Lithium Catalyst: LG Chem CEO Says Mulls Electric Car Battery Plant In China ILC.v TNR.v LIT TSLA

  

  Lithium sector is heating up after Tesla Gigafactory announcement and now Asian players are stepping in. As we have discussed before, the real industry players were accumulating quietly Lithium Assets and building new production facilities for years before Tesla has ignited the Lithium Rush again. One thing is for certain Battery Industry insiders are building new production facilities as they see the coming demand - it will require new secure sources of Lithium. We will have to learn the new names like world leading Integrated Professional Lithium Producer Ganfeng Lithium and its partner International Lithium from Canada with Lithium projects in Ireland, Canada And Argentina.

International Lithium Strategic Partner Ganfeng Lithium Presentation ILC.v TNR.v LIT TSLA

 "Tesla Gigafactory is driving a lot of interest to the Lithium sector these days. Lithium stocks were surging this week and it is time to find out who is who in this investment mega trend and separate the wannabes from serious players with projects, technicals teams and, the most important here, strong strategic partners available to provide capital and expertise to develop those projects. If this strategic partner, like in the case with International Lithium and Ganfeng Lithium from China,  happen to be one of the leaders among Integrated Professional Lithium Producers in the world it should deserve your attention. Do your own DD and always kick the tires - we will provide you with the initial information."

Lithium Stocks Surging On $5B Tesla Gigafactory Plan To Ramp Up Mass-market Electric Car ILC.v TNR.v LIT WLC.to

Reuters:

LG Chem CEO says mulls electric car battery plant in China

(Reuters) - Chief executive of LG Chem said that the South Korean company was considering building an electric vehicle battery plant in China, expecting Beijing's efforts to tackle air pollution to drive demand.

Park Jin-soo also said LG Chem, which currently supplies electric-car batteries for General Motors Co's Volt and Renault cars, will double the number of its customers to 20 in the near future.

"We are considering it (the China car battery plant), which should be in line with market demand," Park said at a press briefing on Friday embargoed until Sunday morning.

LG Chem has a factory in Nanjing, China producing small batteries for smartphones and other mobile devices, and Park said the firm is looking at not only Nanjing and other sites for the potential car battery factory.

China's Finance Ministry said last month it will extend a program of subsidies for buyers of electric-powered vehicles after the current subsidy regime, part of efforts to combat pollution in cities, expires in 2015.

The subsidies were designed to help China meet a goal of putting half a million new-energy vehicles, defined as all-electric battery vehicles and heavily electrified "near all-electric" plug-in hybrids, on the road by 2015 and 5 million by 2020.

LG Chem's crosstown rival, Samsung SDI, said in January that it will form a joint venture in China to spend $600 million on building a car battery plant in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, by next year and on other electric car battery-related businesses over the next five years.

(Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin; Editing by Michael Perry)

Please Note our Legal Disclaimer on the Blog, including, but Not limited to:

There are NO Qualified Persons among the authors of this blog as it is defined by NI 43-101, we were NOT able to verify and check any provided information in the articles, news releases or on the links embedded on this blog; you must NOT rely in any sense on any of this information in order to make any resource or value calculation, or attribute any particular value or Price Target to any discussed securities.

We Do Not own any content in the third parties' articles, news releases, videos or on the links embedded on this blog; any opinions - including, but not limited to the resource estimations, valuations, target prices and particular recommendations on any securities expressed there - are subject to the disclosure provided by those third parties and are NOT verified, approved or endorsed by the authors of this blog in any way.

Please, do not forget, that we own stocks we are writing about and have position in these companies. We are not providing any investment advice on this blog and there is no solicitation to buy or sell any particular company.

Lithium Drive: 2015 KIA Soul Electric Vehicle Debut at 2014 Chicago Auto Show ILC.v, TNR.v, LIT, RM

  

  More and more Electric Cars are hitting the streets these days. After the initial hype industry is solidly on track to bring more models with better range and safety than ever before. New names are entering the race and electric cars are here to stay.  Korea was quite slow to introduce electric cars, but now situation is changing very fast. Samsung is very active in Lithium Batteries technologies and Posco has a few projects in lithium supply chain. The new catalyst for the industry is coming from California and China now. Elon Musk is breaking the auto industry standards with his bold vision and China provides the huge opportunity to capitalise on this trend.

