Lithium the power of the future, page-2

'Lithium is the new gasoline because it appears that Tesla and other electric-car makers will gradually take market share away from Earth-destroying combustion engines'

'back in December, Goldman Sachs called lithium "the new gasoline," predicting that just a 1 percent increase in battery electric vehicle (BEV) penetration would increase lithium demand by 70,000 metric tons of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) per year, or roughly half of current global demand for lithium.
So far in 2016, the price of lithium carbonate is already nearly double last year's average price, according to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, a research firm specializing in the global battery supply chain.'




'Annual lithium carbonate equivalent demand is currently 160,000 tonnes. Goldman estimates that a 1-per-cent increase in electric-battery car penetration will increase demand by a staggering 45 per cent. That supply, meanwhile, is temporarily constrained by a variety of issues, including recent temporary mine shutdowns and the fact big players are buying up future production. As a result, prices have skyrocketed, rising 50 per cent in the first quarter alone after a stiff increase last year. Prices for lithium carbonate in China have risen from about $8,000 (U.S.) a tonne near the end of 2015 to just below $20,000 a tonne now, according to Citi Research.'