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☆ Cheaper Teslas are hurting profits, but Elon Musk plans to keep slashing prices. Here's why.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Tesla's profit margins plunged last quarter after the EV maker made aggressive price cuts. Musk could sacrifice short-term profits to grow Tesla's market share. Tesla disappointed its shareholders on April 19 when it revealed how its aggressive price cuts have affected its business. But these cuts have eaten into Tesla's profit margins. While price competition isn't uncommon in the auto industry, car companies might struggle to match the size of Tesla's cuts without hurting their own profit margins.

☆ The EV revolution has never felt farther away as inflation, rocky supply chains, and Tesla threaten billions of dollars of investment
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Alexa St. John | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In the United States, automakers face major headwinds as they look to establish an all-new EV supply chain, catch Tesla, and win over skeptical buyers — all on top of an increasingly negative economic backdrop. The extent of China's role in the EV supply chain, including with lithium, is coming to light. "The epicenter of where minerals reside, where processing resides, where EV production resides, all are outside of the US," Douglas Kent, EVP of corporate and strategic alliances at the Association for Supply Chain Management, said. Tesla was long past the worst of its production snafus by the time other automakers got serious about EVs. By the time other automakers got serious about EVs, Tesla was long past its biggest manufacturing snafus and profitability challenges.

☆ Amid risk of stalling in EV race, Spain's rebooted aid scheme gets warm reception
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Joan Faus | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Madrid will launch a new, more flexible version of the PERTE scheme around July, worth 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion) after last year's initial funding round flopped, with only 27% of an earmarked 2.9 billion euros allocated. Stellantis already manufactures EVs in Spain and received 67 million euros from the first PERTE, but could request more funds to boost production. Griffiths said using the EU funds is "essential" for Spain's future as some investments would otherwise be non-viable. Unlike Germany, Europe's leading car producer, Spain lacks a domestic manufacturer to champion the EV cause. In last year's PERTE round, VW-SEAT received the highest payout, of 357 million euros, but had hoped for more.

☆ Lithium Prices Are Down, Cheaper Batteries and EVs Could Follow
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Scott Patterson | Amrith Ramkumar | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Lithium prices are reversing after a two-year tear, a potential boost for consumers and auto makers that got hit by rising battery costs last year. Prices for lithium are down more than 30% this year, ending the two-year run that pushed up the value of the key battery material by a factor of 12, according to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. The drop takes prices back to more sustainable levels after their epic run, traders say.

☆ A deadline looms for rules governing deep-sea mining, but a rushed decision may be risky
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

Proponents say that deep-sea mining there is a less damaging way to gather metals like nickel, copper, manganese and cobalt. Opponents of deep-sea mining say there is not enough information to make that kind of decision. Critics of the idea of deep-sea mining have said the process is being rushed. That's what's behind the drive for diversity of supply on land-based mining, as well as exploration of alternatives such as deep-sea mining." Finding consensus for the Wild West of the seaOpponents of deep-sea mining want to tap the brakes.

☆ Tesla has declared a price war on electric-vehicle and traditional automakers alike. There are signs Elon Musk's company is making early gains.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( George Glover | Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The automaker has slashed Model 3, Model Y, Model X, and Model S prices in 2023. While it's too soon to call a winner in the price war, there are signs Tesla is making early gains. Tesla also lowered prices for its Model S sedan and Model X SUV in January, then reduced them again in early March. The basic Model S now retails at $89,990, down 14% from the start of the year, while the entry-level Model X costs $99,990, down 17%. "Price cuts also annoy customers," Caspar Rawles, the chief data officer at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, a price-reporting agency, told Insider.

☆ Elon Musk's dream of producing 20 million Teslas per year hangs on whether or not it can pull off a major shift in battery tech
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | Asia Martin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Tesla wants to make lower cost electric vehicles, as a key part of its plan to fend off challenger. Still, given Tesla's delivery of roughly 1.3 million vehicles last year, it clearly has a long way to go to hit Musk's goal. The growing portion of Tesla's LFP vehicles have, in part, been the result of a deal it struck with Chinese battery supplier CATL in 2020. Tesla and the rush for lithiumA lack of supply chain controls hinders efforts to produce low-cost EVs. The company started to take steps towards taking control of lithium supply into its own hands.

