group BYD (Build Your Dreams) and German luxury car maker Daimler announced yesterday a joint venture to mass produce an electric car in China. A new research and development group to be called Shenzhen BYD Daimler New Technology Company will get an initial investment of around US$87 million (RM286m), a Daimler statement said. "We are well-placed with our new joint venture to make the most of China's enormous potential in electromobility," Daimler chairman Dieter Zetsche said. Daimler is to bring "knowhow in vehicle architecture and security" to the venture , while BYD will contribute "its competence in batteries and propulsion systems for electric vehicles," the statement added. The world's oldest automaker and one of the youngest aim to market the vehicle under a new jointly-owned brand, joining forces to target China's fast expanding urban market. Around 16 million autos are currently sold across the country each year. Launched just seven years ago, BYD Auto now claims to be the sixth biggest car maker in China and its future plans are focused on electric or hybrid vehicles, building on the experience of its battery-making parent group. The Chinese firm, in which US billionaire Warren Buffett holds a stake of 10 per cent, has already begun to sell its electric E6 model as a taxi in the southern city of Shenzhen and aims to distribute the car in Europe next year."

EVs mass market: $10k Electric car tax break proposed TNR.v, CZX.v, RM.v, LMR.v, WLC.v, LI.v, CLQ.v, SQM, FMC, ROC, NSANY, BYDDY, F, GM,

"The main open question is: will Electric Cars' adoption rate be correlated with Washing Machines' one or will it enjoy more explosive growth like Mobiles with rate of acceleration like iPods on the chart below? First, we will strike brutally and cynically (the way the Wall Street works): how can you compare washing machines and Cars? Even Electric ones? Cars are all about men, their personal social security space with a statement. How many of us discussed washing machines even the best ones? Brutal history about washing machines is that it was for the "best part" - to make her life better, it was not about status and not about statement - so it took 80 years to get to the 80% adoption rate. On a more serious note time has changed: it will not be about him all the time this time and it is not about U.S. only this time, but first back to iPod Moment."

We have another reason to believe that growth in Electric Cars penetration rate could be explosive: in all estimates government policy is crucial combined with lithium battery cost for mass adoption of EVs within next ten years.

DetNews.com:

Electric car tax break proposed

Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf buyers in select cities would get $10K incentive under Senate plan
David Shepardson / The Detroit News
Washington -- Buyers of the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf would be eligible for a $10,000 federal tax credit in some cities under a $10 billion Senate plan to boost electric vehicles.
House and Senate members on Thursday released similar plans intended to make electric vehicles more than niche models.
The House version would spend $6.6 billion, dedicating $800 million to five "deployment communities" to speed 700,000 plug-in vehicles into use and establish recharging networks. A Senate version would spend about $10 billion and grant $250 million to up to 15 communities.


The Senate version would extend the current $7,500 tax credit for 200,000 plug-in vehicles per manufacturer to 300,000. And it would boost the credit to $10,000 in those 15 communities.
That would further reduce the cost of the Volt, which will get up to 40 miles on a charge, and the fully electric Nissan Leaf, which will get up to 100 miles.
General Motors spokesman Greg Martin praised the bills.
"We appreciate Congress' foresight and interest in electric vehicles," he said. "With the Chevrolet Volt just months away from the showroom, we believe the timing is right to start working on policies that can accelerate early consumer adoption of advanced electric vehicle technologies."
Electric vehicles enjoy widespread support across the political spectrum.
"Republicans and Democrats agree that electrifying our cars and trucks is the single best way to reduce our dependence on oil," said Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., one of the sponsors.
Both bills would set aside billions more for research into batteries, research and tax credits.
The Senate bill also would create a $10 million prize for the first manufacturer of a battery that can get 500 miles on a charge.
Congressional aides have spent several months writing the bills. Members cited the recent Gulf oil spill as a factor in the urgent need to shift vehicles from oil to electric power.
Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., noted that the United States has 2 percent of the world's oil reserves but consumes 25 percent of the world's oil.
"This isn't a question of if, but when," Markey said, adding the bill would speed up the widespread use of electric vehicles. "It will drive the creation of jobs, domestic manufacturing and homegrown innovation."
The Senate bill would require that one of the 15 deployment communities be a rural area of fewer than 125,000 people and would "reflect diverse populations" and geography.
The Senate bill sets aside another $2 billion for grants and cost sharing -- local communities would have to provide 20 percent of the funding.
Communities and their business and utility partners would have to apply for inclusion.

