Lithium Producers and Demand

A really good overview of the producers and current demand.

http://kirillklip.blogspot.com.au/2016/08/the-new-lithium-top-5-ev-race-at.html#.V72Xxr2GEo8.twitter

Also worth checking out the article on how Galaxy/GMM joins the select group of producers
http://kirillklip.blogspot.com.au/2016/05/lithium-20-launch-security-of-supply.html

Quick quote - from that article

"Now is time to check out the Gigafactories Game of Lithium Demand:

Before we were talking about:

1. Tesla Gigafactory 1 with 35 GWh and cost $5bn in Nevada, US.
2. LG Chem with 7 GWh and cost $0.5bn in China.
3. FOXCONN with 15 GWh and cost  $0.81bn in China.
4. BYD with 20 GWh in China - Warren  Buffett owns a stake in BYD, leader of EV sales in China.
5. Boston Power 10 GWh in China - Ganfeng Lithium ILC partner owned 10% of Boston Power.

Total: 87 GWh - a point of reference: total world lithium batteries production in 2013 was 35 GWh.

Now we have to add here:

- 17 lithium battery start-ups in China, totally unquantifiable number and I will leave it out as speculative.

6. BYD plants in Brazil and Argentina.
7. Panasonic in China.
8. LG Chem in Europe.
9. Mercedes in Europe.
10. A123 in Europe.
11. BMZ with 30 GWh planned capacity in Germany, Europe.
12. Volkswagen with $11.2 cost planned in Germany, Europe.

Total: more than 117 GWh of new lithium batteries capacity. "

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"The New Lithium Top 5": EV Race At Ludicrous Speed - 200 Companies Are Developing 4,000 Models Of Electric Cars In China.





  People are still choking up when I casually drop my line that there are 25 companies which are making 51 models of electric cars in China right now. Bloomberg is writing about another EV maker from Japan nobody-knows-about, but the real Lithium Bomb is coming with the line that around 200 companies are developing estimated 4,000 models of electric cars in China now!
Should we all check together the lithium demand again? You can find the links below with more information about Tesla Gigafactory 1 and another dozen of Lithium Megafactories  all over the world. I was very cautiously pointing out to the 17 start-ups in China started in 2015 alone and trying to make lithium batteries before.  Bloomberg has brought us all on another page of understanding of this state-level crafted and carefully planned military operation called New Energy in China. Should we start talking about rumored 500 Lithium Batteries factories in China rising up right now?
   In our Lithium Universe, according to Robert Baylis,  Albemarle is number 1 getting 25% after its latest deal in China with Jiangli. SQM is struggling to hold 2nd place with 19%, with all its political problems.  FMC was left behind by Tianqi now with 16% claiming place number 3 and announcing the End of "Old Big 3". Ganfeng Lithium is challenging FMC as well and they both are sharing places number 4 and 5 in the "New Lithium Top 5". International lithium is building the vertically integrated lithium business with $4.5 billion giant from China. Ganfeng Lithium is a strategic partner of ILC and financing our J/V projects in Argentina and Ireland.
  Joe Lowry has pointed out that this recent move by Albemarle in China is expanding its margin, but not increasing the amount of LCE produced. I am following the comments on this chart below from Robert Baylis as well.





Robert Baylis.

Warren Buffett's BYD Chasing Panasonic In Lithium Race: EV Lithium-Ion Battery Suppliers Outlook For H1 2016.




InsideEVs.