☆ Battery Metal Prices Fall Back to Earth
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Megha Mandavia | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

After a substantial stretch when battery makers were desperate for mineral supplies, the shoe is suddenly on the other foot. In the past few months, previously red hot cobalt and lithium prices have cooled dramatically. Supply bottlenecks are easing while China’s demand for electric vehicles, and global demand for many consumer electronics, have ebbed as well. Cobalt has fallen out of favor the most: prices in February were down 61% from January last year, according to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. Lithium carbonate prices rose rapidly for most of last year, but the metal has seen a sharp correction of 21% since November.

☆ Analysis: CATL's 'price war' shows its power, and China's EV edge
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

"It's very much a market share game," said Caspar Rawles, chief data officer at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd - more widely known by its initials - is the dominant global supplier with a 37% share of the EV market. For CATL, the discount is a way to head off a bid by Chinese EV makers to seek alternatives. CATL batteries power Volkswagen's (VOWG_p.DE) I.D. "The reductions that CATL is offering would help the Chinese EV industry," said James Frith, a principal at battery-tech focused venture capital group Volta Energy Technologies.

☆ Lithium Industry Looks to Australia for Refining, Not Just Mining
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Yusuf Khan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +4 min

Chinese companies refine it into lithium sulfate and then process it into the lithium hydroxide used to make cathodes for batteries. China plays an outsize role in battery production, accounting for 44% of all lithium refining globally and 70% of battery cell production, according to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. Some companies also are building European facilities for the next stage of the process: refining lithium sulfate into lithium hydroxide. Lithium mining projects in Germany and Portugal have emerged, although the permitting process can be complex, particularly if there is local opposition. In the meantime, new processing facilities can be built in three to five years, creating more opportunities for lithium mining companies.

☆ The 'land grab' for lithium is just getting started with GM deal, says EV materials expert
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Catherine Clifford | In Catclifford | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Automakers are starting to realize that the only way to guarantee lithium supplies is to own or have a controlling stake in the source. "It's the only way you're going to have the edge and guarantee you can make EVs over the next 20 years," Moores told CNBC. Nickel will also be important for automakers, in addition to lithium, Moores told CNBC. "Lithium and nickel are really what terrifies EV makers," Moores told CNBC. It is a land grab," Moores told CNBC.

Jan 24 (Reuters) - Albemarle Corp (ALB.N) on Tuesday called for lithium prices to remain high indefinitely in order to help the mining industry develop new sources of the electric vehicle (EV) battery metal and fuel the green energy transition. Lithium prices have more than doubled in the past year and are up nearly ninefold in the past three years, according to an index tracked by Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. For 2023, Albemarle expects the price it receives for its lithium to jump 40% over 2022 levels. That should dip this year, due to rising costs for lithium chloride and spodumene ore - both key feedstocks - though the company expects lithium margins to eventually stabilize around 45%. Norris, a longtime lithium industry executive, repeatedly stressed during a nearly two-hour presentation that Albemarle will produce lithium when its customers need the metal.

☆ Teslas are finally getting cheaper. It's a sign Elon Musk's back is against the wall.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Tesla cutting prices by up to 20% on its models in a sign of trouble for Elon Musk. Interest rate hikes have also increased the costs of financing the purchase of a Tesla, making it harder for consumers already battered by inflation to make the switch. Moores added that when it comes to demand, "backlog orders have come down significantly for Tesla," making price cuts is "a good way to increase the immediate- and medium-term sales pipeline". Price cuts will of course be welcomed by consumers. Wedbush's Ives estimates that "all together these price cuts could spur demand" by 12-15% globally in 2023.