From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20100528/AUTO01/5280349/1148/rss25#ixzz0pDCtrQjP"

TNR Gold Corp. Updates Meeting Date for Approval of Spin-Out of International Lithium Corp. and Record Date TNR.v, CZX.v, NG.to, WLC.v, CLQ.v, RM.v, F

"TNR Gold Corp. Updates Meeting Date for Approval of Spin-Out of International Lithium Corp. and Record Date

Press Release Source: TNR Gold Corp. On Wednesday May 26, 2010, 8:27 pm EDT
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - May 26, 2010) - TNR Gold Corp. ("TNR" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:TNR - News) is pleased to announce that further to its news release on April 12, 2010, we have changed our meeting date to June 22, 2010 for shareholder approval of the previously announced (April 27, 2009) spin-out of TNR's lithium and rare metal assets into its wholly-owned subsidiary, International Lithium Corp. ("ILC") under a court approved plan of arrangement. TNR shareholders of record on the date of the spin-out, planned for July 2010, will receive one share and one fully tradeable warrant of International Lithium Corp. for every 4 shares of TNR held.
The spin-out is subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange, the B.C. Supreme Court and shareholders of TNR. TNR shareholders were mailed an information circular today describing the key terms of the proposed spin-out with a planned completion within 60 days of the meeting date. The documents, including the signed Arrangement Agreement, were filed on SEDAR on May 25, 2010. We encourage all interested parties to review the Arrangement Agreement and Information Circular in their entirety on our website or SEDAR. A link for this information is as follows:

http://www.tnrgoldcorp.com/i/pdf/TNR-InfoCirc-May2010.pdf

ABOUT INTERNATIONAL LITHIUM CORP. / TNR GOLD CORP.
International Lithium Corp., currently a wholly-owed subsidiary of TNR, is a mineral exploration company diversified geographically and by resource type. With projects spanning the globe from Argentina, USA, Canada, and Ireland, ILC will offer investors the potential upside of rapid advancement of ILC's lithium brine projects and recognized valuation of ILC's rare metals pegmatite projects.
TNR is a diversified metals exploration company focused on identifying and exploring its existing properties and identifying new prospective projects globally. TNR has a total portfolio of 18 projects, of which 9 will be included in the proposed spin-off of International Lithium Corp.
The recent acquisition of lithium and other rare metals projects in Argentina, Canada, USA and Ireland confirms TNR and ILC's commitments to generating projects, diversifying their markets, and building shareholder value.
On behalf of the board,
Gary Schellenberg, President
Statements in this press release other than purely historical information, historical estimates should not be relied upon, including statements relating to the Company's future plans and objectives or expected results, are forward-looking statements. News release contains certain "Forward-Looking Statements" within the meaning of Section 21E of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements are based on numerous assumptions and are subject to all of the risks and uncertainties inherent in the Company's business, including risks inherent in resource exploration and development. As a result, actual results may vary materially from those described in the forward-looking statements.
CUSIP: #87260X 109
SEC 12g3-2(b): Exemption #82-4434
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release."

Canada Zinc Metals arranges $3-million placement CZX.v, TNR.v, BLS.to, LUN.to, QUA.to, FCX, CUU.v, DON.v, BWR.to, CS.to, BHP, RTP, RIO, IMN.to,

"CZX’s Cardiac Creek deposit (Akie property) represents one of the top 10 largest undeveloped zinc deposits on the planet. The deposit is very good grade with a very high grade section within it that could be mined first (quicker payback of capital). CZX also has a very large prospective land package – this represents a district scale opportunity in mining friendly BC, Canada. Infrastructure in the area is relatively advanced (full road access, railway, power facility, deep sea port). Neighboring property / deposits owned by big players Teck Resources and Korea Zinc. We are going to China to visit Tongling and other Chinese companies next week for further discussions on our project development"

"Tongling exercises its warrants at 20% premium to the market today (0.50CAD) - it is a very positive sign of commitment. Now Chinese company holds 17.5% in Canada Zinc Metals CZX.v, when will they bid for the whole company? Another important shareholder is Lundin Mining LUN.to With new Bailout in Europe direction is to Inflation and Commodities are the place to be. Another company we are following here is engaged in this Chinese M&A in Canada story: TNR Gold Corp. with International Lithium Corp. where CZX has a stake. Will shareholders in TNR Gold wake up one morning with new Chinese connection one day?"