Lithium Drive: UK Government commits to electric cars LIT, ILC.v, TNR.v, RM.v

"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. 

  From International Lithium Annual General Meeting:

"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."

Lithium Drive: Experts Eye Tesla To Spur China's Electric Vehicle Market TSLA, ILC.v, TNR.v, LIT, RM.v

 "Tesla is coming to China with Tesla Model S - as always, just wait for a few years until China will come out with its own version of the reliable electric car. You can not stop the progress and market forces over there or piracy for the same matter and Elon Musk is already talking about Tesla Electric Cars production in China and that China could become the second largest market for Tesla Motors."

Lithium Drive: Beijing To Fight Air Pollution By Making 40% Of All New Cars Hybrids ILC.v, TNR.v, LIT, RM.v

"Electric Cars will be the logical solution for China's pollution problems. At least with urban mobility electric cars can dramatically improve the air quality very fast. For years critics were pointing out that electricity is produced in China in large percentage by the coal power plants, the latest Party Plenum has taken the clear path towards greener electricity sources: natural gas, nuclear, wind and solar. 

  Now the only thing left out is the reliable technology to put the real electric cars for mass market on the roads. All major electric cars players are already presented in China: Nissan, GM, Ford, Toyota. Home grown BYD is making its way with electric proposition and taking the market of Electric Buses now. Tesla Motors is already selling Model S in China and there are reports that this electric car can be produced in China as well. Kandi with its concept of electric cars for rent from the vending machine is another very important development. We are talking here not only about Beijing and Shanghai, but more than 160 cities in China with population over 1 million people.

  Now China again makes the bold move into the electric space and its lithium batteries and lithium materials industry is making very big progress under the radar screens of general investors. We are following here Ganfeng Lithium and International Lithium and they are getting into the interesting development stage of this cycle now with UK promoting electric cars and China coming back in this high stake technology game with the new force."

Lithium Drive: Experts Eye Tesla To Spur China's Electric Vehicle Market TSLA, ILC.v, TNR.v, LIT, RM.v

  

  Tesla is coming to China with Tesla Model S - as always, just wait for a few years until China will come out with its own version of the reliable electric car. You can not stop the progress and market forces over there or piracy for the same matter and Elon Musk is already talking about Tesla Electric Cars production in China and that China could become the second largest market for Tesla Motors.

Lithium Drive: Beijing To Fight Air Pollution By Making 40% Of All New Cars Hybrids ILC.v, TNR.v, LIT, RM.v

"Electric Cars will be the logical solution for China's pollution problems. At least with urban mobility electric cars can dramatically improve the air quality very fast. For years critics were pointing out that electricity is produced in China in large percentage by the coal power plants, the latest Party Plenum has taken the clear path towards greener electricity sources: natural gas, nuclear, wind and solar. 

  Now the only thing left out is the reliable technology to put the real electric cars for mass market on the roads. All major electric cars players are already presented in China: Nissan, GM, Ford, Toyota. Home grown BYD is making its way with electric proposition and taking the market of Electric Buses now. Tesla Motors is already selling Model S in China and there are reports that this electric car can be produced in China as well. Kandi with its concept of electric cars for rent from the vending machine is another very important development. We are talking here not only about Beijing and Shanghai, but more than 160 cities in China with population over 1 million people.

  Now China again makes the bold move into the electric space and its lithium batteries and lithium materials industry is making very big progress under the radar screens of general investors. We are following here Ganfeng Lithium and International Lithium and they are getting into the interesting development stage of this cycle now with UK promoting electric cars and China coming back in this high stake technology game with the new force."

