Mereja

Author: Sufiy

  • Study: Electric Cars Show “Great Promise” in Fight Against Global Warming TNR.v, CZX.v, WLC.v, LI.v, RM.v, LMR.v, SQM, FMC, ROC, NSANY, BYDDY, AVL.to,

    “We have tested our Next Big Thing idea with Macro View on Micro Cap and we have wrote about Electric cars intensively with our idea of Lithium and REE: How to invest in the Next Big Thing – Electric cars and Green Mobility Revolution. Now it is time to bring Political Will into the picture. We will make a few social economic observations crucial for our investment thesis and recent policies confirming our conclusions.”

    theEnergyCollective:
    by Osha Davidson on 01/21/2010 12:
    Kyocera’s employee parking lot, San Diego. The solar panels on the roofs generates power to charge plug-in cars during the work day. Photo by Envision Solar.
    A new study by Environment America finds that electric vehicles (EVs) could do a lot to fight global warming and clean up the urban smog that contributes to respiratory and heart problems. But, the report concludes, changes in public policy are needed to make the switch from internal combustion to all electric vehicles on a mass scale.
    Environment America is a national coalition of environmental groups in 25 states.
    To download the full report, click on the graphic at the bottom of this page.
    Executive Summary
    America’s current fleet of gasoline-powered cars and trucks leaves us dependent on oil, contributes to air pollution problems that threaten our health, and produces large amounts of global warming pollution. “Plug-in” cars are emerging as an effective way to lower global warming emissions, oil use, and smog. A “plug-in” car is one that can be recharged from the electric grid. Some plug-in cars run on electricity alone, while others are paired with small gasoline engines to create plug-in hybrids. Many plug-in hybrids can get over 100 miles per gallon, while plug-in electric vehicles consume no gasoline at all.
    As automakers race to become the first to introduce a mass production plug-in vehicle to American consumers, citizens and decision-makers are grappling to understand the implications of switching to a vehicle fleet fueled primarily by electricity for our environment, for consumers, and for the nation as a whole.
    Plug-in vehicles show great promise for addressing the nation’s environmental and energy challenges. But it will take strong public policy action to help plug-in vehicles make the leap from promising technology to everyday reality for Americans.
    Plug-in cars can make a major contribution to America’s efforts to reduce global warming pollution.

    Public charging station, San Francisco. Photo by Siena Kaplan.
    • More than 40 recent studies show that plug-in cars produce lower carbon dioxide than traditional gasoline-powered cars. One study by the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) found that a car fueled by unused capacity in the current electric system would emit 27 percent less global warming pollution than a car fueled by gasoline.
    • Studies also found that plug-in cars reduce global warming emissions even when electricity comes primarily from coal, because plug-in cars use energy more efficiently than conventional cars. The PNNL study found that plug-in cars would produce lower global warming emissions than conventional cars in almost every area of the country, using the current electric system.
    • America can reduce emissions even further by making its electricity supply cleaner. A study by the Electric Power Research Institute and the Natural Resources Defense Council found that a plug-in hybrid with a 20 mile electric range running on completely clean electricity would emit less than half the global warming emissions of a plug-in hybrid running on electricity from coal-fired power plants.
    Switching to plug-in cars will improve our air quality for most Americans.
    • Replacing gasoline with electricity will reduce the smog found in our cities and other densely populated areas dramatically. The PNNL study found that powering cars on electricity instead of gasoline would reduce smog-forming volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) by 93 percent and 31 percent, respectively.
    • A study by the Electric Power Research Institute and the Natural Resources Defense Council found that if current emissions standards for power plants are enforced, converting 40 percent of U.S. cars to plug-in hybrids by 2030 would decrease smog for 61 percent of Americans, and increase it for 1 percent of Americans. Soot would decrease for 82 percent of the population, and increase for 3 percent of the population.
    • Powering cars on clean electricity such as wind and solar power, either directly or via the electric grid, would eliminate smog in cities and highways with no increased power plant pollution.
    Switching to plug-in cars will reduce oil consumption
    • If three-fourths of the cars, pick-up trucks, SUVs and vans in the United States were powered by electricity, oil use would be reduced by the equivalent of 52 percent of U.S. oil imports.
    Plug-in cars have many benefits and are quickly becoming practical for an increasing number of drivers
    • Plug-in hybrids that have been converted from conventional hybrids already exist that achieve 100 miles per gallon or more.

    Tesla Roadster
    • Electric cars that can go over 200 miles on one charge are being sold in the United States today.
    • Most plug-in cars can charge in a normal wall outlet found in many home garages, and rapid chargers have been developed that can fill a 100-mile battery in 10-15 minutes.
    • Fueling plug-in cars costs two to five cents per mile, or the equivalent of $0.50 to $1.25 a gallon of gasoline.
    • Fuel savings over a ten year period, compared with fuel costs for a conventional car, combined with a federal incentive, can reduce the lifetime cost of a plug-in car as much as $17,000.
    • Electric cars are much simpler to maintain than conventional cars, with one moving part compared with the hundreds of moving parts required for an internal combustion engine. Electric cars have no oil changes, and require far fewer repairs.
    • Plug-in hybrids are more expensive than conventional vehicles, but will become cheaper over time as battery technology improves and mass production is achieved.
    America’s electric system has the capacity to fuel most of our cars today, and plug-in cars could make our grid more reliable and cleaner
    • America’s electric system could fuel 73 percent of U.S. cars, pickup-up trucks, SUVs and vans without building another power plant, by charging vehicles at night.

    Easy on the grid
    • One million plug-in cars charging simultaneously would only use about 0.16 percent of America’s current electric capacity.
    • Plug-in cars could help stabilize the electric grid and provide emergency backup power – reducing the cost of electricity for all consumers.
    • If half our cars were plug-in hybrids whose batteries were available to utilities, wind power in the U.S. would double by 2050 through market forces alone, according to a study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. This is because parked plug-in cars would provide electric storage capacity that could displace the backup generation capacity utilities would otherwise need to purchase to provide power when the wind isn’t blowing, lowering wind power’s cost.
    There are still barriers to the widespread adoption of plug-in cars, but public policies can help to overcome those barriers.
    • Despite rapid advances in battery technology over the past decade, automakers and battery developers still have strides to make in arriving at battery designs that deliver the range and affordability American consumers are looking for. Continued funding for research and development of advanced batteries can help.
    • The cost of plug-in car prices will be high until they are mass produced. Consumer incentives for plug-in cars and government and fleet purchases can help spur the market for plug-ins, enabling them to achieve mass production more quickly.
    • Plug-ins have the potential to deliver many economic benefits – from reducing the cost of electricity to curbing global warming pollution. State and federal governments should adopt policies – ranging from investments in “smart grid” technology to a cap on global warming pollution – that would unlock these benefits, and ensure that purchasers of plug-in vehicles are compensated for the benefits their choice delivers to society.
    • The lack of public charging infrastructure – while not a deal-breaker for plug-in vehicle owners who can charge their cars at home – could limit the willingness of some consumers to buy or use plug-in vehicles. Local, state and federal governments should jump-start the creation of charging infrastructure by installing chargers at publicly owned facilities, developing procedures for the installation of chargers on city streets, and encouraging private development of charging infrastructure.
    Governments should ensure that the electricity fueling plug-ins is increasingly clean and renewable.

    The Sun’s “green screen” test drive of the Nissan Leaf, before the real one.
    • States and the federal government should enforce a low-carbon fuel standard, requiring that transportation fuels be 10 percent less carbon-intensive by 2020. When calculating global warming emissions, full lifecycle emissions such as indirect land use impacts should be included. This would encourage a switch to electricity as a fuel.
    • States and the federal government should require that at least 25 percent of our electricity comes from clean and renewable sources like wind and solar by 2025.
    • The federal government and states should strictly enforce current power plant emissions regulations, and fill any gaps in regulation, so that our air quality will continue to improve regardless of the amount of electricity produced.
    • The nation should adopt a cap on global warming pollution that reduces emissions to 35 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 and to 80 percent below 2005 levels by 2050.”

    Report: Plug-In Cars

  • Lithium and REE: The Electric Car Revolution Will Soon Take to the Streets TNR.v, CZX.v, WLC.v, LI.v, RM.v, LMR.v, AVL.to, RES.v, QUC.v, BYDDY, NSANY

    CS. Obama has told you about our Investment Thesis in three short sentences. We are not so smart and we do not have such an authority – we need to bring reason to decompound his message. Time for us to drop couple of lines about Middle-class and our Christmas wish.


    YALE Environment 360:

    21 JAN 2010: REPORT

    For years, the promise and hype surrounding electric cars failed to materialize. But as this year’s Detroit auto show demonstrated, major car companies and well-funded startups — fueled by federal clean-energy funding and rapid improvement in lithium-ion batteries — are now producing electric vehicles that will soon be in showrooms.

    by jim motavalli

    Electric cars are a green movement that is finally moving. Shunted to the side as the public indulged its love affair with gas-guzzling SUVs and four-wheel-drive trucks, history has finally caught up with the plug-in vehicle.
    The North American International Auto Show in Detroit is the domestic auto industry’s biggest annual showcase, and the new models have traditionally been brought out in a son et lumière of dancing girls, deafening music, and dry ice smoke. The few green cars that made it this far were usually for display only — very few actually made it to showrooms.
    Tesla
    Getty Images
    The Tesla Model S electric vehicle at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
    But not this year. It’s become a race to market for green cars, and soon you’ll be able to buy many of the electric vehicles that were on display last week in Detroit. The auto show featured one hybrid and battery electric car introduction after another. Although the only truly road-worthy, plug-in electric vehicle you can buy today is the $109,000 Tesla Roadster, by the end of 2010 it will be joined by such contenders as the Nissan Leaf, Coda sedan, and the Think City.
    Indeed, the entire auto industry — from giants such as Ford, GM, and Renault-Nissan to startups such as Fisker Automotive — has joined the movement to build and market affordable electric vehicles.
    There’s a reason the automakers in Detroit are finally plugging in as something more than a greenwashing exercise. Spurring them forward is a historic confluence of events. Chief among them are Obama administration green initiatives, including Department of Energy (DOE) loans and grants, as well as economic stimulus funds that provide $30 billion for green energy programs, tax credits for companies that invest in advanced batteries, and $2.4 billion in strategic grants to speed the adoption of new batteries. (Much of that money is going to Michigan, which despite record unemployment is emerging as something of a green jobs center.)
    Other factors behind the push to manufacture electric vehicles are a federal mandate to improve fuel efficiency to an average of 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016, concerns about global warming and peak oil, and sheer technological progress building better batteries.
    Even without federal largesse, some companies are moving aggressively into the electric vehicle market. A prime example: Coda Automotive, a

    A key factor in making electric vehicles possible is the rapid development of lithium-ion batteries.

    southern California start-up, has raised an impressive $74 million in three rounds of private funding. CEO and President Kevin Czinger is a former Goldman Sachs executive, as is co-chairman Steven Heller. Among the company’s investors are Henry M. Paulson, who was Goldman Sachs’ chairman and Treasury Secretary under the second President Bush. Clearly, these former investment bankers see electric cars as a good bet.
    A key factor in making today’s electric vehicles possible is the rapid development of the energy-dense lithium-ion battery. William Clay Ford Jr., the executive chairman of the company that bears his name, told me in Detroit, “Five years ago, battery development had hit a wall, and we were pushing hydrogen hard. But now so much money and brainpower has been thrown at electrification that we’re starting to see significant improvements in batteries in a way we hadn’t anticipated. Now we have the confidence that the customer can have a good experience with batteries.”
    Drawing a huge crowd, Tesla Motors Chairman and CEO Elon Musk showed off his company’s 1,000th electric Roadster at the auto show. “For a little company, it’s a huge milestone,” he told me. “A year ago, we had built only 150 cars. We had two stores then, and now it’s a dozen.”
    For a major automaker, 1,000 cars would not be much to show for a year, but electric vehicles are still in their infancy. And since the electric car’s
    An e360 discussion with Tesla’s Elon Musk.
    first swan song in the 1920s — when the widespread availability of petroleum ushered in the era of the gasoline-powered car — very few start-up companies have reached the milestone of making green vehicles, especially battery-powered ones.
    Here’s a look at some of the prime contenders bringing battery cars and plug-in hybrids to market:
    • Renault-Nissan Alliance. This is the one automaker with a truly global plug-in strategy and the means to carry it out. Under the Nissan banner, the company will deploy the Leaf battery sedan, with 100-mile, all-electric range. Nissan isn’t just dumping its sleek entry into the market — it’s also building a home charger with new partner AeroVironment and partnering with local, state and federal governments — both in the U.S. and abroad — on public charging stations. In partnership with Better Place, the company will deploy a second Renault electric vehicle as part of its plan to wire up Israel with charging stations for electric cars. Renault-Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn predicts that electric vehicles could constitute 10 percent of world car sales by 2020.
    • Ford Motor Company. Ford’s green strategy includes a plug-in version of the new Focus for 2011 and a “next-generation” hybrid — based on its global compact-car platform, or C-platform — in 2012. The company announced in Detroit that it would invest $450 million in Michigan as part of its electrification strategy. Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm told me at the auto show that until recently the state “wasn’t sure it had a viable auto industry.” Today, she said, the state is enjoying $1 billion in new auto-related investment, much of it jump-started by a combination of federal funding and state tax credits.
    • General Motors. GM’s big news is the Chevrolet Volt, which has definitely helped the company’s image. The Volt, which uses a small gas engine to generate electricity for its electric motor, is a lot of fun to drive if the version I drove recently in Michigan is any indication. Until now, GM has stumbled in its hybrid strategy, and it really needs this car — which will go on sale at the end of the year for a hefty $40,000 — to be a hit. But success may be more a matter of perception than actual sales. “In terms of numbers, the Volt will be pretty small for the first couple of years,” says product chief Bob Lutz. A Cadillac version of the Volt is also a possibility.
    • Tesla Motors. This California start-up launched at the top of the market with its $109,000 Roadster, which combines sexy looks with supercar performance (zero to 60 in 3.9 seconds). The company is on something of a roll, having sold 10 percent of itself to Daimler for $50 million, and landed $465 million in DOE funding for its forthcoming Model S sedan — a Maserati-like, more practical version of the Roadster. Tesla’s Musk says that the company’s strategy has always been to use its sale of performance cars to finance its third vehicle, a mass-market electric vehicle. The company is currently looking at California locations for a Model S factory.
    • Fisker Automotive. Perhaps Tesla’s closest competitor when it comes to glamour electric vehicles, Fisker – whose CEO is Danish-born automotive designer Henrik Fisker — is preparing to debut a high-performance plug-in hybrid (zero to 60 in 5.8 seconds, with 67 mpg fuel efficiency) known as the Karma at the end of the year. Al Gore is on the waiting list. Fisker also has a lower-cost car in the wings, called Project Nina. Fisker won $528 million from the DOE to build the Nina in a former GM factory in Delaware.
    • Coda Automotive. This start-up will deliver, in late 2010, a small battery-powered sedan with batteries from its own joint venture in China. The car is based on the Saibao, a Chinese car, but Coda has put a host of western companies to work honing an