With recent market meltdown Canada Zinc Metals provides another very good Entry point into this Chinese M&A play in Commodities in Canada. Markets are signaling that risk appetite could be back now and Company reports that after Chinese Tongling has exercised their warrants at 0.6CAD it was able to secure another sizable financing at that level with more than 20% premium to the market.

"Canada Zinc Metals arranges $3-million placement

2010-05-27 07:44 ET - News Release
Mr. Peeyush Varshney reports
CANADA ZINC METALS ANNOUNCES NON-BROKERED PRIVATE PLACEMENT
Canada Zinc Metals Corp. has arranged a private placement of five million units at a price of 60 cents per unit for gross proceeds of up to $3-million.
Each unit will consist of one common share and one-half share purchase warrant of the company. Each whole warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one additional common share at a price of 80 cents for a period of 18 months from closing.
A finder's fee of 7 per cent will be paid on the private placement. The private placement is subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval.
The proceeds of the private placement are anticipated to be used for further exploration of the Akie Sedex zinc-lead deposit and for working capital purposes.
About the Akie and Kechika regional properties
The Akie zinc-lead property is situated within the southernmost part (Kechika trough) of the regionally extensive Paleozoic Selwyn basin, one of the most prolific sedimentary basins in the world for the occurrence of Sedex zinc-lead-silver and stratiform barite deposits.
Drilling on the Akie property by Inmet Mining Corporation during the period 1994 to 1996 and by Canada Zinc Metals since 2005 has identified a significant body of baritic zinc-lead Sedex mineralization (Cardiac Creek deposit). The deposit is hosted by variably siliceous, fine-grained clastic rocks of the Middle to Late Devonian Gunsteel formation. The company has outlined an NI 43-101-compliant inferred resource of 23.6 million tonnes grading 7.6 per cent zinc, 1.5 per cent lead and 13.0 grams per tonne silver (at a 5-per-cent zinc cut-off grade).
Two similar deposits, Cirque and Cirque South Cirque, located approximately 20 kilometres northwest of Akie and owned under a joint venture by Teck Resources and Korea Zinc, are also hosted by Gunsteel rocks and have a combined geologic inventory in excess of 50 million tonnes (not 43-101-compliant) grading approximately 10 per cent combined zinc and lead.
In addition to the Akie property, Canada Zinc Metals controls a large contiguous group of claims which consist of the Kechika regional project. These claims are underlain by geology identical to that on the Akie property (Cardiac Creek deposit) and Cirque. This project includes the 100-per-cent-owned Mt. Alcock property, which has yielded a historic drill intercept of 8.8 metres grading 9.3 per cent zinc and lead, numerous zinc-lead-barite occurrences, and several regional base metal anomalies.
All of the company's claims (77,889 hectares), with the exception of a small isolated block (2,293 hectares), are in good standing, under the provisions of the Mineral Tenure Act of British Columbia, until Dec. 8, 2018."

Lithium Batteries Powering Ten Percent of Autos by 2020 TNR.v, CZX.v, RM.v, LMR.v, WLC.v, CLQ.v, LI.v, SQM, FMC, ROC, FCX, BHP, LUN.to, NG.to, NSANY,

This report continues our quest in Electric Cars adoption rate scenarios:

"As you can see above, explosive growth in some sectors can happen even when economy is slowly growing as a whole. Authors of the Deloitte study very carefully took into consideration a lot of different aspects for adoption of the new technology like Electric Cars. Have they missed something? Maybe not when we are talking about U.S. in a "normal situation", but we are living in a "New Normal" according to PIMCO. Charts above and below bring us some more dimensions for thoughts. It is growth of Oil consumption in China from 1965 and below is Rate of this Growth compare to other countries. We will bring a new factor into the growth valuation for EVs - what if there is no more Cheap Oil left and how it feels to be grounded? We will address you to the Life After Oil and other thoughts on the Peak Oil."