☆ Electric vehicles accounted for 10% of global auto sales last year — this could quadruple by 2030
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Electric vehicles accounted for 10% of global auto sales in 2022, preliminary research shows. In the near term, however, there are some signs of slowing demand for electric vehicles in the US. The uptick helped electric vehicles achieve a roughly 10% global market share in the automotive industry for the first time, WSJ reported. CBInsights Auto and Mobility Trends estimated that its global market share could reach 22% by 2030. The Biden Administration, which included a $7,500 tax credit for purchasing an electric vehicle in last year's Inflation Reduction Act, is aiming for half of US vehicle sales to be electric by 2030.

☆ Tesla's cratering share price goes beyond Musk's preoccupation with Twitter. The entire EV market is slowing down.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Tesla's share price has been cut in half and a distracted CEO isn't the only issue. The wider EV market is facing a tough mix of challenges. At the time of writing, its share price sits at $126.31, down 60% since the beginning of the year. Tesla's woes are symptomatic of wider issues plaguing the EV market. Tesla's stock market value slid below ExxonMobil this week for the first time since 2020, falling to $435 billion on Tuesday-compared with the oil and gas company's $439 billion market value, according to the Financial Times.

From spodumene ore through lithium carbonate to lithium hydroxide, prices have more than doubled again this year after an explosive rally in 2021. Even Goldman Sachs, which outraged lithium bulls with a bearish market call in May, now thinks global supply will fall 84,000 tonnes short of demand this year. New EVs rolling off the automotive production line are the end of the lithium supply chain, but the chain itself is also expanding fast. All of them need raw materials, so their collective stock-building accentuates the rising EV demand curve. Moreover, much of lithium's supply growth is coming from new sources such as China's lepidolite deposits which come with their own new disruption potential.

☆ Analysis: Turbulence still haunts LME nickel, months on from trade debacle
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Pratima Desai | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Months after turbulence highlighted shortcomings in LME oversight, the nickel contract remains broken. Declining liquidity, together with low stocks, has led to high LME nickel prices this year, pushing up costs for industrial users already grappling with surging inflation. LIQUIDITY SLUMPSMany investors, traders, consumers and producers have abandoned LME nickel in the aftermath of the chaos in March. LME nickel typically trades at a discount to the Shanghai Futures Exchange (ShFE) contract because China is a net importer of nickel and the ShFE nickel price takes into account logistical costs and local taxes. "There's a major disconnect between LME nickel (futures) and the physical market," a nickel trader said.

☆ This little-known lithium stock is set to surge more than 60% next year, Cowen predicts
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Piedmont Lithium is a best idea for 2023, according to Cowen. Analyst David Deckelbaum gave the emerging lithium producer an outperform rating, saying the stock could surge more than 60% next year on the back of strong commodity prices, and several North American projects. "Several other catalysts including future offtake announcements, updates on Ghana and Carolina permitting will drive shares towards our $90/share price target in our view," Deckelbaum added. Piedmont Lithium beat the broader market this year as lithium prices surged more than 150%, according to data from Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. Cowen's $90 price target is roughly 65% above where Piedmont shares closed Tuesday.

☆ LG Chem to invest over $3 billion to build U.S. battery cathode plant
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Heekyong Yang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SEOUL, Nov 22 (Reuters) - South Korea's LG Chem Ltd (051910.KS) said on Tuesday it will invest more than $3 billion to build a battery cathode factory in Tennessee, as it ramps up plans to meet rising demand for U.S. electric vehicle components. Mass production is set to start in the second half of 2025 and the plant will create more than 850 jobs, LG Chem said in a statement. LG Chem is expected to supply cathode materials to Ultium Cells, a battery joint venture between General Motors (GM.N) and LG Chem's subsidiary LG Energy Solution Ltd (LGES) (373220.KS). GM has said it will use NCMA battery cathodes from LG Chem for a range of EVs using Ultium-branded batteries. At this month's G20 summit, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol asked U.S. President Joe Biden to prevent discriminatory measures against South Korean companies, his office said.