      Electric vehicles will be built in hard-hit Elkhart, Indiana, once the ‘the RV Capital of the World.’

      electric drivetrain for it. “A large part of our mission is to accelerate adoption of all-electric vehicles,” Coda CEO Kevin Czinger told me. “We have put together a core group of auto and battery engineers, and are leveraging specialty automotive firms that we think can get us to the right price point.” Coda will launch with an Internet marketing strategy in California only, but it will have the capacity to produce 20,000 cars a year.
    • Think Global. Think is a survivor, with perhaps the longest and most colorful history among green automakers. It is a Norwegian company that attracted Ford Motor Company investment in the late 1990s with its plastic-bodied City commuter car. Ford sold the company in 2003 and it went through bankruptcy proceedings in late 2008. It has since emerged under the partial ownership of U.S. battery company Ener1, which snagged $118 million in DOE funding to expand its battery production in Indiana. Think electric vehicles will also be built there starting in 2011, in hard-hit Elkhart — once proudly known as the “RV Capital of the World” — and now suffering the effects of the recession. The two-seat Think City (with approximately 100-mile range on lithium-ion batteries) will sell for less than $20,000 in the U.S., but that price does not include the leased battery pack and includes the $7,500 federal tax credit for electric vehicles.
    The list of players in the electric vehicle race goes on. Toyota is building

    MORE FROM YALE E360

    The potential for electric vehicles has been talked about for decades. But a former Israeli software entrepreneur is developing a game-changing infrastructure that could finally make them feasible.
    After years of false starts and failures, the electric car may finally be poised to go big-time. With automakers from GM to Chrysler to Nissan preparing to roll out new plug-in hybrids or all-electric models, it looks like the transition from gasoline to electricity is now irreversible.
    plug-in hybrids and fuel-cell vehicles, and showed off a small cousin of the Prius in Detroit. Chrysler has an ambitious electric vehicle rollout that’s been stalled by the company’s bankruptcy and merger with Fiat. Honda continues to deploy clever hybrid cars, including the upcoming two-seat CR-Z it showed in Detroit. BMW has electrified the Mini for a test program, and has similar intentions for the Concept ActiveE, a plug-in version of the Series 1 BMW coupe. And Audi has shown sudden interest in this segment, debuting the second of its electric e-tron vehicles.
    By this time next year, electric cars will no longer be just on auto show stands, but will have arrived in showrooms at last.

  • EVs mass market: EU to introduce electric car initiative TNR.v, CZX.v, ORE.ax, LI.v, RM.v, WLC.v, LMR.v. SQM, FMC, ROC, RNO, BMW, DAI, BYDDY, NSANY,

    “Building a robust clean energy sector is how we will create the jobs of the future, jobs that pay well and can’t be outsourced,” Obama said.”This initiative is good for middle-class families. It is good for our security. It is good for our planet,” he said.

    “You have to be very selective on every company in this sector: Majors will be still driven by CV sales and even meaningful growth in EVs’ part of the business will be diluted in share performance. These automakers can actually decide to be very aggressive with EVs business model: they can lease batteries with a very attractive terms and accommodate pricing in order to squeeze all newcomers into the sector to gain a market share. National governments will make this process even more destructive for margins: they will support by all means national automakers and once success for EVs will be apparent moves in the affordability could be very dramatic. It will be extremely positive for our Next Big Thing and development of EVs’ Value Chain as a whole, but shareholders in these companies could wait for a long time to be actually rewarded.”

    Competition is open: who will be Electric Cars capital of the world: China with its control of REE and BYD with other dozen cars ready to go, Japan with Toyota moving to secure the Lithium supply and Nissan with Leaf or Europe with Renault, Mercedes, BMW, Audi and “Europe wide plan for Electric Cars”? If this plan will follow the lead of France: Americas will need to move very quickly in order not to lose in Electric race – apart from GM Volt, which will not be very aggressive on its numbers in production as we understood it, Tesla and Fisker will not make it for the EV mass market. Foreign automakers supported by the home markets will be able to cut costs and move quickly into U.S. auto market filling the gap. Where is U.S. wide plan for Electric Cars?

    RONAN MCGREEVY in Strasbourg
    A new initiative to launch a Europe-wide plan for an electric car will be launched as part of the Spanish presidency of the EU next month.
    Spanish rime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, whose country currently holds the EU presidency, said there was a need for a pan-European strategy to produce a viable electric car.
    Mr Zapatero said he had met some of Europe’s biggest car manufacturers in recent days who impressed upon him that the EU should take a lead in developing electric vehicles.
    The outcome of the meeting will be unveiled in San Sebastian on February 8th.
    The European Commission is already working on its proposals for electric cars which the Commission President José Manuel Barroso described as a “very important” part of its green strategy.
    Mr Zapatero told MEPS in the European Parliament that the car industry was already going huge change and there was a need for a co-ordinated response and a common strategy.
    He said competitors such as China and Japan would have the advantage unless EU car manufacturers had the right incentives to invest in electric vehicles.
    “It was felt to be fundamental that there should be co-operation of efforts in developing the electric vehicles among all EU countries with the commission taking a lead in developing electric cars,” Mr Zapatero said.
    He added that there was a need for a regulatory framework to provide financial support for electric vehicle manufactures, common standards and technologies without which it will be “difficult for Europe to take a lead in this area.”

  • Gold and Copper: NGEx Announces Updates on South American and Eritrean Drill Programs NGQ.to, TNR.v, NSU.to, AUY, ABX, LUN.to, BVN, GG, SSRI, SLW,

    “Lukas Lundin looks like missing from our Lithium and REE fever: we can hardly call it an “exposure” via his holdings in Canada Zinc Metals CZX.v after investing in TNR Gold TNR.v“
    “We expect Lukas Lundin to storm the junior space back with his troops. He was out of the picture for a while and put his exploration ambitions on hold consolidating Canadian Gold Hunters CGH.to, Suramina Resources and Sanu Resources. He has grown up fast first in size of the controlled assets and status of Major League by Lundin Mining and then was hit with problems followed – he was busy saving them after the crash. But now we have a few signs of his team coming back into the junior M&A market space and we would like to speculate whether it could lead to any catalyst in juniors we are following.“

    With this Global Exploration vehicle of Lukas Lundin group it is easier to tell where they do not have projects than where they have. NGEx Resources presented in South and North Americas and in Africa.
    In Argentina Company has a few J/V deals and properties with TNR Gold TNR.v. Results from Jose Maria will be important for Batidero property under option from TNR Gold.
    NGEx has recently raised capital and the most important news is that Lukas Lundin has increased his position in the company via his family investment vehicle Zebra Holdings. We are always following smart money and companies where insiders are holding a significant stake and are increasing their positions.
    “TNR Gold investor acquires five million more units
    2009-12-23 18:44 ET – News Release
    Mr. Kirill Klip reports
    TNR EARLY WARNING REPORT
    Kirill Klip has acquired through a private placement, directly or indirectly, five million units at a price of 30 cents per unit of TNR Gold Corp. Each unit consists of one common share and one-half common share purchase warrant. Each whole warrant entitles Mr. Klip to purchase an additional common share at a price of 40 cents, up to and including Dec. 17, 2011. The common shares of TNR are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange. Assuming full exercise of the warrants, Mr. Klip would hold a 22.46-per-cent interest in TNR.
    As stated in Stockwatch on Feb 25, 2009, Mr. Klip owned, or exercised control or direction over, an aggregate of 14,250,500 common shares, 975,000 warrants and 950,000 stock options, and a $150,000 principal amount debenture and associated warrants. Assuming conversion of the $150,000 principal amount debenture and exercise of the associated warrants, together with Mr. Klip’s warrants and stock options, TNR had 85,486,983 common shares outstanding of which Mr. Klip would exercise control or direction of a 25.94-per-cent interest.”

    Now with recent news in Lithium sector Argentina promise the hot Summer in that part of the world, but do not discount solid Gold and Copper and we are looking for the results from announced exploration programs.

    NGEx investor Zebra buys five million more shares
    2009-12-23 19:39 ET – News Release
    Mr. Aksel Azrac of Zebra Holdings reports
    ZEBRA HOLDINGS & INVESTMENTS S.A.R.L.: CORPORATE UPDATE-NGEX RESOURCES INC.
    Zebra Holdings and Investments SARL, on Dec. 21, 2009, purchased three million common shares of NGEx Resources Inc. at a price of 70 cents per share, through the facilities of the TSX Venture Exchange and purchased two million shares of the company pursuant to a private transaction. Prior to the purchase of the shares, the offeror owned 10,411,841 common shares and an investment company acting jointly with the offeror owned 5,615,400 common shares of the company, representing approximately 10.91 per cent of the company’s issued and outstanding share capital. The offeror and the joint actor now own and have control over a total of 21,027,241 common shares of the company, or approximately 14.32 per cent of the issued and outstanding shares of the company. The offeror relied upon the accredited investor exemption provided for in Section 2.3 of National Instrument 45-106 in connection with the issuance of two million of the five million common shares.”

    NGEx Announces Updates on South American and Eritrean Drill Programs

    Press Release Source: NGEx Resources Inc. On Tuesday January 19, 2010, 3:35 pm EST

    VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA–(Marketwire – Jan. 19, 2010) – NGEx Resources Inc. (TSX:NGQ – News; ‘NGEx’ or the ‘Company’) is pleased to report on its drill programs currently underway in Chile and Eritrea. The Company’s 2010 drill program at its Los Helados project located in Region III, Chile started on January 14, 2010 at site I (to see photo please click on: http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=AswKZuVE5V_pYRj3k5PxmUqtcq9_;_ylu=X3oDMTE2YTJoZXNrBHBvcwMzBHNlYwNuZXdzYXJzdGFydARzbGsDaHR0cG1lZGlhM21h/SIG=11ipio592/**http%3A//media3.marketwire.com/docs/ngq119a.jpg). The planned program will consist of approximately 3,800 meters in 6 or 7 holes. Drilling is planned to follow up on encouraging results obtained in DDH 04 drilled in 2009 which intersected 762 meters of 0.43% copper and 0.22 g/t gold, including 343 meters of 0.58% copper and 0.21 g/t gold. The drilling will target a 1 kilometre long chargeability anomaly that lies to the north of previous drilling. Outcrops above the anomaly contain potassic alteration, stockwork veining and local copper sulphides. The drill program is expected to take approximately two months. Los Helados is part of the Company’s joint venture with the Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC). JOGMEC holds a 40% participating interest in Los Helados.
    Drilling at the Company’s nearby Josemaria project concluded in mid-December, 2009. Seven diamond drill holes totalling 2,253 meters tested possible extensions of the Josemaria resource. Results are expected toward the end of January, 2010.
    The Company also has a drill program underway in western Eritrea that is targeting volcanogenic massive sulphide targets on its Mogoraib and Kerkebeit licenses. Drilling will test additional targets at the Koken Prospect where initial drilling in 2008 intersected encouraging results; possible extensions to the Hambok deposit identified by a gradient IP survey conducted in November, 2009 (to see map please click on: http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=ApC35xY5MGLkxqdeh1rIoUGtcq9_;_ylu=X3oDMTE2OWh2ZWsxBHBvcwMxBHNlYwNuZXdzYXJ0Ym9keQRzbGsDaHR0cG1lZGlhM21h/SIG=11idv5u0k/**http%3A//media3.marketwire.com/docs/ngq119b.jpg).
    Drilling is also underway to test a new mineralized gossan known as the Aradaib prospect that was identified by prospecting (to see photo please click on: http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=Ai1af2wHCCu6h2wvpT.s5watcq9_;_ylu=X3oDMTE2M2xsajZuBHBvcwMyBHNlYwNuZXdzYXJ0Ym9keQRzbGsDaHR0cG1lZGlhM21h/SIG=11idniojr/**http%3A//media3.marketwire.com/docs/ngq119c.jpg). Initial work identified 350m of discontinuous strike exposure of the gossan. Of twelve rock chip samples taken, ten returned anomalous gold values (100 to 350ppb) with two assaying 4.1 and 8.9gpt, five had Cu values greater than 1000ppm, and two had Pb greater than 1000ppm. Zn is moderately anomalous in all of them.
    Aradaib Gossan
    Dr. Wojtek Wodzicki, P. Geo. (BC), President and CEO of NGEx, a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101, has review the technical contents of this release.
    On behalf of the Board,
    Dr. Wojtek Wodzicki, President and CEO”

  • Lithium in Argentina: Toyota Tsusho shares jump on lithium news TNR.v, CZX.v, ORE.ax, RM.v, LMR.v, LI.v, WLC.v, TM, TTM, BYDDY, NSANY, F, DAI, BMW,

    International Lithium Corp. will be spin out in a very fertile grounds: Lithium sector is getting recognition from Industry insiders and soon investment public will take notice as well: our consolidation stage is over and Lithium Development and exploration plays are ready for the next leg up.
    We own shares of this company, biased and nothing should be taken as an investment advise on this blog as usual: just enjoy our travel notes “On the way to the Green Future.”
    “Mariana Project — Argentina: ILC’s focus lies in the 120 square kilometre 100% held Mariana lithium brine project. Within proximity to major producers of lithium carbonate (FMC and SQM), Mariana has all the key characteristics of a potential producer. ILC has completed initial sampling and hydrogeology, is producing a NI43-101 technical report and is in preparation for the initial exploratory drill phase. Should all the factors prove to be favourable and the project advances accordingly a mineral resource can be estimated and a feasibility study completed in approximately 2 years.”
    Our Next Big Thing is in action today! Auto makers are rushing to secure lithium supply. Argentina is getting hotter with every deal. First Magna bought into Lithium Americas and now Toyota Tsusho makes a J/V with Orocobre. Who will be next: Las Vegas show will be all around the poker tables this time. We are following here International Lithium to be spin out from TNR Gold TNR.v with their Mariana Lithium property in Argentina, tomorrow will be interesting day for all Lithium Brines plays: TNR.v, RM.v, LI.v, LMR.v

    China controls Rare Earth Elements market, Japan will control Lithium market after dozen of deals like this: our “investments bottlenecks” in action: total market of Top Five Canadian Lithium Exploration and Developments plays one month ago was only 190 million CAD.


    SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Shares of Toyota Tsusho Corp. /quotes/comstock/!8015 (JP:8015 1,405, -12.00, -0.85%) rose as high as 11% early Wednesday, amid reports that the trading company, in which Toyota Motor Corp. /quotes/comstock/!7203 (JP:7203 4,140, -50.00, -1.19%) /quotes/comstock/13*!tm/quotes/nls/tm (TM 91.76, -0.02, -0.02%) /quotes/comstock/11i!toyof (TOYOF 44.75, +0.50, +1.13%) owns a large stake, has secured a long-term source of lithium, used in hybrid and electric-car batteries. The lithium project, sited in Argentina, could begin commercial production by 2012, according to reports. Shares of Toyota Tsusho later eased back, though were still up 8%, while those of Toyota Motor rose nearly 1%, roughly in line with gains enjoyed by other car makers”

    WSJ:

    Toyota in Lithium Agreement

    By ANN DAVIS And DAISUKE WAKABAYASHI
    A key supplier of Toyota Motor Corp. moved to secure a long-term source of lithium in Argentina, in one of the first global natural-resource plays of the electric-car age.
    Edging out Chinese buyers, Toyota Tsusho Corp., which is 21.8% owned by Toyota Motor, secured low-cost loans from the Japanese government to take a stake in a lithium project that could begin commercial production by 2012.
    The move signals how the search for high-quality lithium used in hybrid and electric-car batteries is prompting jockeying for the earth’s commodities.

    A supplier to Toyota, which makes the Prius hybrid, has tied up a potential source of lithium for batteries.

    With demand projected to grow rapidly for car batteries over the next decade, “we think we should start preparing to supply the market,” Naoto Yamagishi, general manager of the metal-and-mineral resources department at Toyota Tsusho, said in an interview.
    The investment would give Toyota—the largest seller of hybrid vehicles—as well as Japanese battery makers a secure supply of lithium rather than leave them at the mercy of a few producers if, as some fear, supplies tighten in coming years.
    Japanese electronics makers already control a majority of the lithium-ion battery market for electronic devices such as laptop computers. In the new deal, a state-owned Japanese entity, the Japan Oils, Gas and Metals National Corp., is giving Toyota Tsusho inexpensive financing to secure relatively low-cost lithium for Toyota and other companies that are competing with South Korean and Chinese rivals in the car-battery market.
    The investment is valued at $100 million to $120 million, said people with knowledge of the matter. Toyota Tsusho will pay for the completion of a feasibility study this year on a lithium project operated in northern Argentina by Australian-listed     Orocobre Ltd. and will take a 25% stake in the project thereafter.
    Although lithium is found in rock formations on many continents, in only a few spots does it exist below the surface of natural salt flats where weather and geography make it the most economical to extract. Developers with access to underground salt brines pump the liquid out and concentrate the lithium into a white powder through steps that include outdoor evaporation.
    Mr. Yamagishi said Toyota Tsusho approached Orocobre, citing the potential quality of its supply, located not far from rich deposits in Chile, known as the Saudi Arabia of lithium. He said he doesn’t expect supply concerns to be a problem in the next five years, but “if you look at it over 10 years, then we think the supply is going to get extremely tight.”
    At current prices, lithium represents only about 5% of the cost of either a laptop battery or a large-format car battery. But margins in the electronics industry tend to grow thin over time.
    The global market for lithium-ion batteries used in automobiles is forecast to grow 90-fold to 2.25 trillion yen ($24.8 billion) in 2014 from 25 billion yen last year, according to market research firm Fuji-Keizai.
    Only 27% of lithium currently goes into batteries, according to the annual report of Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile SA, which claims a 30% market share of the alkaline metal. Lithium is also used to make ceramic glass and coatings, to cast steel and as a component in lubricating greases.
    The metal is extremely lightweight, heat resistant and has other properties that also make it ideal for rechargeable batteries.
    James D. Calaway, the Houston-based chairman of Orocobre, said in an interview that mining companies active in the Chilean salt flats can increase production, but as with oil fields, lithium reservoirs can be damaged by too-rapid extraction, curtailing future productivity.
    Mr. Calaway added that his company had considered investment proposals from one of China’s largest lithium-chemistry companies, as well as other companies in the lithium supply chain. “The Asian lithium-ion battery and auto sector is taking a very proactive approach” to securing supplies, he said.
    Japanese electronics makers, facing losses on TVs and other consumer electronics, are making a big push to supply lithium-ion batteries for the hybrid and electric vehicles of the future.
    Toshiba Corp., Hitachi Co., and NEC Corp. have all made investments in the lithium-ion battery business for automotive use, while Panasonic Corp. bought a majority stake in Sanyo Electric Co., the world’s top supplier of lithium-ion batteries, to carve out a stronger footing.
    Toyota and Panasonic are partners in the development and production of lithium-ion battery packs for electric cars. Sony Corp. has also said it is considering entering the car battery business.
    To secure supplies for those companies, Japan’s trading companies, such as Mitsubishi Corp. and Sumitomo Corp., have been active in searching out opportunities in Latin America especially in the lithium-rich countries like Bolivia and Chile.”

    Bloomberg:

    Orocobre, Toyota Partner to Develop Lithium Project

    Orocobre, Toyota Partner to Develop Lithium Project
    By Nichola Saminather
    Jan. 20 (Bloomberg) — Orocobre Ltd., an Australian mineral exploration company, will partner with a Toyota Group company to develop a lithium and potash mine in Argentina.
    Orocobre will establish a joint venture with Toyota Tsusho Corp., the trading affiliate of Toyota Motor Corp., to develop its Salar de Olaroz lithium potash project in Argentina’s northwest Jujuy province, the company said in a statement to the Australian Stock Exchange.
    Toyota Tsusho will acquire a 25 percent stake in the project, based on the cost achieved from a feasibility study to be completed in the third quarter of 2010, Orocobre said. The Nagoya-based company will also provide $4.5 million for the study, and will obtain a low-cost Japanese government loan to fund at least 60 percent of the project’s development.
    The partnership means Orocobre won’t need additional funding for the project’s development, Orocobre Managing Director Richard Seville said in the statement.
    “Toyota Tsusho becoming our strategic partner allows Olaroz direct access to Toyota Motor Corp. and its partners such as Panasonic and Sanyo,” Seville said. “These companies have significant expertise and understanding of supply requirements in large format lithium-ion batteries for the automotive industry and consumer sector and that will add greatly to our understanding of end-user requirements and demand.”
    Orocobre shares surged as much as 64 Australian cents, or 46 percent, to A$2.04 as of 11:24 a.m. in Sydney.
    Project Overview
    Orocobre will own the remaining 75 percent of the project after construction is completed, and will operate the joint venture, the company said.
    Construction is expected to be completed by early 2011, and the mine will be operational by the end of that year, Orocobre spokesman Paul Ryan said in a telephone interview.
    Toyota established a joint venture in 2007 with Panasonic Corp., then Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., to ensure supplies of lithium-ion batteries for the automaker’s planned plug-in hybrid cars.
    Toyota Tsusho is seeking reliable, low-cost lithium supplies to meet rising global demand for lithium batteries for automobiles, the company said in the statement.
    “The size and quality of the deposit is world-class and we believe will produce high-purity, battery-grade materials required for the global battery industry at a cost that is competitive with existing lithium brine producers in South America,” Toyota Tsusho said.”

  • China Dominates The Global Rare Earth Metals Industry TNR.v, CZX.v, AVL.to, RES.v, QUC.v, WLC.v, LI.v, RM.v, LMR.v, ABN.v, HAO.v, BYDDY, NSANY, TM, F

    Contrary to the reply of Chinese expert, we think that this global expansion by Chinese companies in REE sector is already under way. China still remembers how it was blocked in U.S. in energy deals in Oil sector and in Australia in Rare Earth Elements, they can chose this time a low profile approach in Canada.
    Now we can have an another view on some recent investments by Chinese companies. Conclusion could be made, that by making a low profile investments in Canadian juniors Chinese companies are actually developing a well planed strategy if not to control, but at least to secure access not only to basic commodities like Zinc and Copper, but to strategic resources of Lithium and REE on a world-wide basis:

    “One day we can wake up with new shareholders in TNR Gold with a very deep pockets. Recent news on Tongling acquiring Copper assets in Ecuador with Chinese Railway Construction Corporation speaks for itself about place of this company in Chinese Government circles. It is no surprise that Los Azules has attracted their attention.
    “    China’s second largest copper producer, Tongling Nonferrous Metals Group Holdings Co, has joined with China Railway Construction Corp (CRCC) to make an agreed bid for Canada’s Corriente Resources Inc.“

    Idea of Rare Earth Elements’ importance for the high tech and clean energy industries is filtering through mass media on the investors radar screens. We are expecting a great deal of government push into this sector in all countries, including China, and investors will follow with their money later.

    “It is our second investment bottleneck. This investment area could have even more potential then very exciting Lithium opportunity itself. If in Lithium space resources are presented in more or less available form even in a tightly controlled market, REE market is controlled by China with over 95% of the market under its influence.”

    SAI is very provocative this time with their headline:

    “Here’s How China Came To Kick The World’s Ass, And Dominate The Global Rare Earth Metals Industry

    Joe Weisenthal Jan. 18, 2010, 12:09 PM
    The latest edition of The China Analyst hits on the hot topic of rare earth metals, and includes an excellent interview with Chinese professor Fu Zhongde, a scientist deeply involved in the country’s advancement of this industry. (via MineWeb)
    Will the Chinese government encourage domestic rare earths companies to ‘go global’?
    I am afraid the government will not do so. If, on the one hand, the Chinese government regulates the industry and limits rare earth exports, while on the other hand encouraging REE companies to go global, it would be contradictory and unfair. I do not think the government will do this. (S-???)
    What is currently the status of Chinese rare earth processing technology compared to the rest of the world? How advanced is it exactly? Will China require technological assistance from overseas?
    Rare earth processing technology in China is highly advanced and can be regarded as filling an important gap in the world. China can supply REE products as pure as 99.9999%, while for example French companies can only produce 99.999% pure products and Japanese firms generally produce 99.9% purity products. In addition to the purity, Chinese technology now uses low energy consumption, creates no pollution, and utilises a zero discharge process. So in terms of rare earths processing technology, China definitely leads the world and is certainly very competitive. I can attest to that myself, being the owner of a few patents in the field of ion exchange technology.
    The full interview and more is found in the report below.

    http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-how-china-came-to-kick-the-worlds-ass-and-dominate-the-global-rare-earth-metals-industry-2010-1“

    MineWeb has put a very good overview of REE sector recently:

    MineWeb:

    RARE EARTHS
    Rare Earths in China: Cornering the market or a victim of its own success?

    A closer look at the history of the rare earth industry in China, the recent controversies surrounding it, and some of the upcoming trends to watch.

    Author: Lilian Luca Posted: Sunday , 17 Jan 2010
    BEIJING –
    In addition to all the other trade disputes involving China-tyres, steel pipes, books, chicken, etc.-2009 has also brought up a relatively obscure issue that keeps coming back with a worrying consistency. This is the issue of rare earths, where China has a dominant position as producer. The Chinese government has imposed ever-increasing export duties and quotas on the rare earths industry, and there are recurring rumours that the most valuable of these elements will be banned from leaving China.
    What are rare earths and why are they important?
    The Rare Earth Elements (REEs) are a group of 15 chemically-similar elements called lanthanides (from element 57, lanthanum, to 71, lutetium). Commercially, REEs also include two elements not strictly in the REE group, but which share with REEs some chemical, functional, and occurrent features: scandium and yttrium. They are all usually soft, ductile metals, with very unique properties: catalytic, magnetic, optical and others. REEs are sometimes referred to as ‘industrial vitamins’ due to the fact that tiny quantities of them, when added to other elements, tend to confer unique properties on the latter. In many applications, moreover, no substitute has been identified for a particular REE.
    The REE elements surround us in our everyday lives by being a part of common high-technology and modern equipment. Of the more familiar applications of REEs, neodymium is probably the most widely known, as it is used in the light magnets found in earphones, mobile phones, hard disk drives, and hi-fi speakers, among others. Europium is present in the LCDs (liquid crystal displays) of computer displays and flat-panel television sets, while fibre optic cables that power the Internet depend on erbium. The lenses in photo and video cameras are almost exclusively polished with cerium oxide, and the even more popular high-efficiency fluorescent light bulbs contain a few different REEs. Other common applications of REEs include as catalysts in oil refinement and as an aid for the cleaner burning of fuel in automobiles, lasers, pigments, superconductors, medical imaging devices, as well as in a range of other metallurgical and nuclear applications.
    REEs are not, strictly speaking, that rare. The least common of them, lutetium, is more common in nature than silver, while the most abundant REE, cerium, is more prevalent than copper. The problem with mining REEs, however, is that they are rarely found in economically viable concentrations, and tend to occur together as a group, creating additional issues with separation. Furthermore, the so-called light rare earths (LREEs) such as cerium and neodymium are more common and therefore cheaper than the less common and therefore very expensive, heavy rare earths (HREEs) such as dysprosium and terbium
    Burning issues with rare earths
    The latest controversy surrounding REEs is, in a nutshell, the following: China controls over 93% of the world’s REE production. Every year China reduces export quotas and raises the export duties for REEs, yet advanced ‘industries of tomorrow’ (for example, wind turbines, electric and hybrid cars) worldwide depend on the availability and affordability of REEs. Moreover, important defence applications (anti-missile defences, jet engines, missile guidance systems, etc.) also use REEs widely, thus making the issue of Chinese-only supply especially sensitive.
    China possesses around 50% of the world’s REE reserves, and has over the past two decades supplanted the US as the premier world REE supplier, due to a few significant factors. First, the development of REE resources has over the years received Chinese government support (some sources even quote Deng Xiaoping saying that one day China will become ‘the Saudi Arabia of rare earths’). Second, at the world’s largest deposit of REEs, Bayan Obo (Baiyunebo) in Inner Mongolia, rare earths are produced as by-products of iron ore mining, which dramatically lowers their cost. Thirdly, China has also benefited from being naturally-endowed with rich, accessible HREE-containing deposits, such as the ion-absorption ores in the south of China. Lastly, the numerous small players active in mining and processing REEs are highly competitive, while the ‘China factor’ helps keep production costs among the lowest in the world, in a fashion similar to China’s other manufacturing industries.
    In a way, China’s REE industry has become a victim of its own success. On the one hand, low production costs in China have made deposits outside China uneconomic, while at the same time increasing the range of viable REE applications. With new applications and a multitude of competitive local suppliers, China has also developed a vibrant, sophisticated group of REE-based product suppliers for downstream applications (REE oxides, neodymium magnets, electric motors). The recent successes of Chinese wind turbine producers and the ever-growing number of electric bicycles on the streets in China are, to some extent, due to the local availability and affordability of neodymium-containing permanent magnet components of electric motors and generators, and an integrated Chinese supply chain for such products. World leaders in REE applications, such as Rhodia of France and Showa Denko of Japan have built manufacturing facilities in China, thus increasing the share of value being added to REE products in China, and transferring some of their skills and know-how to Chinese industry.

