Electric cars are taking the world with one car at a time. Tesla Model S has made them the reality and upcoming mass market electric car from Tesla Motors will make this revolution for real. BMW i3 will challenge the urban mobility status quo this year as well. UK is destined to be the leader in Electric cars with its relatively low average range driving statistics and system of Tesla's Superchargers can do the trick. Elon Musk is the official adviser of the UK government now and we can expect that things will start moving fast in the right direction. Today we have another positive step towards real energy independence and clean air in London.
China is literally chocking with pollution and electric cars are the obvious solution for urban mobility over there. Lithium developers are out of market favour now, but wait when investors will connect the dots again. Ganfeng Lithium is already the market leader in China in the lithium strategic supply chain and extending its raw material base with International Lithium strategic partnership. Today's news from UK are putting new perspective to International Lithium 10 million J/V development partnership in Ireland with Ganfeng Lithium.
"Mr. Kirill Klip stated, "We are working to advance our Blackstairs Lithium project early in 2014 under the ten million dollar joint venture with strategic partner Ganfeng Lithium Co. Ltd. ("GFL"). We are also working with GFL on a corporate structure that will enable the companies to move forward on the Mariana lithium-potash brine project in Argentina."
International Lithium: Jiangxi Ganfeng Lithium to Raise $81.5 Mln via Private Placement ILC.v, TNR.v, LIT
"Now Ganfeng Lithium has the capital to advance its development programs with International Lithium. Once the tax loss selling will be over International Lithium should enjoy better market perception with further advance of Lithium properties in Ireland, Argentina and Canada. Ganfeng Lithium production facilities development shows China's appetite for strategic commodities for electric revolution in order to make transportation and personal mobility still possible after recent pollution scare."
The Telegraph:
Government commits to electric cars
Nick Clegg, Deputy Prime Minister, has said the government remains committed to electric vehicles
The UK Government remains committed to electric cars and there is “no date in the diary” for stopping subsidies to make them more affordable. That was the message from Nick Clegg, Deputy Prime Minister, as he helped to launch Go Ultra Low, a £2.5 million campaign to promote the benefits of electric and plug-in hybrid cars to buyers.
Clegg was speaking at an event held at the Ace Café in north London, where he also announced the government will invest £9 million to install more rapid charge-points to make motorway journeys by electric car feasible.
Take-up of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles remains low despite subsidies of up to £5,000 for cars and £8,000 for vans. Last year the Government said that as of the end of September, just 5,702 claims for the subsidy had been made.
“Our clear objective is to move the car fleet in this country to ultra low-emission vehicles by 2040 and to put money and policy money behind it,” said Clegg. The Government classes any car emitting less than 75g/km of CO2 as ultra-low emission.
“To many people, an EV is still a G-Wiz”, said Michael Hurwitz, director of energy and technology at the Department for Transport (DfT), referring to the Indian-built electric micro-car.
The fact that normally combative car-makers are collaborating on the campaign gives an idea of how determined this drive for green cars has become, as well as perhaps how far away a sustainable electric car market is in the UK. “I can’t remember a time when manufacturers have worked together like this,” said Jim Wright, head of Nissan in the UK.
Last year just 1.3 percent of vehicle sales were alternative-fuel, including regular hybrids such as the Toyota Auris Hybrid. A total of 2,512 pure electric cars found homes while 3,584 plug-in hybrids such as plug-equipped versions of the Volvo V60 and Toyota Prius were sold.
Next year BMW has said it expects to sell 2,000 of its new i3 electricand range extender city car. Suzanne Gray, head of BMW’s electric 'i’ programme, told The Telegraph she agreed that five per cent of sales would be a sustainable figure, which would represent about 6,000-7,000 sales for the brand.
However, Gray added that it was vital the subsidies remained. “If you stopped subsidies at the end of 2015 then the market will suddenly dry up. It needs to run for longer than that.”
She said the Go Ultra Low campaign was essential to get buyers into showrooms: “We’ve got a huge education task to do. Knowledge levels are not high.”
Selling more cars is one thing, but there must also be the infrastructure to support them. Surprising, then, that the Government seems unsure as to the number of charging points in the UK. One Go Ultra Low graphic showed the figure at 15,000, another at 7,000, while a statement from the Deputy Prime Minister put the number at “more than 6,000”.
More encouraging is that by the end of the year “the majority” of motorway service stations will have a rapid charger that will be able to top up batteries to about 80 per cent full in 30 minutes.
Those thinking of making the switch will also be reassured to hear that a DfT official told The Telegraph that subsidies would carry on until ultra-low emission cars “were part of everyday life”. He went on to say that would mean the cars were taking five per cent of overall sales, which is equivalent to just over 100,000 cars based on 2013 figures.
No doubt this new campaign will spread the ultra-low emissions message, and the manufacturers hope that buyers are listening."
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