LithiumInvestingNews:

"Lithium Batteries Powering Ten Percent of Autos by 2020

By Dave Brown – Exclusive to LithiumInvestingNews.com

The Royal Academy of Engineering has issued a report that suggests hybrid and electric cars may grab as much as 10 percent of the European automobile market by 2020. The largest impediments for this forecast appear to be cost hurdles, standardized regulations, and infrastructure investments.
The report points out that the reserve base represents sufficient lithium for a billion EV batteries, meaning that lithium shortages do not appear imminent and the diversity of possible battery chemistries suggests that a shortage of battery materials is unlikely. In addition to the lithium based batteries, which currently appear to be the industry’s state of the art technological benchmark, energy storage sources might potentially include lead, nickel, sodium, and zinc-based chemistries.
The report identifies four technical issues: availability of high energy-density batteries at a practical price, feasibility of charging vehicles, infrastructure implementation, and a ’smart grid’ that can recharge millions of electric vehicles using low-carbon electricity. The current contribution of renewable and low-carbon generation to the United Kingdom’s energy supply is one of the lowest in Europe. If the country intends to meet its renewable energy targets, a range of new low-carbon sources will be needed, including new nuclear power stations, wind farms, and tidal barrages.
Last October, a study conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP indicated that automobiles manufacturers are set to introduce 42 electric models worldwide by 2012"

International Lithium Corp. Spin off: management information circular posted TNR.v, CZX.v, RM.v, LMR.v, WLC.v, LI.v, CLQ.v, AVL.to, RES.v, QUC.v,

TNR Gold has posted on May 25th, 2010 Management Information Circular with International Lithium Corp. plan of arrangement:

http://sedar.com/

Powered by Lithium: Nissan CEO Ghosn Sticks With Bullish Electric-Car Forecast TNR.v, CZX.v, RM.v, LMR.v, WLC.v, LI.v, SQM, FMC, ROC, NSANY, BYDDY, F,

This devise above is the basis for the Next Big Thing and we have it at every home which can afford to buy any car now.

Now we need these cars to be on the road and drive the market.

"The main open question is: will Electric Cars' adoption rate be correlated with Washing Machines' one or will it enjoy more explosive growth like Mobiles with rate of acceleration like iPods on the chart below? First, we will strike brutally and cynically (the way the Wall Street works): how can you compare washing machines and Cars? Even Electric ones? Cars are all about men, their personal social security space with a statement. How many of us discussed washing machines even the best ones? Brutal history about washing machines is that it was for the "best part" - to make her life better, it was not about status and not about statement - so it took 80 years to get to the 80% adoption rate. On a more serious note time has changed: it will not be about him all the time this time and it is not about U.S. only this time, but first back to iPod Moment."

WSJ:

Nissan CEO Ghosn Sticks With Bullish Electric-Car Forecast

Carlos Ghosn, credited with turning around ailing Nissan a decade ago, said today he’s confident sales of electric cars will account for 10% of the market by 2020. He isn’t worried by naysayers who, he says, are often car makers who simply aren’t prepared to compete in the rising electric segment.
The Nissan and Renault CEO said in a meeting with Wall Street Journal editors and reporters that the two car companies plan to roll out several electric models in the next few years. If anything, he says, that pace may still be too slow because demand for electrics is almost certain to accelerate once consumers see them in action. His biggest worry: that demand for electric vehicles “will take off faster than expected and we will be under capacity.”
So why he so bullish on electric cars when many analysts and industry watchers predict they will account for only about 2% of the market in 10 years? Part of the reason is infrastructure. Ghosn says Nissan is pursuing agreements with governments and businesses to install charging stations in parking garages, shopping areas, office parks and elsewhere so drivers won’t have to worry as much about range, a nagging disadvantage for electrics compared with gasoline-powered cars.
Ghosn also says there are charging systems in development that can cut the time it takes to recharge electric car batteries from hours to minutes. Nissan is focused on the U.S. launch in December of the Leaf, an electric sedan with a range of about 100 miles. Ghosn says the company is in contact with 130,000 “hand raisers” — people who have expressed interest in the Leaf, and 13,000 advance orders for the car. He says these numbers represent individual consumers, not government and corporate fleets."