XinhuaNet:

Experts eye Tesla to spur China's electric vehicle market BEIJING, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- With its racing body, reasonable pricing and ecological concept, Tesla's latest pure electric sports car has caught the eye of motor enthusiasts, industry insiders and environmentalists in China. Amid high sales expectations and cautious sizing up by Chinese automakers, there is also hope that the American upstart can bring fresh air to China's stagnant new energy vehicle sector. Tesla, a U.S. electric car maker established in 2003, has generated buzz in the United States by building a coast-to-coast network of charging stations for customers to charge their cars quickly during long-distance journeys. It sold 18,650 units of the Model S in the U.S. market last year, up 611.8 percent year on year, ranking third in electric car sales, following products from auto giants General Motors and Nissan. The company made its debut in China this month with the Model S at a lower-than-expected price of 734,000 yuan (121,300 U.S. dollars), almost the same as in its home country, excluding taxes and transportation costs. The move was expected to bring a competitive edge for Tesla to gain a foothold in the world's largest auto market and put pressure on its rivals. Zhang Junyi, an auto analyst with Roland Berger Strategy Consultants, said that "Tesla could be a catfish put into the sardine pool of China," stimulating domestic manufacturers to carry out development of their own high-end electric vehicle brands. However, Tesla's success on the other side of the Pacific is far removed from the complex competition of the Chinese market, and its high expectations in both sales and influence have yet to be proved in China. In 2013, vehicle sales in China totaled 21.98 million units, marking the country's fifth straight year as the world's largest auto market. Nevertheless, sales of new energy vehicles stood at just 17,642 units, with sales of pure electric cars even weaker, accounting for less than 0.1 percent of the country's total car sales. While the lackluster sales in China indicate a difficult market for Tesla, the figure also suggests the untapped potential of the emerging market and reveals there are few, if any, strong competitors that pose a threat to Tesla. "Actually, no automakers in China consider electric sedans for individual customers a major development strategy, not to mention as luxury cars for high-end buyers," said Zhong Shi, an auto industry analyst. Jia Xinguang, an industry insider, echoed Zhong's words, pointing out that market demand for electric sedans has remained weak, as few electric auto models in China can satisfy consumers and compete with conventional cars. Chinese electric car buyers still face difficulties in finding charging stations when their batteries run low. More importantly, according to Jia, price-sensitive Chinese car buyers are more inclined to choose gasoline vehicles that provide a more comfortable driving experience at the same or lower price. Chinese companies are therefore reluctant to spend big bucks exploiting the electric sedan market, as even the most popular domestic brands from major producers like BYD Auto, Chery and JAC Motors saw their electric car sales linger around the thousand-unit level. Even if homegrown manufacturers change their mind and try to catch up with their peers overseas, their technological reserves and financing mechanisms in China can't support production and promotion of cars like Tesla's, Zhong said. "However, the electrification of public transportation services has proved to be a growth point boosted by government policies," Jia said. BYD Auto, a Chinese automobile manufacturer based in southeast China's Shenzhen, has seen strong sales of electric buses and taxis, which are easily found in the city of Shenzhen and in the provinces of Shaanxi and Hunan. In recent years, the proportion of pure electric coaches in China's bus market has grown quickly. The figure has climbed from 2 percent in 2010 to 9.9 percent in 2012, and is expected to approach 20 percent for 2013. As Tesla targets high-end buyers, it is unlikely to be confronted with the harsh market facing Chinese automakers, which focus on inexpensive electric vehicles, since neither the price nor the inconvenience of charging are likely to dissuade wealthier buyers with their own villas and underground garages. "Headwinds will only hit when Tesla starts to expand its business to China's low-end electric sedan market," Jia said. However, there are few signs of this happening in the near future. China's new energy vehicle sector is just unfolding, and it still requires further policy encouragement, infrastructure and consumer recognition. Zhang stressed that the country's electric sedan producers are not yet mature, with a lack of technology and difficulties in application. In response, the central government has rolled out an array of measures, ranging from subsidies to facility construction to boost the sector. In 2010, China began a pilot program in five cities, including Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Hefei and Changchun, to encourage individuals to buy electric sedans with subsidies of up to 60,000 yuan. The program was upgraded in the last year with a national promotion project in 28 Chinese cities and city clusters where government subsidies will be provided for users and manufacturers from 2013 to 2015. The government expects both sales and production of pure electric and hybrid vehicles to reach 500,000 units by the end of 2015, but it won't be an easy task. For Tesla, however, official subsidies are just the icing on the cake. With possible plans to build factories and charging stations in China, the company hopes the Chinese market will account for up to 35 percent of global sales growth this year. In 2013, some 22,500 units of Model S were sold in the global market, according to data from Tesla.

