House Mountain Partners

Albemarle

Lithium Strategy: Re-positioning in a Bull Market

Chris Berry8 Comments

By Chris Berry (@cberry1)

 For a PDF version of this note, please click here.

 

This isn’t a bubble…yet, but there are reasons to be cautious and a strategy reassessment is in order.

In the wake of Tesla Motors (TSLA:NASDAQ) introduction of the Model 3 “mass market” EV, lithium development and exploration company share prices have absolutely exploded higher. This is despite the fact that TSLA hasn’t actually sold (or even built) a single Model 3 yet, won’t have it on the road for years, and continues to hemorrhage money. The $1,000 refundable reservation fee is simply a free option for a potential car buyer and gives TSLA an opportunity to defray dilution.

In the wake of this news, lithium developers are “making hay while the sun shines” through some truly impressive capital raising efforts.

My estimates year-to-date show that the lithium mining industry has raised a collective $198,000,000 USD with multiple offerings oversubscribed. For an industry that only generated $1 billion USD in revenues last year, this is impressive. Especially when you consider the overall funk in the commodity sector and that no major lithium producer is included in this total.

What's Not Being Said Amidst the Lithium Ion Battery Hype (Hint: It's a Double Edged Sword)

Chris Berry1 Comment

By Chris Berry (@cberry1)

 

For a PDF copy of this note, please click here. 

 

Amid the Tesla-infused hype surrounding batteries a number of truths have become evident.

 First, battery costs are falling – fast. The overall cost of a lithium ion battery has fallen by over 90% since its commercial introduction in 1990 and the CAGR in the price decrease in recent years per kilowatt hour (kWh) is roughly 14%. Should this rate of decline continue, electric vehicles should be able to compete on total cost of ownership (TCO) with traditional internal combustion engine vehicles within five years.