    But on the other hand, the fragmented nature of the Chinese REE processing industry has also generated various problems-pollution, overly-intensive mining, smuggling of REE materials abroad, low extraction rates, and low R&D expenditure by most players due to a lack of scale. The Chinese government has over the years been steadily reducing the REEs available for export via quotas and export duties, while also actively encouraging M&A activity to increase scale and sophistication. This year, significant progress has been achieved in consolidating China’s REE industry-three major players in China (Baotou Steel’s REE division, Minmetals and Jiangxi Copper) have been identified as the companies to receive government support and were chosen to lead the industry’s consolidation. Additionally, Baotou Steel has announced a joint venture with China Investment Corporation, which means additional financial and political support.

    Recent developments
    As with virtually every other traded commodity, REEs saw significant price increases in 2006-2008. The global financial crisis introduced some price corrections, and currently suppliers in China do not have any problems meeting market demand. But with increasing demand from booming industries such as hybrid and electric vehicles, electric bicycles, wind turbines, car batteries, and other ‘green’ applications, combined with the Chinese government’s plans to limit supply and consolidate the industry, it is certain that new sources of supply outside China will be required.
    There are quite a few production sites being developed at the moment, for example, in Australia, Canada, South Africa and Greenland. Unfortunately, most of them will not be able to ramp up output until 3-4 years from now, and significant environmental, technological and financing concerns may yet keep production costs high and supply outside China uncertain. According to Roskill, this new supply will become available just in time, as by 2012 China’s own elevated demand due to the growth in high-tech industries will have outstripped local supply.
    The implications are sobering for the world’s mining community and for investors, as well as for governments. The Chinese supply of REEs may become increasingly expensive and priority may be given in the future to China-based users (which can, however, be foreign-owned). In our opinion, China is tightening control as a means of ensuring a stable and affordable supply to its domestic high-tech firms, as well as to increase the value being added to REEs in China. It is most likely not trying to ‘corner the market’ in REEs or attempting to extract higher prices from buyers.
    Most REE properties outside China are risky investment propositions due to their need to be mined as standalone minerals (rather than by-products), high environmental and technological costs, and lack of large-scale, efficient processing facilities, and momentary dearth of capital. Without significant government or substantial corporate support (from leading world manufacturers that use REEs such as Toyota or GE) deposits outside China risk not being developed in time to meet growing demand, which puts high-tech industries in the US, EU and Japan at significant risk of tight supplies and escalating costs for REEs.”

  • Lithium and REE: BYD wins backing to make e6 TNR.v, CZX.v, WLC.v, LI.v, RM.v, LMR.v, SQM, FMC, BYDDY, AVL.to, RES.v, QUC.v, CCE.v, NSANY, RNO, TTM, TM

    “BYD claims the longest range available on the market for the road ready EV with 205 miles. Time will tell very soon whether we can trust this spec. There will be issues with safety testing in US and auto brand recognition, but we think the price will cure a lot of initial market problems and this car will take market by the storm. Whether BYD will be able to make money out of electric cars we are not sure and think that margins will be sacrificed for market penetration in the West and the real driving force will be a conventional vehicles booming sales in China. This scenario will be very positive for our Next Big Thing – price competition in EV space will make electric cars affordable and bring our mass market sooner rather than later with an explosive growth in Lithium and REE Demand.”

    We have a very good mix for publicity of Electric Cars: Warren Buffett, richest man in China – founder of BYD and China with largest auto market in the world from 2009. BYD aim at competition with GM Volt pricing its car at USD40,000 – is our prediction about price war and razor thin margins already in play? Now we should see the pricing move for GM Volt – will it be below USD40,000 in the end?

    BEIJING, Jan. 19 — New-energy vehicle and battery manufacturer BYD Automobile Co said Monday that it has won approval to produce the e6, its first pure electric car, in the country.
    A BYD official said the e6 accelerated the auto maker’s new-energy vehicle strategy and will help domestic car makers compete against international rivals.
    BYD Auto’s e6 is presented during the 2010 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) at Cobo center in Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A., Jan 11, 2010. (Xinhua/Zhang Jun)
    China-based BYD, backed by billionaire Warren Buffet, will launch the plug-in e6 sedan in China in the first half of this year for about 300,000 yuan (43,988 U.S. dollars), mainly supplying government, public services and taxi fleets. BYD also plans to sell the e6 in the United States at the end of this year with a price tag of about 40,000 dollars.
    With government support, hybrid and electric vehicles are becoming an industry trend as consumers seek ways to reduce emissions to protect the environment. Demand for such vehicles has prompted car makers to increase investment and speed up engineering in the field.
    General Motors plans to launch its extended-range electric car Volt in the US this year before introducing it to China in 2011. Nissan plans to launch its Leaf plug-in electric car in 2012.
    BYD said the e6 is a sedan powered by a lithium iron phosphate battery.
    The car promises a battery-only range of 330 kilometers on a single charge. The battery can be quick-charged to 50 percent of capacity in 10 minutes, and fully charged in 60 minutes.
    Aside from intensifying competition, car makers also face challenges convincing consumers about the benefits of new-energy vehicles as some people worry about inconvenience due to the lack of charging stations.
    Auto makers also face issues over heavy batteries, which reduce the efficiency of electric cars, and recycling batteries.
    Wang Chuanfu, chairman of BYD, said recently that the car maker is aiming to become the world’s largest auto maker by 2025. Last year, BYD saw sales jump 130 percent to 400,000 vehicles. It set a sales target of 800,000 units this year.
    At the ongoing Detroit auto show, BYD was the only Chinese car maker to attend. Its lineup also included the F3DM, the world’s first dual-mode plug-in hybrid.
    Besides BYD’s e6, the new-energy vehicles the government approved included Dongfeng’s Fengshen S30 and Changan’s Zhixiang.
    (Source: Shanghai Daily)”

  • EVs in a cold climate – Mitsubishi to trial electric cars in icy Quebec TNR.v, CZX.v, WLC.v, LI.v, RM.v, LMR.v, CLQ.v, SQM, FMC, ROC, NSANY, F, BYDDY,



    “It is a very good sign: increase of 20% for this very expensive compare to its utility EV. It is our “Low Base Growth” in action. MiEv are available now and it makes them so different from all other just coming into the market. First trial reports from UK are very encouraging, taking into account recent hard weather conditions there. Please, pay attention to industrial partnerships for MiEv already in place – this increase in production reflects industrial interest in this trial EVs to test mass market ambitions for EVs in general.”


    It is a very important issue to address: while some people will continue to discuss how electric cars will make more pollution than conventional ones and how they are unreliable, unsafe and will not come any time soon – engineers will be working on technical issues, which are not even problems and will solve them successfully. We have a few important news from Electric Cars and their technical development: Tesla made its road trip from California to Detroit auto show, GM Volt was on trials in the mountains and MiEv has a first snow drive in UK with very nasty weather last couple of weeks there. If you would like to get an idea how modern vehicles are prepared for the road go to GM Volt development website and get info from the developers themselves.




    BusinessGREEN.com:
    EVs in a cold climate – Mitsubishi to trial electric cars in icy Quebec
    Fifty Mitsubishi i MiEVs to be tested in challenging winter conditions
    Tom Young, BusinessGreen, 18 Jan 2010
    Quebec’s power utility Hydro-Québec has announced it is to team up with Mitsubishi to road-test 50 electric Mitsubishi i MiEVs in the Canadian province as part of research that could have significant implications for the wider electric vehicle industry.
    The C$4.5m (£2.6m) project will aim to assess the performance of the vehicles in harsh winter conditions, and represents the first initiative of its kind to include the participation of a car manufacturer, a public utility, a municipality and the local businesses in the city of Boucherville, which will use vehicles in their fleets.
    There have been widely-documented concerns that electric vehicle batteries perform significantly less effectively in cold temperatures, reducing the range of cars between recharges. The trial is likely to study the extent of the problem and will monitor the vehicles’ charging behaviour, the driving experience and overall driver satisfaction in winter temperatures that average between -10 and -25 degrees.
    “This new pilot project is part of our action plan for the electrification of vehicles,” said Thierry Vandal, Hydro-Québec chief executive. “It will allow us to advance our knowledge of the technology and its integration into our grid, which in turn will help us plan the necessary charging infrastructure for homes, offices and public places.”
    In related news, Quebec became Canada’s first province to adopt California’s strict auto emission standards last week. From 2012, new passenger vehicles will only be able to emit 187 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre, falling to 127 grams per kilometer by 2016.

  • Lithium and REE: Toyota Hits The Accelerator On Hybrid Production, But Will They Have The Rare Metal Supply To Do So? TNR.v, CZX.v, WLC.v, RM.v, LI.v,

    It is our second investment bottleneck. This investment area could have even more potential then very exciting Lithium opportunity itself. If in Lithium space resources are presented in more or less available form even in a tightly controlled market, REE market is controlled by China with over 95% of the market under its influence.
    “If we decided to drive electric cars and charge their Lithium battery with wind, solar and other green power generated energy – time is study Rare Earth Elements. Every time you click on your Blackberry, iPhone or use your PowerBook you are at the mercy of all these elements.
    There are Rare Metals like Lithium, Tantalum and Niobium among them and Rare Earth Elements:
    “The REE group is considered to include the 15 lanthanide elements: lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, promethium (does not occur naturally), neodymium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, and lutetium. The elements yttrium and scandium are also included as they have similar chemical properties, making 17 REEs in total.”Rare Earth Elements Molycorp Video
    Neodymium magnet is at the heart of Green Energy Revolution – strongest rare earth magnet available it allows to make a smaller lighter and more powerful electric motors used in hybrids, electric cars and wind turbines.”


    iStockAnalyst:


    By: Darrel Whitten Monday, January 18

    The Nikkei is reporting that Toyota (7203) now plans to boost hybrid car production by two-fold in 2011 from 2009 by boosting volume of its best-selling Prius model as well as the introduction of 10 new hybrid models in the next 2~3 years.

    Toyota plans to claw its way back from heavy losses in FY2009 and lagging market shares in BRICs/emerging markets by getting back to its production roots and hitting the accelerator on hybrid production, particularly in its domestic factories, but also by increasing production overseas in Thailand, Australia, China, the UK and the US. By 2012, the Company aims to be producing 1.1 million hybrid units, versus total global production of 6.40 million automobiles in 2009.
    The problem is, these materials could become the new crude oil of the 21st century, with all developed and newly emerging nations scrambling to ensure supply of a finite resource, for which Japan is almost completely dependent on imports. For example, global automobile production uses over 130 tons of platinum annually, while hybrid automobile production is expected to be the main driver of lithium demand for lithium-ion batteries used in these cars.
    Like other developed nations, Japan is now in full strategic development mode to ensure it and its major companies like Toyota have sufficient supply of key rare earth metals to support its new push toward clean, high tech products–in Viet Nam, the Republic of Kazakhstan, Brazil, Canada, Bolivia and virtually anywhere in the world where such resources exist. Japan’s METI already established a formal strategy to ensure supply of rare metals in July 2009 that includes a) government support for, a) basic material diplomacy, b) recycling/recovery of resources in Japan, c) development of replacement materials for rare earths and d) strategic stockpiling of seven rare earths in addition to indium, gallium, cobalt and tungsten in order to ensure a 60 day supply of these materials.
    In doing so, they are competing with France, other developed nations and China to secure these resources. China itself now produces 97% of current production of rare earth metals, 75% of tungsten and 58% of indium, but is already beginning to restrict exports of these key materials.
    In a mass production and consumption society like Japan, their best source of such materials may lie in the mountains of consumer electronics and mobile phones that are discarded every year. For example, it is estimated that their are 1,500 tons of recoverable indium in the TVs that Japan’s discards every year, equal to just under 40% of the proven reserves in the world, while the recoverable gold is equal to 16% of the world’s reserves.
    However, while there is estimated to be JPY100 worth of recoverable metals in each discarded mobile phone, the price of gold contained therein accounts for over half of this, while the 10 varieties of rare metals contained are worth only around JPY10. In other words, rare metals used in such products is like the spice used in cooking food, i.e., absolutely necessary, but not the main ingredient.
    However, because of the small amount of existing production, world demand for rare earth metals used in cell phones, hybrid cars, wind turbines and many electronic applications is currently over 110,000 tons/year, and expected to grow some 71% to 188,000 tons by 2012 (US
    Geological Survey), while world demand is expected to exceed supply by some 40,000 tons/year in several years.
    Popular hybrid car models such as the Toyota Prius, Honda Insight and Ford Focus all use these metals. In fact, some experts of metals consider the Prius as the largest consumer of rare earth metals in the world. Each electric Prius motor requires 1 kilogram (2.2 lb) of neodymium, and each battery uses 10 to 15 kg (22-33 lb) of lanthanum. That number will nearly double under Toyota’s plans to boost the car’s fuel economy.
    An estimated 15% or so of lithium output is used in batteries today, but that figure is forecast to jump to about 40% by 2020 due to rising demand for lithium-ion car batteries. The market size of lithium-ion batteries for eco-cars is estimated to grow to slightly less then JPY400 billion ($4.2
    billion) in 2015 before swelling to nearly JPY1 trillion in 2020.
    As a result, global industry could end up moving from the frying pan into the fire in their rush to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, at least for automobiles, and Japan’s import dependency on key raw materials could become worse, not better, as emerging countries such as Bolivia where these new materials are located hold the developed and emerging countries ransom for these materials. After all, the lessons of OPEC and the wealth that crude oil has brought to the Middle East and to other developing nations like Venezuela are not lost on these countries.”

  • US Dollar collapse: Puru Saxena – Inflation 101 TNR.v, CZX.v, AMM.to, BVG.v, SGC.v, VTR.v, GRC.to, BTT.v, GBN.v, RVM.to, FVI.to, AUY, GDX, HUI, XAU,

    “Inflation is a function of printing press, credit expansion. Higher prices will come as a result of created money chasing the same amount of goods. Here is our Gold and Silver play as a store of value.
    If these liquidity flood will find its ways into one tiny, but very important sector with     Trend starting factors in place we will have our Elvis moment there. It will be pockets of Growth and magic word here is “Low Base”. Growth from this place is Explosive by definition. We call it Next Big Thing – Bull market, when “Cool Factor” is multiplied by “Big If“.
    Brilliant piece on inflation in a plain English from Puru Saxena, add here Ron Paul to the total understanding of the moment and its consequences.