Lithium Drive: Beijing To Fight Air Pollution By Making 40% Of All New Cars Hybrids ILC.v, TNR.v, LIT, RM.v

  Electric Cars will be the logical solution for China's pollution problems. At least with urban mobility electric cars can dramatically improve the air quality very fast. For years critics were pointing out that electricity is produced in China in large percentage by the coal power plants, the latest Party Plenum has taken the clear path towards greener electricity sources: natural gas, nuclear, wind and solar. 

  Now the only thing left out is the reliable technology to put the real electric cars for mass market on the roads. All major electric cars players are already presented in China: Nissan, GM, Ford, Toyota. Home grown BYD is making its way with electric proposition and taking the market of Electric Buses now. Tesla Motors is already selling Model S in China and there are reports that this electric car can be produced in China as well. Kandi with its concept of electric cars for rent from the vending machine is another very important development. We are talking here not only about Beijing and Shanghai, but more than 160 cities in China with population over 1 million people.

  Now China again makes the bold move into the electric space and its lithium batteries and lithium materials industry is making very big progress under the radar screens of general investors. We are following here Ganfeng Lithium and International Lithium and they are getting into the interesting development stage of this cycle now with UK promoting electric cars and China coming back in this high stake technology game with the new force.

Lithium Drive: UK Government commits to electric cars LIT, ILC.v, TNR.v, RM.v

 "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. 

  From International Lithium Annual General Meeting:

"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."

CleanTechnica:

Beijing To Fight Air Pollution By Making 40% Of All New Cars Hybrids

The air pollution situation in China is serious, and it’s getting worse by the day. In an attempt to get the pendulum to swing back towards “clean,” the government of Beijing and other cities around China are taking steps to make sure that fewer new cars hit the road, and that more of those are “clean” hybrids. You can read more below, in an article that originally appeared on Gas 2.

Beijing to Slash New Car Sales, Demand 40% of Cars be Hybrids

By: Jo Borrás

China’s rapid commercial growth has led to almost inconceivable air pollution in its major cities. In the last month alone, high levels of pollution have forced China to all but shut down the northeastern city of Harbin, a major city with a population of nearly 11 million people. In addition to threatening the country’s deadliest polluters with heavy fines and, hilariously, the death penalty, Beijing is taking another step to clean its air: by 2017, a full 40% of new vehicle number plates will be set aside for “new energy” vehicles, effectively acting as a 40% hybrid/electric mandate.

In addition to the “clean car mandate” that I just invented, Beijing will take the somewhat drastic step of cutting the number of new plates it will issue. Beijing will issue only 150,000 new license plates, down from 240,000 each year now. As in the US, all cars must carry plates before they can be driven on public roads.

According to Reuters, new number plate restrictions are already in place in four Chinese cities – Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Guiyang – with plans to restrict number plate sales in eight more cities within the next year. The policy trend has already led carmakers like GM and VW to divert its marketing and sales resources to China’s smaller cities. As long as they can still see the sky, anyway.

Source: Reuters."

Please Note our Legal Disclaimer on the Blog, including, but Not limited to:

There are NO Qualified Persons among the authors of this blog as it is defined by NI 43-101, we were NOT able to verify and check any provided information in the articles, news releases or on the links embedded on this blog; you must NOT rely in any sense on any of this information in order to make any resource or value calculation, or attribute any particular value or Price Target to any discussed securities.

We Do Not own any content in the third parties' articles, news releases, videos or on the links embedded on this blog; any opinions - including, but not limited to the resource estimations, valuations, target prices and particular recommendations on any securities expressed there - are subject to the disclosure provided by those third parties and are NOT verified, approved or endorsed by the authors of this blog in any way.

Please, do not forget, that we own stocks we are writing about and have position in these companies. We are not providing any investment advice on this blog and there is no solicitation to buy or sell any particular company.

The US Crackdown On Bitcoin - The End Of The Amazing Bubble

  

  The only Bubble from 2013 left untouched so far is Bitcoin: after its crash post Chinese ban and coordinated attack by the Central Banks Bitcoin has recovered its grounds and was trading close to $1000 range again. These days, with closing window for currency withdrawals from Bitcoin exchanges in China, DOJ has made its move. The most sexy attribution of Bitcoin - its supposed anonymity, will be used against it. As we have discussed before this anonymity is widely misunderstood and as Silk Road case demonstrates: All Transactions can be Reconstituted As An Evidence.