China will award buyers of green cars with subsidies of up to 60,000 yuan ($8,789) each TNR.v, CZX.v, RM.v, LMR.v, WLC.v, LI.v, CLQ.v, SQM, FMC, ROC,

"We will bring a new factor into the growth valuation for EVs - what if there is no more Cheap Oil left and how it feels to be grounded? We will address you to the Life After Oil and other thoughts on the Peak Oil."

Nothing will be left to chance: China has carefully planed and now is executing its strategy in Electric Car space. Now we have another confirmation about State level shift in technology from China.

"Two charts show the dynamic of China's expansion into auto space reflecting the explosive Oil Consumption Rate of Growth above. This is why it will be not about only U.S. this time, but every move in China will affect U.S."

"Two most important points from here: Oil Consumption will go up dramatically with declining production, without major State level shift in technology China and India will not be able to bring mobility to its population without suffocating its own people and along the way they will drive prices for Oil above USD150 again."

Reuters:

Chinese green car buyers to get rebates -paper

Mon May 24, 2010 12:23am EDT
SHANGHAI, May 24 (Reuters) - China will award buyers of green cars with subsidies of up to 60,000 yuan ($8,789) each, the Shanghai Securities News said on Monday, as it steps up efforts to cut emissions in the world's biggest auto market.
Stocks Global Markets Cyclical Consumer Goods
The Chinese government has worked out a plan to subsidise green car buyers and will unveil details by the end of this month, the newspaper said, citing people with knowledge of the matter.
Subsidies will be based on the performance and energy-savings efficiency of the models, the paper said.
Maximum subsidies for buyers of pure electric vehicles is 60,000 yuan each, while those for plug-in hybrid and normal hybrid cars are 50,000 yuan and 3,000 yuan respectively, it said.
Beijing said in December 2009 that it will subsidise green vehicle buyers in five selected cities.
It will also expand a pilot scheme to subsidise the purchase of clean-energy vehicles for public transport fleets in 13 cities to 20 cities, it said, without giving a timetable or naming the cities. [ID:nTOE5B9033]
Chinese automakers, unscathed by a savage global downturn, are ramping up efforts to get cleaner, low-emission vehicles on the roads, counting on the green drive to propel them into the top ranks of the global auto industry.
From leading Chinese auto group SAIC Motor Corp (600104.SS) to rising star Geely Automotive Holding (0175.HK), indigenous players showcased a host of new green vehicles at the 2010 Beijing autoshow in April.
Foreign automakers are also on the move. In 2011, General Motors [GM.UL] will roll out its Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid in China next year, while Nissan Motor (7201.T) will bring its electric model, Leaf, to the country. ($1=6.826 Yuan) (Reporting by Fang Yan and Jacqueline Wong)

Electric Cars' adoption rate: Washing Machines or Mobiles with iPods Squared? TNR.v, CZX.v, RM.v, LMR.v, WLC.v, CLQ.v, SQM, FMC, ROC, F, BYDDY, NSANY,

CS. The time has come for Electric Cars: we are sure about it, but how fast will they be adopted, will we be able to capitalise on Green Mobility Revolution - these questions are still open. Recent research paper from Deloitte "Gaining traction. A customer view of electric vehicle mass adoption in the U.S. automotive market" has sparked a lot of discussions. We will join it with a few pictures and charts, not as good as one from Nicholas Felton below, but always providing food for thoughts. Please do not hesitate to click on charts to enlarge the images.

The main open question is: will Electric Cars' adoption rate be correlated with Washing Machines' one or will it enjoy more explosive growth like Mobiles with rate of acceleration like iPods on the chart below? First, we will strike brutally and cynically (the way the Wall Street works): how can you compare washing machines and Cars? Even Electric ones? Cars are all about men, their personal social security space with a statement. How many of us discussed washing machines even the best ones? Brutal history about washing machines is that it was for the "best part" - to make her life better, it was not about status and not about statement - so it took 80 years to get to the 80% adoption rate. On a more serious note time has changed: it will not be about him all the time this time and it is not about U.S. only this time, but first back to iPod Moment.

