Lithium Demand surge, page-1111

Personally I think this will tip much quicker than most realise. There are a number of pictures on the web that show New York city around 1895 (lots of horse and buggies) and then again in 1908 (no horses and lots of cars). I may have the dates a little out however I do remember reading that in roughly the space of 10 years we went from an economy where transport was an equine proposition to one that had flipped completely to Internal Combustion Engines.

Some things to consider:
- today the total cost to install and deliver energy by wind /solar as new is comparable to that for new coal fired power and getting cheaper - we will switch to renewables through cost benefits alone
- the cost to charge an EV is about 1/3 when compared to using fossil fuels
- most folks don't drive that far on a daily basis, so EVs will need top ups and not a complete recharge, so they'll either plug them in at work or trickle charge at night at home
- the number of cars on the grid being charged will itself constitute a massive on-demand power source to handle spikes should they occur

We may well see other battery technologies for the home where weight isn't an issue, however it is clear that Li-ion batteries are the preferred technology for transport (cars, trucks and soon planes) and demand for all three of Lithium, Cobalt and Nickel - even when we move to 8:1:1 battery chemistries is going to continue to outstrip supply in the short to medium term.

The world is changing and once we hit the steep part of the S curve it will happen faster than any of us can imagine.

From an investing standpoint patience and due diligence is the key - this story is still not widely accepted and the prices of various battery mineral stocks are still clearly being driven by emotion and traders. Short term opportunities to both Sell and Buy will present themselves however the long term trend is pretty clear from my perspective.

DYOR, GLTAH etc etc.