  Now we know who is feeding exactly this enormous growth of electric cars in China. InsideEVs provides very interesting data on the state of our lithium race for EVs lithium batteries market. Panasonic is still holding the number 1 place with 36% of the market, "but in terms of growth BYD is second to none moving up by more than 300%!" Now Warren Buffett's BYD claims 18% of this market. The first half of 2016 has seen an increase by 81% to nearly 8.5 GWh of lithium batteries capacity. As you can see, there is no Tesla yet on this chart at all! All lithium cells for Tesla are supplied by Panasonic. And there is no lithium under Gigafactory floor in Nevada.
  Should we discuss the lithium demand picture again with 150 GWh of lithium batteries just coming from Tesla Gigafactory 1 by 2022 after initial 50 GWh in 2018? And what about another dozen of lithium batteries Megafactories all around the globe?
  International Lithium strategic partner Ganfeng Lithium supplies Panasonic and BYD. Now this $4.5 billion giant from China finances International Lithium projects in Argentina and Ireland. Read more."




InsideEVs.



"Right now, Ganfeng is advancing ILC’s Mariana project in Salta province, Argentina. In July 2016, ILC and Ganfeng co-announced that a $12 million budget has been approved to accelerate exploration and development at Mariana.



ILC president Kirill Klip noted that Ganfeng has a $4.5 billion US market cap holding 19 patents for lithium products. Klip said the $12.5 million will enable ILC to firm up the size of the Mariana resource and move forward its application for a pilot production plant on the property.
“This access to capital and Ganfeng’s advanced lithium extraction technology puts  International Lithium in an exceptional position to move our project forward,” Klip said.  He cited recent discussions about ILC’s project with senior officials in the Argentinian government as evidence that the country is enthused about foreign investment in natural resource development. Read more."

Lithium 2.0 Launch: Security Of Supply - Galaxy Resources To Buy General Mining In Lithium Takeover.





  "This chart of lithium price in China is keeping awake at night very many people now in our very small industry. Quite a lot of them have totally missed the launch of Lithium 2.0 and now the security of supply is the major geopolitical issue. Tesla is still relying on Panasonic to supply lithium cells and a lot of people are relying on the "Lithium Found in Nevada" under Tesla's Gigafactory floor.
Ganfeng Lithium: $4.5 billion giant from China is the strategic partner of International Lithium and now financing two of our J/V operations in Ireland and in Argentina. We are going where Lithium is and not just the hype around it. As we have discussed before, Lithium 2.0 is now for real as we have the real electric cars finally on the road and GM Bolt and Tesla Model 3 bring us mass market for electric cars. Cheap lithium batteries change everything. Exponential growth in EVs sales is following by deployment of Energy Storage now.
  This Lithium M&A is pointing out another very important quality of Lithium 2.0 Launch: separation of dreams from the real people with the real projects, capital and technology to put them forward. There are only very limited number of quality lithium projects and even less capable teams with access to the capital and technology, like in the case of International Lithium and Ganfeng. Read more."

Bloomberg:

China's race to build the next Tesla attracts Sony-backed Japan car maker
"Government support for EVs in China has triggered a wave of startups and venture-capital money seeking to back the next Tesla Motors Inc. About 200 companies are developing an estimated 4,000 models under ambitious government sales goals, and GLM is trying to supply the frames that can be adapted for use in expensive sports cars or mass-market compacts -- saving the carmakers time and money.
“China is our focus because the government is most supportive toward electric vehicles,” Koma, 39, said in an interview this month in Osaka. “For electric cars to become popular, we count on markets like China, where the government has the power to change the infrastructure, to take a lead. Then other markets may follow.”
International Lithium At Wentworth 2016: Back Into The Future - The World Just Before The INTERNET.



Bloomberg:

China's booming electric-car industry is powering salaries higher
"More than 200 Chinese companies -- with backers including Terry Gou, Ma Huateng, Jack Ma and Jia Yueting -- are developing 4,000 models of new-energy vehicles and unveiling prototypes at motor shows and home-electronics expos. Traditional automakers and a bevy of startups see opportunity in the government’s commitment to boost yearly sales of NEVs by a factor of 10 in the next decade.
China surpassed the U.S. last year to become the world’s biggest market for new-energy vehicles, a fleet comprising electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids and fuel-cell cars. Domestic automakers sold 331,092 units in 2015, according to the state-backed China Association of Automobile Manufacturers."