"Ideal market situation for the new disruptive technology to create a life time investing opportunity is when Demand for product or service is already there and you are able to deliver it in a new way, which will be more appealing to Existing consumers of this product or service. You have a dramatic shift in consumer preference and are gaining a market share in a tidal wave fashion by shifting consumers from existing providers to the new product or service place. You do not have to teach the market and prove that they need this product - you just need to prove that the new technology you are putting in place is viable to deliver the Better Experience.
We have always loved our music. Sony made a Revolution in the way we consume the music with its Walkman - we were able to take our music with us as we go. CDs made the quality of music more appealing and record companies sold us our music one more time.
Steeve Jobs made another Revolution by providing the means to consume what we exactly want with iTunes and means to Store and Retrieve All Our Music as we go in iPod. He sold us our own music one more time and we were happy to buy it. He has brought us a new Experience of how we consume the same music: it is convenient, easy, Searchable, high quality and with us - all of it. We have moved in droves to the new source of Joy."

"With Electric Cars all market estimations that we saw so far (apart from quote from Warren Buffett) looks like a drop in the bucket at a time. Will it be 2%, 5% or 10% claimed by Nissan in 2020? It is not a Revolution - it is like a tea party. We dare to differ and think that Electric Cars will provide to us a new Experience how we consume Mobility: energy efficient, environment friendly and cheaper with all cost accounted. And yes - they will sell us our cars one more time, this time in Electric version.
Is it bad - not at all if you will be investing in Electric Cars value chain. Even if not, we will all gain from it more than from iPods - after all we have never heard about somebody being killed by CD, but those, who still do not believe that cars pollute and kill our environment including us, can try to breath from exhaust pipe for a while to be sure.
We expect consumers to shift on a mass scale from CVs to EVs with prove that technology is viable and can provide the same utility with a Better Experience. Emotional Drive will be the driving force of this switch of consumer preferences."


Do not rush to buy every stock we are writing here about: we are biased. Our value in this very important education process is our own experience which we are ready to share. Who knew about Google short ten years ago? Chart above shows another Next Big Thing from the very recent past: Growth of Internet Advertising revenue. We did not understand the magnitude of change in the market space which Google has provided. We was not able to see the new and coming on the rubbles of previous market collapse in NASDAQ and assumed that Hype goes automatically with every Internet player claiming to take the world. Google did it. Company's valuation has collapsed in the end to our projected price of USD250 during the market crash of 2008, but the growth of the sector and Google's domination was astonishing. That is why we are so biased and you should never take anything as an investment advise on this Blog: we are in a constant search for the Next Big Thing and new Bull which will be built on the rubbles of this Economic Collapse. We have found Gold and Silver Bull before and now it is time for new exiting journey.



As you can see above, explosive growth in some sectors can happen even when economy is slowly growing as a whole. Authors of the Deloitte study very carefully took into consideration a lot of different aspects for adoption of the new technology like Electric Cars. Have they missed something? Maybe not when we are talking about U.S. in a "normal situation", but we are living in a "New Normal" according to PIMCO. Charts above and below bring us some more dimensions for thoughts. It is growth of Oil consumption in China from 1965 and below is Rate of this Growth compare to other countries. We will bring a new factor into the growth valuation for EVs - what if there is no more Cheap Oil left and how it feels to be grounded? We will address you to the Life After Oil and other thoughts on the Peak Oil.




Two charts below show the dynamic of China's expansion into auto space reflecting the explosive Oil Consumption Rate of Growth above.


This is why it will be not about only U.S. this time, but every move in China will affect U.S.

Chart below with vehicles per capita is very sobering: China and India have not even started Mobility Revolution by Western world standards.

Two most important points from here: Oil Consumption will go up dramatically with declining production, without major State level shift in technology China and India will not be able to bring mobility to its population without suffocating its own people and along the way they will drive prices for Oil above USD150 again.

Remember these faces above and these new brands coming from Asia. BYD has attracted Warren Buffet and has produced China's wealthiest man already. More to come.