Today's EVs run on lithium ion batteries — mostly made with lithium, cobalt, manganese and high-grade nickel, whose prices have soared. The EVs of the future — those arriving after 2025 — could shift to sodium ion or lithium sulfur battery cells that could be up to two-thirds cheaper than today's lithium ion cells. China's CATL (300750.SZ) has said it plans to begin producing sodium ion cells in 2023. Michigan-based Amandarry and British startup AMTE Power (AMTE.L) are developing sodium ion batteries using sodium chloride — basically table salt — as the main cathode ingredient. Battery developers hope they can add sodium ion and lithium sulfur batteries to the range open to the auto industry.

It wants 3.8 billion pounds ($4.4 billion) to build a gigafactory in northern England but its plans are hanging by a thread as it struggles to lure enough investment. French battery startup Verkor, for example, announced on Wednesday that it had raised 250 million euros ($249 million) to fund a megafactory. The European Battery Alliance (EBA) acknowledges Asian firms, and Chinese companies in particular, are likely to increase their market share in the coming years, helped by their track record and offtake agreements. "Even if we have the production in Europe, it doesn't mean we have the know-how or the control," she said. The EU has approved 6.1 billion euros since 2019 in funding by member states for battery research and innovation while Britain has a 1 billion pound fund to support investments in EV supply chains.

☆ Exclusive: Automakers to double spending on EVs, batteries to $1.2 trillion by 2030
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Paul Lienert | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

To put the figure in context, Alphabet (GOOGL.O), the parent company of Google and Waymo, has a market cap of $1.3 trillion. Automakers have forecast plans to build 54 million battery electric vehicles in 2030, representing more than 50% of total vehicle production, according to the analysis. To support that unprecedented level of EVs, carmakers and their battery partners are planning to install 5.8 terawatt-hours of battery production capacity by 2030, according to data from Benchmark Mineral Intelligence and the manufacturers. Japan's Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) is investing $70 billion to electrify vehicles and produce more batteries, and expects to sell at least 3.5 million battery electric models (BEVs) in 2030. It plans at least 30 different BEVs and expects to transition the entire Lexus range to battery electric over that span.

☆ EXCLUSIVE Automakers to double spending on EVs, batteries to $1.2 trillion by 2030
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Paul Lienert | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterAutomakers have forecast plans to build 54 million battery electric vehicles in 2030, representing more than 50% of total vehicle production, according to the analysis. To support that unprecedented level of EVs, carmakers and their battery partners are planning to install 5.8 terawatt-hours of battery production capacity by 2030, according to data from Benchmark Mineral Intelligence and the manufacturers. Leading the charge is Tesla (TSLA.O), where Chief Executive Elon Musk has outlined an audacious plan to build 20 million EVs in 2030, requiring an estimated 3 terawatt-hours of batteries. Japan's Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) is investing $70 billion to electrify vehicles and produce more batteries, and expects to sell at least 3.5 million battery electric models (BEVs) in 2030. It plans at least 30 different BEVs and expects to transition the entire Lexus range to battery electric over that span.

☆ Inside the only lithium producer in the U.S., which provides critical mineral used in batteries by Tesla, EV makers
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Pippa Stevens | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +14 min

The town's mining roots are still on display, but the action has shifted to the country's largest lithium brine operation 45 minutes away. Specialty chemicals company Albemarle acquired the site in 2015 from Foot Mineral Company, and has owned it ever since. Under the International Energy Agency's most ambitious climate scenario, lithium supply will have to grow 40-fold by 2040 from today's levels. The U.S. used to be a leader in lithium production, but it's since ceded that position to foreign nations, including China. Albemarle's Silver Peak lithium plant spans 13,000 acres.

☆ Here's the 28-page pitch deck that landed battery startup OneD a $25 million Series C to help power GM's $35 billion pivot to electric cars
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Alexa St. John | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

OneD is a battery startup racing to improve EVs' battery range, cost, and charging speed. Check out the 28-page pitch deck it used to raise a $25 million Series C round. Founded in 2013, OneD Battery Sciences is laser-focused on that. OneD also plans to license this tech to automakers and their battery manufacturers and has a small-scale pilot line going. Pluvinage shared the pitch deck OneD used to pitch its vision.

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