    321Gold.com:

    Inflation 101


    Puru Saxena
    Jan 15, 2010

    We want all our readers to understand that inflation is a disaster for society and it only benefits the elite. In fact, we will go even further by stating that inflation is a hidden tax, an insidious crime against the public. It is the easiest way for any government to confiscate the savings of the public and for generations, wealth has been transferred in this manner.
    In our opinion, inflation is evil and the sole reason why human beings have become modern-day slaves. Remember, money is supposed to be a store of value, however due to reckless central bank-sponsored inflation, it can no longer fulfill this critical role. This is precisely the reason why human beings are never satisfied with what they have because nobody knows what their savings will buy them in ten or twenty years time. So, rather than enjoy their lives, the vast majority of people continue with their never ending pursuit of acquiring even more money! Unfortunately, nobody questions the inexplicable loss of the purchasing power of their savings, thus, central banks get away with financial murder.
    It is our contention that inflation distorts the economy, it brings great harm to the public and it encourages speculation and mindless risk-taking. In fact, inflation acts as a poison for retired people since they are no longer able to earn more money in order to maintain their standard of living. So, thanks to inflation, most senior citizens are unable to enjoy the fruits of their labour.
    Before we delve further, we want to make it absolutely clear that inflation is defined as the increase in the quantity of money and debt within an economy. And contrary to what the governments want you to believe, inflation is certainly not an increase in the general price level within an economy. Instead, an increase in the general price level within an economy is a consequence of inflation. Allow us to explain this subtle yet critical difference:
    For the sake of simplicity, let us assume that America’s money-supply is US$100 and this is the amount available to buy the five oranges its economy produces. Common-sense dictates that under this situation, each orange will cost US$20. Now, let us introduce a banking-cartel called the Federal Reserve, which is able to extend credit (via its debt-based fractional reserve banking system); thereby inflating the supply of money within America to US$1,000. Under this scenario, with a 10-fold increase in money available to purchase the same amount of produce, each of the five oranges will now cost a whopping US$200!
    Hopefully, you can see from the above simplified example, how an inflation in the supply of money and debt causes prices to increase within an economy.
    So, if inflation is terrible and makes life difficult for the vast majority of people, why is it allowed? The truth is that the banking cartel lives off this inflation by collecting interest on the loans it creates ‘out of thin air’. Believe it or not, banks lend you money which did not exist prior to you borrowing this money and you pay them interest for the pleasure! Thanks to the ‘genius’ of fractional reserve banking, banks are able to create loans equal to ten times the amount of money deposited with them! Therefore, the banks collect interest on a loan-book which is ten times the size of their deposit base and they can do this because they know that not all their depositors will want to withdraw their savings on the same day.
    In order to ensure the continuity of this fraudulent system, central banks and governments hoodwink the public into believing that an expansion in the supply of money and debt is not inflation. Rather, they mislead the public by claiming that the consequence of inflation (increase in prices) is in fact inflation! Look; prices within an economy do not just rise on their own. After all, an orange is still an orange, it does not change. What changes is the purchasing power of paper money which is used to buy that orange.
    Furthermore, in its attempt to manipulate the masses, the establishment does everything in its power to suppress the official ‘inflation barometer’. Governments achieve this goal by shamelessly doctoring their Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Producer Price Index (PPI) calculations via various seasonal and hedonistic adjustments. Figure 1 highlights the discrepancy between the CPI-U published by America’s Bureau of Labour Statistics and the SGS Alternate CPI which is calculated by Shadow Government Statistics using the old methodology. As you can see, over the past 20 years, prices have been rising much faster than the officials would have you believe.
    Figure 1: Governments understate the inflation menace

    Source: John Williams’ Shadow Government Statistics

    Apart from diminishing the purchasing power of savings, inflation also creates unfair advantages for the elite. When a new cycle of inflation (expansion of money-supply and credit) commences, usually the governments and banks have first access to this newly created money and they obtain this cash at a time when prices within the economy are still depressed. Therefore, these powerful entities are able to buy inexpensive goods by using this newly created money. Now, by the time this surplus money has permeated through the economy and reached the masses, prices have usually risen significantly by then. Accordingly, the public gets access to the additional money at a time when prices are much higher than the commencement of the inflationary cycle!
    Let there be no doubt, inflation is a total disaster and our world will be better place without this reckless money-creation. Contrary to official dogma, our world experienced tremendous progress during the 19th century and during that period, there was no inflation. Figure 2 shows the changes in America’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) over the past two centuries. As you will observe, the CPI fell for most of the 19th century as the purchasing power of the American currency rose. However, since the formation of the Federal Reserve in 1913, the CPI has exploded causing the purchasing power of the US Dollar to spiral downwards. .
    Figure 2: Who says inflation is dead?

  • US Dollar Collapse: Ron Paul at his best TNR.v, GRC.to, SGC.v, AMM.to, NGQ.to, ASM.v, KTN.v, EPZ.v, BTT.v, GBN.v, VTR.v, GDX, HUI, XAU, WLC.v, LI.v,

    “Here we should talk about one Macro Event, which will be crucial for all our Micro Caps, we are writing here about: Burst of the Treasury Bubble. Governments, Institutions and people are holding them now exactly for the wrong reason: To Be Safe. It was important last year, when everybody moved into Treasuries for safety to eliminate Agency problem with collapsing banks, now when all governments back stop banking system Elvis moment for Treasuries is gone.”

  • EVs mass market: BYD Auto Gets Ready to Deliver e6 Electric Car to U.S. in 2010 – COMPLETE VIDEO TNR.v, CZX.v, BYDDY, WLC.v, LI.v, RM.v, LMR.v, SQM, F

    BYD claims the longest range available on the market for the road ready EV with 205 miles. Time will tell very soon whether we can trust this spec. There will be issues with safety testing in US and auto brand recognition, but we think the price will cure a lot of initial market problems and this car will take market by the storm. Whether BYD will be able to make money out of electric cars we are not sure and think that margins will be sacrificed for market penetration in the West and the real driving force will be a conventional vehicles booming sales in China. This scenario will be very positive for our Next Big Thing – price competition in EV space will make electric cars affordable and bring our mass market sooner rather than later with an explosive growth in Lithium and REE Demand. Also of note is the development by BYD Energy utility storage systems for alternative energy, based on Lithium Fe battery technology they will be an integral part of electric future according to the company.
    “Now throw a dash of China, words like Lithium, REE and Energy Security – you can be sure this will lead to excitement and “pockets of explosive growth” even in the very slow economy in general.”



    AutoChannel:

    BYD Auto Gets Ready to Deliver e6 Electric Car
    to U.S. in 2010 – COMPLETE VIDEO

    DETROIT – January 12, 2010: Chinese automaker BYD showcased their green vehicles today during its press conference at the 2010 North America International Auto Show. With a 5000-square-foot display space, BYD Auto returned to the Cobo Center for the third consecutive year.
    On display is BYD’s full-electric vehicle e6 and the new version F3DM electric model.
    The e6, with five-passenger will be marketed as a family oriented crossover. Features BYD ferrous battery, the e6 with an expected range per charge cycle of 330 km (205 miles ) in cruising mode, an estimated acceleration time from 0-100km/h (0-60mph ) in less than 14 seconds and with a projected top speed of 140km/h(87mph). These characteristics make the e6 ideal for daily commutes, in-town driving and even long distance travel.
    BYD F3DM
    The new version F3DM electric vehicle also features BYD Fe (Lithium Fe – S.) battery together with a BYD 371QA 1.0-liter gasoline engine; it will be equipped with the solar panel sunroof, which can be used to channel power to the Fe battery. The F3DM has a range of about 400km (267 miles) on one tank of fuel, with a maximum speed of 160kph (about 100 mph). It can also run for 100km (about 60 miles) powered by Fe battery pack alone.

    e6 Design

    What sets the e6 apart from other electric vehicles is its size and performance. With current battery capacity limitations, most manufacturers have selected to focus on small, lightweight EVs that stress efficiency over performance and range. Instead, BYD has used its rich history in IT development and cutting edge battery technology and taken an unconventional approach in order to manufacture cars that represent the company’s slogan of Build Your Dreams. These ideas are the underlying philosophy and ideology behind the e6.
    The high-tech e6 will be marketed as a family-oriented crossover vehicle boasting the same exterior dimensions of the average family car. The e6 features a spacious interior cabin which will seat 5 comfortably, with substantial legroom and headroom for passengers as well as ample luggage space in the rear of the vehicle. The e6 measures 4554mm (179.3 inches ) long, 1882mm (71.7 inches) wide and1630mm (64.2 inches) tall.
    Convenient and Eco-Friendly
    The environmentally friendly e6 is a zero-emissions electric vehicle which means it emits no harmful toxic emissions or greenhouse gases. BYD’s new Fe battery takes the green philosophy a step further by only using chemical substances within the battery that are completely recyclable.
    About BYDBYD Company Ltd. was established in 1995 and listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEx) in 2002. It developed rapidly to become the world’s second largest rechargeable battery manufacturer in 2003, with the company’s nickel and lithium-ion batteries for mobile phone applications rising to the top of the global market. In 2003 BYD Auto Ltd. was founded as a subsidiary of BYD Company Ltd. following the acquisition of the previously state-owned Tsinchuan automobile company.
    Despite the general downturn in the global automotive industry, in the first half of 2009 BYD AUTO has seen a sales increase of 176 percent year on year, for the first time BYD Auto business overtook IT business and contributed 55% in 2009 H1 turnover. As the winner of the most competitive and influential automobile brand in China, BYD Auto sales surged magnificently that BYD has been on top of the domestic auto makers and finished the 2009 sales target 400,000 units ahead of time. At the same time, BYD Company Ltd. is continuing in the research and development of new energy technologies.
    BYD Company Ltd. has ten production and R&D facilities in China for the development and manufacturing of IT components, batteries and automobiles. The company has grown into a multinational corporation with 130,000 employees worldwide based in subsidiary offices in the United States, the Netherlands, Denmark, Hungary, Romania, Japan, South Korea, India, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
    From the beginning BYD AUTO has focused on the research, development and manufacturing of a wide range of world-class products, including electric vehicles (EVs). To meet the demands of the global consumer BYD AUTO has relied upon their strength and knowledge in R&D to create cost-efficient, durable and unique manufacturing systems which integrate aspects from both the automotive and IT industries.
    BYD AUTO already has several large-scale industrial bases in a number of locations around China. In response to increasing market demands the company has plans to enlarge the output facilities in Xi’an as well as building a new base in Changsha for the production of electric buses.
    Since its foundation in 2003, BYD AUTO has successfully launched a series of models including the F0, F3, F3R, F6, F3DM, S8, G3,and e6. Over the next several years BYD AUTO will continue to expand its product portfolio to include a range of F-series sedans and hatchbacks, S-series SUVs, M-series MPVs, DM-series Dual Mode hybrid vehicles, e-series electric vehicles and electric buses.
    Alongside the development of electric vehicles, BYD AUTO has also devoted time and energy into the exploration of additional alternative energy technologies. At the BYD AUTO headquarters in Shenzhen, there has been development and testing of new energy technology systems including the BYD Energy Storage System (BESS), the BYD Solar Power Storage System (BSPSS), the BYD Wind Power Storage System (BWPSS) and the BYD Home Energy System (BHES). The company hopes to contribute its developments in green technology as a part of the greater solution for the increasingly serious global environmental proble.”

  • EVs mass market: 2010 Detroit Auto Show: BMW ActiveE Electric Car TNR.v, CZX.v, WLC.v, LI.v, RM.v, LMR.v, CLQ.v, SQM, FMC, ROC, BMW, DAI

    “Obama has told you about our Investment Thesis in three short sentences. We are not so smart and we do not have such an authority – we need to bring reason to decompound his message. Time for us to drop couple of lines about Middle-class and our Christmas wish.”


    All in all it looks to us that BMW lost this time on pure Electric car and has converted BMW1 in this ActiveE car, that is why weight is so high. Mini E trials were also like so much yesterday for us compare to Nissan Leaf, Renault and even Mercedes with E-Cell concept. But we expect BMW to move fast now from its active hybrids to road ready EVs. This half baked concepts just prove our suspicion that everybody would like to be ready for the Next Big Thing.
    BMW ActiveE Video

    TreeHugger:

    by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 01.14.10



    Photo: Michael Graham Richard
    Will be Available in Limited Numbers for LeasingMost of you probably know about the MINI-E, an electric version of the MINI made by BMW to do real-world EV testing (and exploit a CARB loophole, some say). BMW says that it will repeat the experiment, but this time with the ActiveE, a converted BMW series 1 coupe.

    Under the Hood of the BMW ActiveE”The BMW Concept ActiveE has allowed BMW to explore new vehicle packaging solutions and components which will be crucial to the success of the Megacity Vehicle. The intelligent integration of drive components within the existing vehicle package of the BMW 1 Series Coupe offers the opportunity to provide four full-size seats and a luggage compartment with a capacity of 200 litres / 7 cu ft. The motor, specially developed for the model and located in the rear axle, delivers 125 kW/170 hp and provides maximum torque of 250 Nm / 184 lb-ft. It accelerates the vehicle in less than 9 seconds from zero to 100 km/h (0-60 mph in approx. 8.5 seconds).”

    Sounds like a more practical car than the MINI-E for every day driving.
    One of the downside of being an EV is that the ActiveE weights about 3,900 pounds, but weight distribution is close to 50/50, so handling should still be decent. I suspect that this high weight is partly due to the fact that this is a conversion job and not a car that was designed from the ground up to be an EV (for example, the Nissan LEAF is estimated to weight about 2,800 lbs).

    “The electric drive system draws its energy from new, advanced lithium-ion battery pack developed jointly by BMW and the co-operation partner SB LiMotive especially for the BMW Concept ActiveE. They enable a range of approx. 160 kilometres (100 miles) in everyday use. An intelligent battery management system helps achieve this range largely independently of external climatic conditions. Additionally, the charging period required for the lithium-ion batteries is very short. On the European power grid, the battery pack can be fully charged in just 3 hours at a wall box with a current of 50 ampere at 230/240 volts. In North America, using a high-current (32 ampere continuous) residential wall box, the charge time is about 4.5 hours.”
    Range is similar to the Nissan LEAF (but the LEAF will be made in bigger numbers than the ActiveE, and will probably be a lot less expensive).”

  • Lithium and REE: Mitsubishi Motors Rises on Electric-Car Output Report TNR.v, CZX.v, WLC.v, LI.v, RM.v, LMR.v, CLQ.v, SQM, FMC, ROC, AVL.to, RES.v, F

    “S. Now throw a dash of China, words like Lithium, REE and Energy Security – you can be sure this will lead to excitement and “pockets of explosive growth” even in the very slow economy in general.”
    It is a very good sign: increase of 20% for this very expensive compare to its utility EV. It is our “Low Base Growth” in action. MiEv are available now and it makes them so different from all other just coming into the market. First trial reports from UK are very encouraging, taking into account recent hard weather conditions there. Please, pay attention to industrial partnerships for MiEv already in place – this increase in production reflects industrial interest in this trial EVs to test mass market ambitions for EVs in general.
    “For the diffusion of EVs, infrastructure development is as important as developing the car itself. Mitsubishi Motors Corporation has been conducting joint research with power companies using the “i MiEV” . The power companies will evaluate and analyze EVs’ practical applicability and quick-charge compatibility, which will help to develop vehicles and infrastructure for safe and convenient EV use.