"America needs to catch up with the rest of the world in Electric Space. U.S. is years away from recent advance in lithium batteries and electric cars compare to Japan and China. Nissan spent 5.5 billion dollars and 16 years developing electric cars based on lithium ion technology. Competition is heating on and it is very positive to see DOE supporting at least production of Electric Cars in U.S. developed in another countries. Green Leaf growing in the Homeland is better than nothing even if it is from a foreign tree.
Our main take from U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu Video :
"Price of Lithium batteries is in access of 1000 USD/kWh at the moment, with mass production it will drop to 300-400 USD/kWh ( S. GM is aiming now for 450 USD/kWH in a near term) and with recent technological advance we can talk about 100 USD/kWh as possibility."
As we have wrote before, lithium battery price of USD 25o per kWh will make production of Electric Cars cheaper than a comparable CV - you do not need automatic transmission as part of your power drive.
This is why we are calling it Green Mobility Revolution. Make a step back and look at the big picture. With electricity being the most convenient form of energy known to us, stable pricing and ready availability from existing source infrastructure - we have a transformation technology in place: you can store energy on board of your vehicle Produced Somewhere Else. It means that that energy could be produced thousand miles away using mass scale and most economical production method including Nuclear power, Hydro power generation, Geothermal, Wind, Solar and other renewable sources of energy available today.
Our conventional vehicles did not move far away from steam powered trains. They still carry fuel and power plant on board with very inefficient conversion cycle technology from fuel to mechanical power. Power source is restricted to mobility application and it is very expensive, it can not use economy of scale or different sources including renewables (think about tidal wave generator on board) and you are caring exhaust pipe with you everywhere you drive.
It is time to start thinking about Electric Cars as means to transform our Energy Diet nation wide - you do not need to have power generation plant on board (which will be always expensive and inefficient compare to Industrial Scale version even of the same technology) - you need just most effective storage system and power delivery system: Lithium ion batteries and Electric Powertrain.
This is where you can start thinking with us: that all current estimations about Electric Cars adoption rate could be blown away once technology will be proven to be viable in a mass sale applications."

This stuff above in the bag will be at the heart of this Green Mobility Revolution. It is Lithium and auto industry has adopted the standard battery chemistry based on Lithium for EVs. There is enough Lithium in the world to let Electric Cars go for another one hundred years and it could become the Next Big Thing if our projection on Electric Cars explosive growth will be proven actually taking place within next years. Chart below is Byron Capital Lithium Index with the most leveraged Lithium exploration and development plays to the Electric Cars adoption rate and EV market development as a whole.

EV World:

"The Wringer Washer Vs. The Electric Car

By Bill Moore
When Deloitte Consulting came out with their study, Gaining Traction: A Customer View of Electric Vehicle Mass Adoption in the U.S. Automotive Market earlier this month, the media made much of the fact that electric cars were likely, in Deloitte's view, at least, to be adopted by consumers at about the same rate as washing machines through the Twentieth Century, taking some 80 years to reach just over 80% of households [See the chart they used above]. Do a Google search for "Deloitte study electric cars" to see all the various media reports emphasizing the slow growth of the market for electric cars. For example, "Major Study Predicts Electric Car Adoption Will be Low," reads the headline on GM-Volt.com, pretty much mirroring the view of the likes of Reuters, Economic Times, Fast Company, Wired, etc. Even here on EV World, we dutifully posted links to these reports, as well.
But then I got to thinking about Nicholas Felton's chart, especially the plots for washing machines, stoves, clothes dryers and refrigerators, and it suddenly occurred to me what I was seeing. Can you spot it? Let me help you. Take a look at the graph below tracking the rise of women in the workplace.
Notice any similarity? The rate of adoption of labor saving appliances for the wife would appear to track fairly closely with their entering the workplace. The more hours they worked away from home, the less time they had to engage in the very tedious and time consuming job of washing and drying clothes. Which also raises a second issue of why it took so long for the clothes washer to reach the 80 percent level: lack of innovation.
If you look at photographs and advertisements of washing machines from the 1930's, they are little changed from machines first advertised in 1908. The only real difference was the introduction of the electric motor to run the pump, turn the agitator, and cycle the wringer or mangle, as it was also called. In fact, it would take half a century to see the wringer disappear off the washing machine, replaced by a mechanically-timed spin dry cycle, as manufacturers finally figured out that women didn't want to spend all day squeezing their wet laundry between rubber rollers... twice: once to remove the dirty soap water, and a second time to remove the rinse water.
Not only was the pace of innovation painfully slow when it came to women's labor saving devices, but middle American appliance manufacturers hadn't yet caught on to the idea of planned obsolescence introduced into the auto industry in the 1950s. There are households across America that are still using 1950-era wringer washers 60 years later, some in the name of the new "green frugality" movement. You can even buy working replicas for $899. Those Maytags, Amanas, Hotpoints and Speed Queens were built to last and last, unlike computers, cellphones and television sets, where the pace of technological innovation and fickle fashion makes such devices obsolete in 18 months or less, fostering continual churn in the market and even more innovation.
But back to the central question of the rate at which electric cars will be adopted by society, the rate of consumer acceptance chart above also seems to suggest that the pace of adoption is also driven by gender. As a general rule, men have not, historically, at least, done the laundry or cooked the meals. We -- and I include myself in this -- do tend to take a far keener interest in technology, be it automotive or electronics. Look at the pace of purchases of radios, reaching 50% of the market in less than 10 years. It took just about the same period of time for color television to reach the same 50% of households. It took even less for the Internet.
I contend that an electric car is far closer to a piece of electronics than a kitchen appliance; and, as such, it will appeal to men far more than to women, initially. If I look at the percentage of men reading EV World versus women, it is something around 75 % male versus 25% female; and in our early days it was more like 90-10, which was a function of who was using the Internet back in the late 1990s. Still, this suggests that it will be men who will be shopping for that first electric car; and that means that the decision making process won't be driven by logic, but by emotion.
Much as we'd like to view ourselves as logical, hard-nosed, count-the-cost creatures, men aren't really Vulcans; and neither are women, for that matter. There's a ying-yang quality in our reasoning powers that is strongly influenced by emotions that include aesthetics (styling and creature comforts) and the perception of risk (vehicle performance). The classic example is the Harley Davidson motorcycle and the "logic" that goes into buying what is probably a far cry from a necessity for most owners. It's a grown boy's toy, plain and simple, and one that is used few times year. Of the more than 6.5 million motorcycles registered in America, less than 10% are driven seasonally, and just over 4% are used on a daily basis as a primary form of transportation. The rest sit for that occasional weekend romp, usually by aging baby boomers (1) with discretionary income to spend.
Take a look at this next chart. It accompanied the original Nicholas Felton chart from the New York Times that Deloitte uses in their study. It depicts American household spending by category and income level. After housing, transportation is the highest consumption item on the graph for all three income groups.
"Where does the plug-in and battery-powered car fit into this picture?" I asked myself. "Is the electric car more washing machine or computer?" Here is my hastily jotted list bullet points. The electric car is:
Novel and new
Has perceived economic value with lower daily operating costs than its gasoline competition
Like buying a Harley Davidson motorcycle, it's appeal goes beyond the pure, cold logic of "when will it pay-for-itself" ROI (return-on-investment).
Offers 'beyond petroleum' guilt-free performance and fun
With these four alone, I could easily make the case to the Mrs. -- who is likely to be much more logical and pragmatic about this decision than I would be -- that we really do need that Nissan Leaf or Chevy Volt or CODA or Think or... take your pick.
Of course, there are also the imponderables: range, charging time, battery life, cold weather performance, but each of these can be "reasoned/rationalized" to my satisfaction. I don't drive more than 30 miles a day. My car sits in the garage 23 hours a day. Prius NiMH batteries are going strong at 100,000 miles, so why not lithium? I can pre-warm the batteries overnight or drive my back-up gas-banger on really cold days.
Even cost is becoming less of an issue with the introduction of the Nissan Leaf at US$32,850 prior to federal and state incentives.
Yes, being guy who is as subject to our own form of "irrationality" when it comes to "big boy toy" purchases, as our female counterparts are to theirs, I can come up with as many arguments in favor of buying that grid-connected electric car (GEV), as those against. How about you, brother?
Taking this perspective into consideration, it is my view that the electric-drive vehicle -- in all its guises -- isn't going to take half a century to reach 80% of the market. Depending on the rate of impact of a whole series of social, economic, political, technological, military and environmental drivers, it could come a lot more quickly than we might assume. That, by the way, also happens to be the perspective of the International Energy Agency, as depicted in the final graph below.
So, washing machine or cellphone? Which do you think it'll be?
This isn't my first look at the parallels between washing machines and electric cars. Check out Of Front-loading Washing Machines and the Aptera 2e.
(1) According to a new study by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), the number of motorcyclists 45 and older killed in crashes nearly quadrupled from 2001 to 2005 (the last year for which data is available). Crashes among this age group increased more than 60 percent during that time, compared with a 6 percent drop in the number of crashes for younger motorcycle riders."

Please visit the original article at the headline link for more graphics.