Even beloved stocks like Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) aren’t infallible. Call me a glutton, but I like reminding investors of that. Doing so invariably stirs up some outrage, but if it gets people to think about the risks, so be it. And Tesla stock is anything but a sure thing.
Tesla Motors Inc – How Much Worse Could It Get? $BFF.ca $FMR.ca $PFN.ca $DGO.ca
Not Enough Affordable Lithium
- Lithium, the key component found in battery packs, is necessary to propel an electric vehicle. It’s the lifeblood of the vehicle, so to speak.
- Problem, however, is that lithium miners are having a hard time meeting the demand. And what is available is becoming stunning expensive.
- Since the middle of 2015, lithium prices have jumped about 200%, reaching $20,000 per metric ton. And as lucrative as it’s become (and it will likely remain at those prices), it’s not as if the industry can easily ramp up output. Indeed, CEO Elon Musk has already commented “we would basically need to absorb the entire world’s lithium-ion production.”
Elon Musk is about to face his toughest battle yet as CEO
Increasing the Storage Capacity of Lithium Batteries $DGO.ca $FMR.ca $BFF.ca
Tell us about BioSolar.
BioSolar is developing electrode material technologies to increase the storage capacity, lower the cost and extend the life of lithium-ion batteries. BioSolar initially focused its development effort on high capacity cathode materials since most of today’s Li-ion batteries are “cathode limited.” With the goal of creating the company’s next generation super battery technology, BioSolar is also investigating high energy anode materials recognizing the fact that the overall battery capacity is determined by combination of both cathode and anode.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and what brought you to this work at BioSolar.
I have been working on lithium-ion battery development since 1998 when I was a graduate student in South Korea. I remember how exciting and happy I was with certain battery materials I was able to synthesize in the lab. Prior to starting my PhD work at Marquette University, I worked for LG developing batteries. After obtaining my PhD in Electronic Material, I then joined Johnson Controls Inc., Battery Tech Center also located in Milwaukee, WI in 2008.
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Why Lithium Is Set to Take Off Before Christmas $BFF.ca $DGO.ca $FMR.ca
From the age of gold to the age of coal, and then oil, we are now entering the age of lithium–and, more importantly, we’re at the crucial junction where this increasingly precious metal lives up to its newest moniker of “the white gasoline”. Prices have tripled, supply is already tight, and demand is poised to make new barons out of today’s lithium explorers.
More to the point, this is the moment when investment turns into profit; the moment when everyone stops hedging solid bets on lithium, and it all becomes a very profitable reality.
The supercharged electric vehicle industry may be in a bit of a panic over readily available lithium supply, but the problem isn’t supply itself–lithium is quite abundant. The problem is finding and developing new supply to keep pace with voracious new demand.
It’s also about looking beyond the obvious and casting a wider exploration net. The land rush is already on in full force in the Clayton Valley in Nevada—ground zero for the American lithium boom. Nevada’s geology tells a much more lucrative story, and so far we’ve only got the introduction.
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Smartphone Charging Technology Evolution
With the technology evolution, smartphones have become one of our basic need to communicate with friends, family and coworkers. Apart from communication, these smartphones are a modern day marvel, pocket-size computers that allow us to play 3D games, snap photos, video chat with friends and navigate around the world without ever stopping to ask for directions.
Smartphone Charging Technology Evolution
Smartphones are a modern day marvel, pocket-size computers that allow us to play 3D games, snap photos, video chat with friends and navigate around the world without ever stopping to ask for directions
With evolution in smartphone technology, progression in battery technology can also be witnessed. As the smartphones are used continuously throughout the day therefore, it has increased the battery consumption rate, hence, increasing the demand of power revolution. Therefore, with increased usage of smartphones in daily life, better and efficient batteries have been introduced along with smarter charging solutions.
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The growing demand for lithium $DGO.ca $FMR.ca $BFF.ca $PFN.ca
The global demand for Lithium is on the up, worldwide demand for finished Lithium is around 160,000 tons a year. It is expected to rise to 400,000 to 500,000 per year over the next decade.
According to data from USGS, worldwide lithium production increased slightly in 2015 as a result of an increased demand for battery applications – of which lithium is a key component.
Batteries, specifically rechargeable batteries, have been identified as the largest potential growth area for lithium compounds with the demand for these far outweighing that of other rechargeable ones. Demand is also on the rise as automobile companies have entered the market, developing lithium batteries for electric and hybrid electric vehicles.
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How Tesla’s Lithium Demands Could Soon Place a Cap on Production
From OilPrice.com: We’ve gone electric, and there’s no going back at this point. Lithium is our new fuel, but like fossil fuels, the reserves we’re currently tapping into are finite—and that’s what investors can take to the bank.
It won’t be a shortage in terms of ‘peak lithium’; rather, it will be a game of catch-up with the electric car boom, with miners hustling to explore and tap into new reserves.
Consider the number of battery gigafactories that are being built around the world. We have all heard about the Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) facility that will, at full capacity, produce enough batteries to power 500,000 electric cars per year by 2020.
This, as the carmaker proudly notes, is more than the global total lithium ion battery production for 2013. That’s a pretty impressive rate of demand growth over just three years—but this growth also represents the culmination of a sea change in the way we think.
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