    Based on the “i” minicar’s rear-midship layout platform, “i MiEV” replaces the conventional engine, transmission and fuel tank with a lithium-ion battery system, motor, inverter and other EV components.


    The long wheelbase, a feature of rear-midship layout, provides space for high capacity lithium-ion batteries under the floor. It also enables the motor and inverter to be installed in the space that used to house the conventional engine and transmission. “i MiEV” ensures ample cabin space for passengers(4-occupant capacity) and reasonable luggage compartment space in the rear.


    The installation of batteries under the floor makes the “i MiEV” ’s center of gravity low, which provides a more stable driving dynamic.

    EV batteries must have high energy density, and the “i MiEV” utilizes high energy density lithium-ion batteries. A module consists of 4 cells, and 22 modules make one battery pack. Thanks to the structure of the modules, which allows them to be installed in either a vertical or transverse position, each high-capacity battery pack can fit under the floor. With these batteries installed, the target range is 160km (driving pattern: Japan 10-15 mode) for fleet monitoring test vehicles in 2008.
    ” S. Components and Metals used in batteries.

    You already have a sense of our investment logic. Here is our first investment bottleneck: 190,000,000 Market Cap of Top 5 Canadian Lithium exploration companies.
    We do not provide an investment advise here, but you can find ideas for your DD on this blog.
    Lithium and REE Investment Manifesto and Next Big Thing in action: San Francisco notes.


    Highly efficient motor can be built smaller than gasoline engine, while still producing high torque at low revolutions.


    The “i MiEV” ’s small, light weight, highly efficient permanent magnet synchronous motor provides sportier, quieter driving and power superior to the gasoline “i” ’s turbo charged 660cc engine.

    “S. Electric motors.
    Components and Metals used in electric motors.
    It is our     second investment bottleneck. This investment area could have even more potential then very exciting Lithium opportunity itself. If in Lithium space resources are presented in more or less available form even in a tightly controlled market, REE market is controlled by China with over 95% of the market under its influence.
    “    If we decided to drive electric cars and charge their Lithium battery with wind, solar and other green power generated energy – time is study Rare Earth Elements. Every time you click on your Blackberry, iPhone or use your PowerBook you are at the mercy of all these elements.”


    “i MiEV” accepts three types of battery charging systems: The household charger system (100V,200V) for charging at home or a parking lot, and the quick-charger system for speedy charging. With the household charger system, “i MiEV” could be charged from either a 100V or 200V ordinary electric outlet via the household charger plug located on the right side of the vehicle. With the quick-charger system, “i MiEV” could be charged in short time via the quick-charger plug located on the left side of the vehicle.”

    Bloomberg:

    By Kiyori Ueno and Tetsuya Komatsu
    Jan. 15 (Bloomberg) — Mitsubishi Motors Corp., the maker of the i-MiEV electric car, rose the most in more than a month in Tokyo after a report it will raise production of the battery- powered vehicle.
    The automaker advanced 7.5 percent to close at 144 yen on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. It was the biggest gain since Dec. 3.
    Mitsubishi Motors, which began selling the i-MiEV to corporate and government customers in July, will increase production by 20 percent from an original plan for fiscal 2010 to 8,500 vehicles, company spokesman Kunihiro Nakamura said by phone today.
    “Investors are reacting to the news report of increasing electric-vehicle production,” said Hiroichi Nishi, an equities manager at Nikko Cordial Securities Inc. in Tokyo. “Environmental issues are a long-term priority, and people jump on it.”
    Mitsubishi Motors will also start mass production of the car from fiscal 2012, one year ahead of its initial plan, Nakamura said.
    The Mainichi newspaper reported the news earlier.”

  • TNR Gold/International Lithium Option Fairservice Mining Leases Adjacent to Mavis Lake Project, Ont TNR.v, CZX.v, NG.to, ABX, NGQ.to, WLC.v, LI.v, F

    With Canadian stock exchange rules we must be explicitly accurate and will state one more time: do not take, please, anything as an investment advise and/or solicitation to buy any particular stock, but for us our heart is where our money now. Our “Big IF” on a company level in our Bull is whether Gary Schellenberg from TNR Gold was able to buy at rock bottom prices the right properties in Lithium and REE before market recognition of this bull and as COO of the company Mike Sieb stated in his interview for Jay Taylor’s Watch List multiple projects of brines and hard rock properties provide the most risk balanced approach for value building from historical results and into confirmation of economic potential. International Lithium spin out from TNR Gold will provide another catalyst on a company level.
    Nissan Electric Leaf on the roads and GM Volt delivered on time will bring that necessary macro catalyst for market perception shift, when people will realise that Electric Cars are for real this time and this news from Detroit are very encouraging.
    We will give another “Big IF” today – what if people will decide that it is just Cool not to kill environment any more? All articles about Electric Cars polluting more then conventional ones are showing us the pain of change and that we are on the right way and it is serious to consider as a threat to conventional wisdom    .”

    Now TNR Gold / International Lithium has consolidated the area and added 500,000 t of an historical resource of 1% Li2O from adjacent property. This resource comes from pematite #1 and there are 10 pegmatites known on the property. With previous announcement about Lithium and Tantalum values on TNR Gold property this exploration target is gaining further value and importance.

    “TNR Gold reports another significant success of International Lithium Corp. exploration program on Mavis Lake, Ontario. Jay Taylor does his homework right and now we can see why he has suggested recently: Jay Taylor Says Look Seriously At TNR
    Our main take out from the news: “We are observing both high-grade well-evolved Lithium and Tantalum zonation as well as significant levels of Cesium and Rubidium on the Mavis Lake property,” states Gary Schellenberg, President and CEO of TNR Gold, and continues, “The project is clearly emerging as a premier multi-element rare metals project and warrants a major exploration program in 2010. “Dr. Frederick Breaks, Special Advisor for TNR Gold, stated, “The peak tantalum values observed are amongst the highest reported in north western Ontario and when taken in conjunction with the strong widespread nature of the mineralization, this indicates significant exploration potential at the Mavis Lake property.” Now we have a hint where will be exploration efforts of TNR Gold in 2010 in hard rock lithium part of its portfolio.Mavis Lake Rare Metals project is growing from staking stage into significant exploration target. Hard rock lithium mining, as you remember, includes the crucial element of necessary credit from other metals and minerals, which could make the potential deposit economical even with recent level of prices for lithium. These discoveries of high Tantalum values, presence of Cesium and Rubidium are making this property a valuable exploration target. Values of lithium and tantalum and types of minerals found on the property are similar to two producing mines: Tanco mine and Wodgina mine.Next step will be to confirm exploration model by drilling program on the property in order to find available tonnage of mineralised material and its grade, which will define economics of potential deposit. There is another significant indication of potential for Mavis Lake property: next to it on the left side on the map is located a historical resource with 500k tones of 1% Li2O in the same geological setting. Size of the property is not limiting exploration potential for economic tonnage to be discovered by further exploration. Tantalum enrichement zone defined by this exploration program is located to the right side of the property after known Lithium enrichment zone. Mavis Lake project enjoys easy access and infrastracture availible for further development in the area.

    We own shares of this company, biased and nothing should be taken as an investment advise on this blog as usual: just enjoy our travel notes “On the way to the Green Future.”
    “Press Release Source: TNR Gold Corp. On Friday January 15, 2010, 11:44 am EST
    VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA–(Marketwire – Jan. 15, 2010) – TNR Gold Corp. (TSX VENTURE:TNR – News; “TNR” or the “Company”) and wholly-owned International Lithium Corp. (“ILC”) are pleased to announce the Option to acquire 100% interest in the Fairservice Mining Leases adjacent to the Company’s Mavis Lake property located 15km northeast of Dryden in northwestern Ontario, from Rich Resource Investments Ltd. (the “Vendor”) a private company of Edmonton, Alberta.
    Key Point Summary:
    — Fairservice property consists of 6 Mining Leases;
    — 10 East trending spodumene-beryl-tantalite type pegmatites identified
    from past work; and
    — Historical (non NI43-101 compliant) resource of 500,000 tons at 1.0%
    Li2O(i).

    Fairservice Mining Leases

    The Fairservice property consists of 6 Mining Leases totaling 88.4 hectares and is dominated by east trending spodumene-beryl-tantalite-type pegmatites considered to be part of the same dyke swarm as on the Company’s adjacent Mavis Lake claim block. Past exploration identified 10 pegmatites (Pegmatite #1-10) and delineated an historical (non NI 43-101 compliant) resource of 500,000 tons at 1.0% Li2O at Pegmatite #1(i).
    To earn a 100% interest, TNR has agreed to make payments totaling $120,000 and issuing an aggregate of 500,000 common shares of TNR over a three-year period and incurring exploration expenditures totaling $500,000 over a four-year period. The vendor will retain a 5% Net Profits Interest royalty of which the Company has the right to purchase in entirety by paying the Vendor the sum of $1 million. The agreement is subject to regulatory approval.
    Mavis Lake Project Summary
    Two field programs were undertaken in 2009 consisting of detailed mapping and sampling of the known pegmatite occurrences to assess the lithium (Li), tantalum (Ta) and other rare metals potential of the Mavis Lake property. Composite channel samples returned 1.24 Wt% Li2O over 5.3 metres and 1.4 Wt% Li2O over 4.7 metres from Pegmatite #18.
    In addition, a lithogeochemical survey over a 1200m by 900m grid extended the lithium dispersion anomaly (greater than 50 ppm Li) by 1.1kms to 4.5kms in total length. Of special note, 38% (78 of 204 grab samples) graded better than 150 ppm Ta2O5(ii) (tantalum oxide) demonstrating widespread highly anomalous Tantalum mineralization (Company News Release dated December 9, 2009).
    The highest tantalum values came from Pegmatites 13, 14 and 16, which occur within an area of 500 by 800 metres that represents the known southeastern exploration limit for rare metal mineralization on the property. This prospective area of elevated tantalum values is underexplored and open to the east and southeast and will be the major subject of field investigation in 2010. Grab samples from this area returned peak Ta2O5 values of 1349 ppm (0.135%) and 1246 ppm (0.125%) from the No.16 and No.14 pegmatites, respectively(ii).
    To view the map accompanying this press release, please visit the following link: http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=AnIliKXQHVl6wiLaPxtj0Bmtcq9_;_ylu=X3oDMTE2OWh2ZWsxBHBvcwMxBHNlYwNuZXdzYXJ0Ym9keQRzbGsDaHR0cG1lZGlhM21h/SIG=11m7tlb42/**http%3A//media3.marketwire.com/docs/TNRMAP11510.pdf
    (i) Note: a qualified person has not done sufficient work to classify the historical estimate as current mineral resources, the issuer is not treating the historical estimate as current mineral resources and the historical estimate should not be relied upon.
    (ii)Note: grab samples are by definition selective and are unlikely to represent average grades on the property.
    Mavis Lake Property General
    The Mavis Lake property is located 15 km Northeast of Dryden, Ontario. It is easily accessed via the Trans-Canada Highway and a series of logging roads. The claim block comprises a total of 2,544 ha and covers several known rare metal pegmatites.
    Regional pegmatite mineralization is directly associated with the strongly peraluminous Ghost Lake pluton and related pegmatitic granite dykes. Rare metal mineralization in the Mavis Lake area occurs in zoned pegmatites hosted by mafic metavolcanic rocks. Rare metal mineralization has been noted to occur in four zones: internal beryl zone within the parent of the Ghost Lake pluton that evolves into external zones of beryl-columbite, spodumene-beryl-tantalite and albite-type pegmatites. The known pegmatite dykes on the Mavis Lake property comprise spodumene-beryl-tantalite, albite-type or a combination of both.
    Ike Osmani, P.Geo, is the company’s qualified person on the project as required under NI 43-101 and has reviewed the technical information contained in this press release. To help understand the technical aspects of Lithium and other Rare Metals please visit TNR’s website at http://www.tnrgoldcorp.com/.
    TNR and ILC are diversified metals exploration companies focused on exploring existing properties and identifying new prospective projects globally. TNR has a portfolio of 18 active projects, of which 9 will be included in the proposed spin-off of International Lithium Corp. For further details of the spin-off please refer to TNR’s April 27, 2009 news release or visit http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=ApT0rWu5DYIZZmgNHag7Pd6tcq9_;_ylu=X3oDMTE2NzI5M21iBHBvcwMyBHNlYwNuZXdzYXJ0Ym9keQRzbGsDaHR0cHd3d2ludGVy/SIG=11907bp0b/**http%3A//www.internationallithium.com/.
    The recent acquisition of lithium, other rare metals and rare-earth elements projects in Argentina, Canada, USA and Ireland confirms the companies’ commitments to generating projects, diversifying its markets, and building shareholder value.
    On behalf of the board,
    Gary Schellenberg, President”

  • 20 Battery Startups Hitting the Road With Lithium-ion TNR.v, CZX.v, WLC.v, LI.v, RM.v, LMR.v, CLQ.v, SQM, FMC, ROC, HEV, AONE, BYDDY, NSANY, F, RNO,

    Everybody would like to be part of this picture above – you have plenty to chose from the list below, but who will make money and who will make…batteries?