   China bans Bitcoin and encourages its citizens to accumulate Gold. Central Banks all over the world are warning about the speculation danger related to Bitcoin. FED keeps very suspicious silence about its real stance about the FIAT alternative and after fighting Gold for 100 years it is a given that Bitcoin will be taken out once NSA will complete its job. Now Robert J. Shiller has joined our small crowd and called Bitcoin as it is:

"It is a bubble, there is no question about it.... It's just an amazing example of a bubble," the Business Insider quotes Shiller, talking to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

“I’m amazed by how people are so excited about it and I tell my students ‘no, it's not such a great idea’,"the economist said.

WSJ:

Bitcoin is a bubble - Nobel Laureate in Economics

RiaNovosti:

Russia’s Central Bank: Bitcoin Users Can Face Jail Time

  

Bitcoin vs Gold Debate With James G. Rickards And Roman Skaskiw

Bitcoin Is a High-Tech Dinosaur Soon to Be Extinct

Here is another very sobering view from China on Bitcoin:

Bitcoin bubble won't last without Beijing's approval

"Bitcoin is a bubble that foreigners cooked up and, by all appearances, is designed to rob the credulous Chinese masses. When the bubble bursts, the Chinese government won't be able to arrest these foreigners and get the money back. The bubble is not under Chinese government control. Hence, it cannot be tolerated."

  Stephen Mihn provides very interesting historical perspective on Bitcoin. If you study the history you can know the future. Currencies come and go and some was even thought to be better than Gold for a while, but only for a while. Once you can "print" or "create new Gold" - it is not Gold any more.

"Gold 3.0": Want to create the next Bitcoin? This website makes it easy – too easy

 "So much for the "Gold 2.0" and new store of value - Bitcoin's value proposition is fading away by the day. It is not so anonymous as a lot of people think, it is not so easy to transfer, scams around Bitcoin are happening daily in more and more forms. Banksters are entering the game if they were not there already from the very beginning. And NSA prints are all over Bitcoin according to some reports on SHA256. But now you can have your own Gold 3.0 - just chose the name. OK, maybe for you it will be difficult to compete with pumpers of Bitcoin, but JPMorgan or FED can easily do so. It is very interesting to note that China has effectively banned Bitcoin from any authorised financial transactions, but FED is not so restrictive at least now - so who is really behind it now?
  With Bitcoin crossing $1000 mark again at Mt.Gox today we issue our Warning like we did last time. Bitcoin is building a Double Top potentially and level of $1240 will be crucial. It is the great present to Chinese holders - we guess that they will be happy to sell into this strength with restrictions for FIAT withdrawals from Exchanges coming in place by end of this month."

Christopher Mims: The existential threat to Bitcoin its boosters said was impossible is now at hand

 "Another day and another blow to Bitcoin, as we have written before: people will be able to corrupt everything in time. Cristopher Mims investigates the technical threat to Bitcoin's decentralised infrastructure from the coordinated attacks. Risk of Double Spending is the real issue now."

ZeroHedge:

DOJ Finally Going After The Criminal Masterminds With Arrest Of 24 Year-Old Bitcoin Exchange Founder

The US crackdown on Bitcoin has been long in coming, with ebbs and flows of enforcement as regulators have been unsure exactly how to proceed with dismantling the digital fiat alternative. This morning the ebb became a rising tide, after U.S. prosecutors announced charges against two men operating Bitcoin exchange businesses for attempting to sell $1 million worth of Bitcoin to users of the underground black market website Silk Road, which was shut down by authorities in September.

Reuters reports that the U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan said in a statement that authorities arrested Charlie Schrem, chief executive officer of the exchange BitInstant.com, on Sunday and Robert Faiella, who ran an underground Bitcoin exchange called BTCKing, on Monday. The two were charged with conspiring to commit money laundering and operating an unlicensed money transmitting business. Schrem is also vice president of the main Bitcoin-focused trade group, the Bitcoin Foundation, according to the foundation's website and Schrem's LinkedIn profile.

More:"