    Lithium and REE

    “Investment opportunities here will be connected to your ability to identify the technological winners in the end in function price/performance for the battery. Lithium batteries has became an industry choice, but particular chemistry and technological process of manufacturing will separate winners from losers. Pike Research expecting this market to grow exponentially from 800 million in sales to 8 billion by 2015. This is the place where money will be made, but who will make it? A123 or EnerDell? NEC or Panasonic after buying Sanyo? BYD or Sony? You got it right – we are at the mercy of technology here: who will be the Google of Lithium Batteries. For our game winner we need something new to make it big, not Sony where profit from batteries will be spread all over the revenues. But who will be able to compete with Nissan and NEC collaboration with 5.5 billion invested in developing Electric cars and 17 years spent on refining lithium technology? Who will take on Panasonic or Chinese BYD with low cost base and potential scale just in its location? But who will confirm that BYD will be safe and durable …and who can do it today?”

    earth2tech:

    By Josie Garthwaite
    Posted January 14th, 2010 at 12:01 am in Energy Storage
    When we first put out our list of 13 startups working on lithium-ion batteries for vehicles, the market was waiting for billions of stimulus dollars for advanced batteries to be doled out, and hoping to gear up for its biggest ever plug-in vehicle push in 2010. That was a half a year ago, and subsequent DOE funds and major supply deals have made winners and losers out of contenders.
    One of the startups on our original list — A123Systems — went on to have the biggest public offering of 2009 (now that it’s publicly traded, we’re still tracking ‘em but cut the company from our startup watch list). At the other end of the spectrum, a once promising company called Imara called it quits after being unable to raise new financing. So uh, they won’t be hitting the road any time soon.
    Here’s our updated list, now with 20 battery startups (working on battery cells, materials, management systems and other tech) you should know about:
    ActaCell: Having raised $5.8 million in a Series A round led by DFJ Mercury and joined by Google.org in 2008, ActaCell has been working toward a 2010 commercial launch. ActaCell’s devices, which it expects to have a longer cycle life at lower costs than the competition, are based on technology developed at the University of Texas at Austin.
    The company joined the National Alliance for Advanced Transportation Battery Cell Manufacture, a group of 50 U.S. companies that plans to invest more than $600 million in a battery R&D center in Kentucky, if DOE funds come through. In the meantime, the Texas Emerging Technology Fund has awarded the startup up to $1 million in funding that commits ActaCell to locating in Texas a “substantial percentage” of the work covered by the award.
    Amprius: Amprius, founded in May 2008 in Menlo Park, Calif., is working on materials for advanced batteries. Backed by VantagePoint Venture Partners and Trident Capital, Amprius also snagged funding under the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Technology Innovation Program (TIP) last month.
    The TIP funds, which require Amprius to come up with a matching amount for the project from private sources, will support development of a continuous manufacturing process for a silicon-based anode material for lithium-ion batteries (Amprius currently cranks out small batches of silicon nanowires — if successful, the TIP project will enable production of these nanowires “by the mile”). The idea is to build a battery with higher energy density using nanostructured silicon instead of graphite for the anode material.
    Atieva: Founded in 2007 by former Tesla Motors VP Bernard Tse and Astoria Networks founder Sam Weng, Atieva is working on software for monitoring individual battery cells, mechanical packaging and controls for vehicle battery packs. Using commodity cells, Atieva aims to produce customized packs primarily for smaller, independent car companies. The startup secured just over $7 million in financing last month, and its backers no include Beijing’s China Environment Fund III and Venrock Associates.
    Boston-Power: Founded in 2005, Boston-Power supplies upgrade batteries for Hewlett-Packard laptops. But nearly a year ago CEO Christina Lampe-Onnerud told us the company was working on a battery for plug-in vehicles. In May, the startup unveiled a battery for plug-in vehicles and said it was in discussions with range of potential transportation customers.
    Near the end of 2009, Boston-Power joined a new coalition of companies funded by the Swedish government to develop electric vehicles — the first real evidence the startup had made headway with an automotive customer. But whether and how that project will go forward remains uncertain (the company has declined to answer our questions on this topic), since the automaker involved in the group is Saab, the loss-making Swedish division of General Motors that’s on the verge of a wind-down.
    CFX Battery: Co-founded in 2007 by Rachid Yazami, research director of France’s National Center for Scientific Research, Caltech professor Robert H. Grubbs and French chemist Andrew Hamwi, CFX Battery is working with technology developed at Caltech to produce prismatic (flat), cylindrical, thin-film and coin lithium-ion cells.
    The Azusa, Calif.-based startup raised $15 million in its first round of financing, with investors including CMEA Ventures, Harris & Harris Group and U.S. Venture Partners. In August 2009 the company secured $5 million of a planned $27 million Series B round, according to an SEC filing (CFX has not announced additional equity financing since then). Over the next three years the startup plans to focus initially on lithium batteries, and later expand into components and materials for the devices, CFX chief executive Joseph Fisher told Think Equity.
    Electrovaya: Mississauga, Ontario-based Electrovaya makes battery systems (cells, modules and interfaces) for hybrid and electric vehicles — including some of its own, such as the low-speed electric Maya 300 that rolled last year in a small ExxonMobil-backed car-sharing program. Working with nanostructured lithium-ion polymer technology, Electrovaya snagged three deals with Chinese manufacturers in late 2008.
    The firm also has agreements with India’s Tata Motors and Norway’s Miljø Innovasjon for highway-speed electric cars, and it announced plans to form a joint venture with India’s Hero Electric last month to build lithium-ion batteries for the Indian market as well as exports. The company was founded in 1996 and began trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange four years later.
    Enax: Founded more than a decade ago as a battery consulting service in Tokyo, Enax is now working on “lithium-ion cells especially for future hybrid and electric drives in automobiles” with battery giant Continental, which bought a 16 percent stake in the company in 2008, among other partners.
    Enax claims the new batteries will be safer and have a longer service life than today’s offerings, as AutoblogGreen reports. The company, which aims to provide batteries for “electric vehicles, submarines, fuel cell system, etc.,” also supplies electrodes to other companies.
    Envia Systems: Based in Hayward, Calif., early-stage Envia Systems raised a $3.2 million first round of financing late last year from Bay Partners and Redpoint Ventures to help with development of low-cost cathode materials for vehicle batteries. The startup entered an elite group last fall: the 1 percent of applicants awarded a first-round grant under the Department of Energy’s high-risk energy tech fund, ARPA-E (Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy).
    With its $4 million award, Envia co-founder Michael Sinkula has told us the company will expand its focus to include anode (or negative electrode) technology. Working in collaboration with the Argonne National Laboratory on the DOE-backed research, Envia aims to develop a prototype of a non-graphite anode for vehicle batteries.
    ETV Motors: Founded in 2008, Herzliya, Israel-based ETV Motors is working on propulsion technology for extended-range electric vehicles, encompassing advanced batteries and a microturbine for power generation. The startup raised a “milestone-driven” $12 million investment from 21 Ventures and David Gelbaum’s Quercus Trust in the second half of 2008, and it says its main research focus right now is demonstrating that it can overcome oxidation and other challenges associated with high-voltage spinel cathodes.
    Farasis Energy: Farasis Energy is betting that a combination of low manufacturing costs in China and advanced tech expertise in the U.S. will lead to lithium-ion cells that can compete on a global mass market. CEO Yu Wang told us in an interview at IBM’s Almaden Institute in San Jose, Calif. last summer that the Hayward, Calif.-based startup was close to having a factory ready in China for pilot-scale production of its lithium-ion cells.
    Founded in 2003 by Wang and Keith Kepler, President and CTO (both directed research at now-defunct battery maker Polystor), Farasis has raised venture capital from Chinese investors and at least $750,000 under the DOE’s small business innovation research program.
    Flux Power: Based in Vista, Calif. and headed up by Chris Anthony (co-founder of three-wheeled electric vehicle developer Aptera), Flux Power plans to market modular systems for a range of energy storage applications, including electric vehicles and backup power supplies. It’s starting with a charger and a lithium ion battery module, unveiled in November. The company has explained to us that it hopes to compete on cost, using lithium cells from a variety of manufacturers and packaging them into a battery with the Flux management system that can then be tweaked for different applications.
    K2 Energy Solutions: Quietly working on rechargeable battery systems since 2006, K2 Energy made the ambitious projection back in 2008 that it would see revenue grow to $30 million in 2010, up from just $2 million that year. We’re not sure if the company is on track to reach that target this year, but recently signed on a large partner — Universal Power Group, or UPG, that could help it grow. UPG plans to market, distribute and sell the startup’s full line of lithium iron phosphate products.
    Leyden Energy: Based in Fremont, Calif., Leyden Energy (formerly known as Mobius Power) aims to produce lithium-ion batteries with high energy density for mobile phones, notebook computers, backup power for the grid, and hybrid vehicles. Founded in 2007 with a reported $4.5 million investment from Walden International, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Sigma Partners (and a patent for uniform cell heat distribution acquired from chemical giant Dupont), the company is working on a battery that it says can handle high temperatures without degrading.
    Nexeon Limited: Spun out of London’s Imperial College in 2006, Nexeon is working on silicon-based anodes for lithium-ion batteries. The startup raised 10 million pounds (about $14.2 million) early last year and 4.25 million pounds (about $6.9 million) in July 2007.
    Sakti3: Sakti3’s technology stems from research led by CEO Ann Marie Sastry, who heads up University of Michigan’s energy systems engineering program. The Khosla Ventures-backed startup has won significant support from the state of Michigan and partnered with General Motors, a vote of confidence in the startup’s cell tech. In a separate deal, Sastry is helping to retrain 50 GM engineers at the University of Michigan.
    To reach commercial-scale manufacturing within three years, Sakti3 requested $15 million from the Department of Energy’s battery grant program, but those funds have not come through so far. In November Sastry told CNN she expects Sakti3 to commercialize its technology by late 2010.
    Seeo: Seeo has developed a nano-structured solid-state battery based on a solid polymer electrolyte that founders worked on at Lawrence Berkeley National Labs and began licensing from the lab in 2007. Founder and technology director Mohit Singh says the batteries can deliver 300 watt-hours per kilogram (compared with less than 200 watt-hours per kilogram for a traditional lithium-ion battery) and can operate at a much higher temperature than the competition. The company has raised more than $10.6 million, with investors including Khosla Ventures.
    Planar Energy Devices: Planar has told us it plans to pursue opportunities in micro, mid-sized and large batteries — starting with military applications and smart cards. The company’s thin-film batteries, designed with a “laminated safety separator” that Planar says protects cells from thermal and overcharge abuse, are supposed to charge in seconds, have a high energy density, last 400-500 life cycles and be safer than traditional lithium-ion batteries.
    Founded in 2007 as a spin-out from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Planar is working on solid-state, high-capacity batteries. Backed by Battele Ventures and Innovation Valley Partners, the startup requested $56 million in DOE stimulus funds last year to support a Gainseville, Fl. manufacturing facility. But Planar has not been among the stimulus winners.
    Porous Power Technologies: Colorado-based Porous Power is working on a coating for lithium-ion battery cells that can be used instead of a film insert “to keep various elements in contact with each other but apart,” Greentech Media explains. According to the company’s web site, the high porosity of its so-called Symmetrix separators “reduces resistance within the battery, allowing for faster cell charge and discharge.” The startup has raised $3.5 million and GTM reports that it hopes to raise another $2 million.
    Prieto Battery: The brainchild of Amy Prieto (pictured) an assistant chemistry professor at Colorado State, Prieto is the first startup launched out of the business arm of the university’s Cenergy program for commercializing clean energy research. Prieto Battery aims to produce lower cost, higher power density lithium ion batteries using a nanowire-based anode, with prototype No. 1 targeted for early 2010.
    Quallion: Although Quallion has been around since 1998, making lithium-ion cells and batteries at high volume for medical and military applications, and in custom designs for aerospace and other applications, the company is a relative newcomer to the plug-in vehicle battery market. It requested $220 million in stimulus funds from the DOE to build a factory in Palmdale, Calif., with capacity to produce 20,000 lithium-ion batteries a year for hybrid cars and trucks by 2012.
    Those funds did not come through, but Quallion told Green Car Congress last month that it’s still building the factory, remains on track to develop lithium-ion tech to reduce idling emissions from heavy duty trucks, and is supplying battery “packs for small electric vehicles for evaluation” by companies in the U.S., EU and Japan.
    Related GigaOM Pro reports (sub. req’d): “How to Break Into the Energy Storage Market” and “How EV Battery Startups Can Cross the Valley of Death“

  • TNR GOLD / INTERNATIONAL LITHIUM EXHIBITS AT VANCOUVER RESOURCE INVESTMENT CONFERENCE TNR.v, CZX.v, MAI.to, NG.to, ABX, NGQ.v, WLC.v, LI.v, RM.

    1/14/2010 2:00:08 PM – NWC
    Jan 14, 2010 (TheNewswire.ca via COMTEX News Network) —
    (via Thenewswire.ca)
    Vancouver B.C.: TNR Gold Corp. (“TNR” or the “Company”) and wholly-owned International Lithium Corp. (“ILC”) are pleased to announce that management will be available to address shareholder inquiries about TNR’s projects, prospects, and the spinoff of a new public company, International Lithium Corp, at the 2010 Vancouver Resource Investment Conference, January 17-18, 2010.

    Please stop by and visit us at Booth P47, Grand Hyatt Hotel 2nd Floor.The full address is 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC, V6C 2R7. For more information about the conference please visit http://www.cambridgehouse.ca/

    The Vancouver Resource Investment Conference is an annual event where individual investors, professional advisors, analysts, and fund managers have a chance to meet publicly-listed Mining and Resource companies and industry contacts.
    The Conference presents an excellent opportunity for TNR and ILC to showcase their diversified portfolio of projects. The Companies anticipates 2010 to be an exciting year starting with the planned spinoff and public listing of a new Rare Metals public company, ILC, and the continued advancement of our high quality projects.

    TNR and ILC are diversified metals exploration companies focused on exploring existing properties and identifying new prospective projects globally. TNR has a portfolio of 18 active projects, of which 9 will be included in the proposed spin-off of International Lithium Corp. For further details of the spin-off please refer to TNR’s April 27, 2009 news release or visit http://www.internationallithium.com
    The recent acquisition of lithium, other rare metals and rare-earth elements projects in Argentina, Canada, USA and Ireland confirms the companies’ commitments to generating projects, diversifying its markets, and building shareholder value.
    On behalf of the Board,
    Gary Schellenberg – President

  • EVs mass market: Electric cars and concepts at the 2010 Detroit auto show (photos) TNR.v, CZX.v, WLC.v, LI.v, RM.v, LMR.v, CLQ.v, SQM, FMC, ROC, F,

    CNET:

    “We have now everything in place for a technology shift which can create Next Big Thing and investment opportunity of the century. Next Big Thing – is a Green Mobility Revolution based on electric cars. It will affect everybody on social and economic level. Electrification will make Right for personal mobility and driving possible without further damage to environment and we will be able continue to enjoy Freedom of Personal Choice even with depleting Oil reserves. Add to this mix Electric beauties like Fisker Karma Sunset above and chart comparison of energy consumption below and you have the receipt for the Next Big Thing in action. Now throw a dash of China, words like Lithium, REE and Energy Security – you can be sure this will lead to excitement and “pockets of explosive growth” even in the very slow economy in general.”

  • TNR Provides Update on Los Azules Copper Project TNR.v, CZX.v, MAI.to, ABX, NG.to, LUN.to, FCX, BHP, AUY, BVN, RTP, TCK, NEM, LAM.to,

    Some people have money and some have only debt, some places grow and others don’t: there is always bull market somewhere.
    FT:
    “China is set to gain access to sizeable copper deposits in Ecuador following an agreed C$679m (US$652m) cash bid for Vancouver-based Corriente Resources.
    The move – by China Railway Construction and Tongling Nonferrous Metals – is the latest in a string of Chinese acquisitions of Canadian resource companies and part of a drive to expand access to metals, oil and other commodities in various parts of the world.
    China Railway, the biggest railway builder in China, and Tongling, a large copper miner and processor, said their bid for Corriente was in line with their long-term strategies. China Railway said it had “added development of mineral resources as one of its principal operations”.

    We were jealous recently with agressive attitude of Premier Gold to the exploration, now Rob McEwen puts three rigs to drill Los Azules. Objective is to define high grade core in order to further improve economics and step out drilling to increase the deposit size. When you are drilling holes in the the swiss cheese, hopefully you will find cheese. We have a good odds that deposit will be increased further in size and we will have a higher definition of its resource. TNR Gold (“The Company) fully intends on exercising its back-in right to the properties at the appropriate time.” – it means that stakes are growing with the Copper price and further drilling results. Deals like Tongling with China Railway Construction Corporation acquaring copper assets in Ecuador will bring Los Azules under the spotlight. Tonling is a shareholder in Canada Zinc Metals and CZX.v is a shareholder of TNR Gold. Boardroom games around this prize promise to be interesting.

    TNR Provides Update on Los Azules Copper Project
    Press Release Source: TNR Gold Corp. On Wednesday January 13, 2010, 9:50 am EST
    VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA–(Marketwire – Jan. 13, 2010) – TNR Gold Corp. (“TNR” or the “Company”) (TSX VENTURE:TNR – News) is pleased to provide the following update on the status of its Los Azules project located in the San Juan Province of western central Argentina.
    Minera Andes Inc. (“MAI”) announced yesterday that they commenced a diamond drill program of approximately 8,800 metres at the Los Azules project. Please refer to MAI’s news release dated January 12, 2010 for further details on the exploration program.
    The Los Azules project is an advanced exploration project currently reporting a National Instrument 43-101 compliant Inferred Resource. TNR retains a 25 per-cent back-in right to certain of the properties, the terms of which are currently the subject of a legal dispute with Xstrata, which assigned its interest to MAI. A court date is set for the fall of 2010. The Company fully intends on exercising its back-in right to the properties at the appropriate time. In the legal dispute with Xstrata, TNR is also seeking confirmation of its ownership of the Escorpio IV property, which is located adjacent to the Project, and a declaration that the Escorpio IV property is excluded from the Exploration and Option Agreement.
    ABOUT TNR GOLD CORP.
    TNR is a diversified metals exploration company focused on exploring existing properties and identifying new prospective projects globally. TNR has a portfolio of 18 active projects, of which 9 will be included in the proposed spin-off of International Lithium Corp. For further details of the spin-off please refer to TNR’s April 27, 2009 news release or visit http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=Ao6p1RVZhGydNz8qFwG3FZatcq9_;_ylu=X3oDMTE2NjRmOGl1BHBvcwMxBHNlYwNuZXdzYXJ0Ym9keQRzbGsDaHR0cHd3d2ludGVy/SIG=11907bp0b/**http%3A//www.internationallithium.com/.
    The recent acquisition of lithium, other rare metals and rare-earth elements projects in Argentina, Canada, USA and Ireland confirms the company’s commitments to generating projects, diversifying its markets, and building shareholder value.
    On behalf of the Board,
    Gary Schellenberg – President

    Minera Andes Exploration Update
    January 12, 2010: 03:31 PM ET

    Minera Andes Inc. (the “Corporation” or “Minera Andes”) (TSX: MAI)(OTCBB: MNEAF) is pleased to provide an exploration update on its activities in Argentina. Two diamond drills arrived at Los Azules in December and initiated drilling. A third diamond drill arrived the first week of January. Drilling will continue until the field season closes in mid-to late-April.
    The objective of the drilling program is to expand the known limits of the mineralization, look for extensions of high-grade mineralization, and to increase the confidence level of the current inferred resource. The Company plans to drill approximately 8,800 meters of diamond drilling during the field season. More geological mapping and geophysical work will be conducted during the field season to target possible extensions of the mineralization.
    Los Azules is a large copper porphyry system located in western San Juan province in a belt of porphyry copper deposits that straddles the border between Chile and Argentina. This belt contains some of the world’s largest copper deposits, including Codelco’s El Teniente and Andina mines, Anglo American’s Los Bronces mine, Antofagasta PLC’s Los Pelambres mine and Xstrata’s El Pachon project, among others. The San Juan province is one of the most mining-friendly regions in Argentina.
    Los Azules has an inferred mineral resource of 922 million tonnes grading 0.55 percent copper and containing 11.2 billion pounds of copper at a cutoff grade of 0.35 percent copper. There is high-grade, near-surface core of 161 million tonnes grading 0.87 percent copper and containing 3.1 billion pounds of copper at a cutoff grade of 0.70 percent copper. The known resource covers an area approximately 3.7 kilometers by 1 kilometer in size and is open at depth and laterally.

    Now Los Azules is a Top Project for Rob McEwen according to Minera Andes presentation:

    More on the Canaccord valuation of Los Azules:

    “Rob McEwen CEO of Minera Andes was marketing Los Azules in San Francisco with the following:
    “Los Azules Copper Discovery
    Inferred resource containing over 11 billion pounds of copper.
    Larger than 83% of the world’s copper deposit.
    Open at depth and to the north for over 2 miles.
    High Grade Core: Approximately 105 million tons of 1% copper near-surface!
    Los Azules Preliminary Assessment
    NPV (USD 3.0/lb, 8% discount rate) – $4 Billion
    IRR – 25%
    Initial Capital Expenditure – 2.7 Billion
    Mine Life – 23.6 years.

    “TNR has George K. Macintosh, Q.C.- one of the best lawyers in Canada working on the case. It will be interesting to see how law suit with Xstrata will go on and weather Rob McEwen will be open to a deal with a junior in order to clear the title of Los Azules and be able to market Los Azules project on the market. Canada Zinc Metals CZX.v stays as a wild card in the game with Chinese Tongling owning 13%. With recent activity in share price of CZX.v, we will not be surprised that Canaccord is right and company will be taken out at one stage. In this case Chinese Tongling as a shareholders in TNR Gold will add spice to the game around this huge Copper and gold mine in Argentina.

    We are long standing shareholders in Canada Zinc Metals, TNR Gold and Minera Andes: we are biased and do not take anything as an investment advise as usual, please.”

    Canaccord highlighted recently Los Azules story in the mass media in Canada:
    “BNN speaks to Wendell Zerb, vice president and senior mining analyst, Canaccord Adams, who explains why there’s reason to be optimistic about the small cap mining sector this year.”

    “Top picks on the tube. Canaccord Adams Senior Mining Analyst Wendell Zerb was interviewed on BNN Tuesday, discussing the junior mining sector and what to expect in 2010. The three top picks Zerb highlighted were: Copper Mountain , Minera Andes and Exeter Resources. Copper Mountain ‘s primary asset is the Similco open pit copper mine (previously producing) in southern British Columbia . The current mine plan, as detailed in a July 2008 Feasibility study conducted by Hatch Ltd. (reserves and mine life were updated in April 2009), is based on a conventional open pit mine with a 35,000 tonne-per-day mill, producing a LOM average of approximately 83 million pounds of copper per year with gold and silver credits over an 18-yearmine life. Production is scheduled to commence in mid-2011. The Proven and Probable mineral reserve (0.15% Cu cut-off) totals 211.2 million tonnes averaging 0.36% Cu containing 1.68 billion pounds of copper. Zerb believes the Similco mine would be good fit as a bolt-on acquisition for a small- to mid-sized, North American based copper producer.
    Minera Andes is a small cap silver/gold producer with a portfolio of additional exploration/development projects. The company has a 49% interest (Hochschild Mining 51%) in the San Jose silver/gold mine in southern Argentina . A second focus is on the Los Azules copper porphyry prospect (100%) in San Juan province, Argentina . Zerb forecasts Minera Andes ’ annual attributable productionramping up to over 100,000 oz AuEq at total cash costs of approximately US$300/oz AuEq within 12 months. He expects the valuation gap that currently exists between Minera Andes and many of its junior gold producer peers to partially close during this time frame. Zerb also views favourably Minera Andes ’ 100% interest in the promising Los Azules copper development asset.”

  • Canada Zinc Metals: Investing in China, Cars and Nano – peoples car. CZX.v, TNR.v, LUN.to, FCX, HUD.to, TTM, BYDDY, TM, BHP, TCK, BLS.to, F, NSANY,

    CNBC Video: America meets Nano

    How can this tiny, very basic car with a price tag of USD2500 in India change the world? It is changing lives in India already one family at a time. It brings freedom of personal mobility to second most populous country in the world and brings to us new investment opportunities.


    We do not know how Tata Motors can make money on these cars, but we know that every car will need steel treated with Zinc and battery with Lead. USD2500 opens doors to personal mobility for millions, with level of 25 cars per 1000 population – this market has a long way to go to Western standards. It is again our magic “Growth from Low Base” in action.


    One of our top picks Canada Zinc Metals CZX.v was moving up steadily all last year from below 0.2CAD to recent 0.66CAD level. Chinese Tongling has acquired 13% of the company and now will be close to 20% if will exercise its warrants. It is an important issue for us in our Lithium and REE plays as well – last summer CZX.v announced strategic investment into TNR Gold.

    “Peeyush Varshney, Chairman and CEO of Canada Zinc Metals, commented, “This strategic investment into TNR and its proposed spinoff subsidiary, International Lithium Corp, will give our shareholders diversification into the growing opportunities that rare metal industries are offering. Furthermore, the investment gives us an interest in TNR’s stake in the significant Los Azules copper project in Argentina.”
    One day we can wake up with new shareholders in TNR Gold with a very deep pockets. Recent news on Tongling acquiring Copper assets in Ecuador with Chinese Railway Construction Corporation speaks for itself about place of this company in Chinese Government circles. It is no surprise that Los Azules has attracted their attention.
    “China’s second largest copper producer, Tongling Nonferrous Metals Group Holdings Co, has joined with China Railway Construction Corp (CRCC) to make an agreed bid for Canada’s Corriente Resources Inc.”


    Meanwhile company continues its work on one of the largest Zinc-Lead deposits in the world in stable Canada. Results from exploration shows further extension of the mineralised zone at the deposit and new discoveries at North Lead Anomaly. With two deposits in the area with magnitude of 50 million tones, dominant land holding in the area by CZX.v provides opportunity to consolidate the area with 100 million tons exploration target, which will put this on par with the top 10 largest Zinc-Lead deposits in the world.
    10.78 Metres Grading 10.76% Zinc, 2.31% Lead, 17.88 G/T Silver And 8.50 Metres Grading 9.75% Zinc, 1.92% Lead And 14.79 G/T Silver
    Vancouver, B.C. – December 10, 2008 – Canada Zinc Metals Corp. (TSX Venture: CZX (“Canada Zinc” or the “Company) is pleased to report further assay results from its 2008 drill program on the zinc-lead-silver bearing Cardiac Creek (CC) deposit. The CC deposit is on the 100% owned Akie property in northeastern British Columbia, approximately 260 kilometres north-northwest of the town of Mackenzie.
    2008 Cardiac Creek Deposit Drill Program
    The primary objectives of the 2008 drill program were to determine both the updip and on-strike extent of the CC deposit as well as to better define it within key selective areas. Information gained from this work will assist in forward planning for future exploration programs that may include advanced underground drilling and sampling activities.
    Hole A-08-58 yielded an interval of 20.19 metres grading 9.35% zinc +lead (including 8.5 metres grading 11.67% zinc+lead). This intercept indicates that mineralization is still open in an updip direction from this hole. Holes A-08-64 (11.12 metres grading 9.03% zinc+lead) and A-08-66 (which includes 8.23 metres grading 6.96% zinc+lead) tested the southeastern extension of the deposit – these results are highly encouraging as they validate that mineralization remains open in this direction. Hole A-08-65 contains several high grade intervals (including 10.78 metres grading 13.07% zinc+lead) that confirm both the thickness and high grade of the CC deposit to the northwest. The high grade in hole A-08-60A (5.19 metres of 14.00% zinc+lead) supports the interpretation of a high grade core continuing to the northwest direction and highlights the value of some further drilling in this open area. In summary, the drilling completed to date indicates a strike length potentially exceeding 1 kilometer and a dip extent exceeding 550 metres.
    Compiled assay drill hole summary results derived from analytical data received from Acme Analytical Laboratories Ltd. of Vancouver, BC, for six additional holes are presented here.
    Exploration Elsewhere on the Akie Property
    ‘The Company also successfully completed 2 holes (1,114 metres) on the North Lead Anomaly, located some 2.3 kilometres northwest of the nearest drill hole to intersect significant CC zinc-lead mineralization. These were designed to further investigate the Gunsteel formation hosted massive sphalerite-galena-pyrite-barite mineralization encountered by Inmet Mining Corporation in 1996. Results of these holes and analysis of the area are documented in a separate press release dated November 18.
    Our 2008 exploration program, now completed, has provided valuable insights into new target areas which will allow us to better forward plan our 2009 exploration program. We are very pleased with this year’s drilling results and anticipate that they will result in an expansion of the defined resource. The completion of the road to the south eastern edge of the mineralization will allow a much more cost effective program to be implemented in the coming year and is a material component in our long range plans,” commented Jim Mustard, President of Canada Zinc Metals. “The CC deposit is one the most significant discoveries in Canada in the past several years.”Further details on these and previous results, including an updated long section plot of all drill holes is available on the Company’s new website: http://www.canadazincmetals.com/ .

    About the Akie Property
    The Akie zinc-lead property is situated within the southern-most part (Kechika Trough) of the regionally extensive Paleozoic Selwyn Basin, one of the most prolific sedimentary basins in the world for the occurrence of SEDEX zinc-lead-silver and stratiform barite deposits.
    Drilling on the Akie property by Inmet Mining Corporation during the period 1994 to 1996 and by Canada Zinc since 2005 has identified a significant body of baritic-zinc-lead SEDEX mineralization (Cardiac Creek deposit). The deposit is hosted by variably siliceous, fine grained clastic rocks of the Middle to Late Devonian ‘Gunsteel’ formation. The Company recently filed a NI 43-101 report supporting the estimated inferred resource of 23.6 million tonnes grading 7.6% Zn, 1.5% Pb and 13.0 g/t Ag (at a 5% Zn cut off grade). The complete NI 43-101 technical report, titled “Geology, Diamond Drilling and Preliminary Resource Estimation, Akie Zinc-Lead-Silver Property, Northeast British Columbia, Canada” and dated May 30, 2008, can be viewed on SEDAR.
    Two similar deposits, Cirque and South Cirque, located some 20 km northwest of Akie and owned under a joint venture by Teck Cominco and Korea Zinc, are also hosted by Gunsteel rocks and have a combined geologic inventory in excess of 50 million tonnes.
    Qualified Person
    John R. Fraser, P.Geo. (B.C.), Vice President of Exploration and a Director of Canada Zinc Metals is the Qualified Person for the Company, as defined by NI 43-101, and is responsible for the technical information contained in this release.”