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How Audi Plans To Bring 20 All-Electric Models To Market In The Next Five Years SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals $LMR.ca $CJC.ca $SRG.ca $NGC.ca $LLG.ca $GPH.ca $NOU.ca

Posted by AGORACOM at 10:32 AM on Tuesday, April 14th, 2020

SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals is focused on the exploration and development of minerals for the new green economy such as lithium and graphite. Lomiko owns 80% of the high-grade La Loutre graphite Property, Lac Des Iles Graphite Property and the 100% owned Quatre Milles Graphite Property. Lomiko is uniquely poised to supply the growing EV battery market. Click Here For More Information

  • Globally, by 2025, Audi is aiming to have 30 electrified models on sale, with 20 of those vehicles fully electric.
  • It is an ambitious plan showing the brand’s global commitment for a more electrified and sustainable future.

Already in the U.S., Audi has introduced five production models—the Audi Q5 TFSI e, A7 TFSI e and A8 TFSI e plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) as well as the e-tron all-electric SUV and upcoming e-tron Sportback. Next, we’ll introduce the Audi Q4 e-tron SUV and e-tron GT performance sedan, which have already been shown as concept vehicles.

Audi’s upcoming all-electric vehicles will be built on four distinct platforms that balance performance, efficiency, practicality and the engineering and craftsmanship synonymous with the Audi brand. Here are details of the four architectures that will underpin cars and SUVs in a multitude of sizes to bring Audi’s electrified plans to reality.

MLB evo: The first Audi electric vehicles

The first Audi quattro model of the 1980s was simply named “quattro” for its innovative all-wheel-drive technology. Much the same, the “e-tron” name foreshadows a range of electric vehicle (EV) drivetrain technology for the Audi brand. The Audi e-tron SUV is the first all-electric SUV, having gone on sale in the U.S. starting in May 2019. It combines electric mobility with Audi quality: A sophisticated drive and recuperation system, all-wheel drive and maximum comfort. It is an Audi, through and through, in quality, performance and execution.

Manufactured in a certified CO2-neutral plant in Brussels, Belgium, whose 398,264 sq ft rooftop solar array is large enough to produce approximately 3,000 MWh annually—or enough to charge approximately 30,000 e-tron SUVs—the e-tron is based on a heavily modified version of the modular longitudinal platform (MLB evo) that underpins an array of Audi vehicles. With a wheelbase that stretches 115.3 inches, the e-tron is between the Audi Q5 and Audi Q7 SUVs in terms of size, or about the same size as an Audi Q8. The high-voltage battery stores up to 95 kWh of energy and can recover up to 30% of energy used to drive the vehicle during regenerative braking applications. In most applications, the e-tron uses brake-energy regeneration relying on its hydraulic brake booster. A brake pedal simulator makes the switch from regen to hydraulic braking nearly unnoticeable.

The e-tron houses two asynchronous electric motors (ASM) that produce up to 402 horsepower in boost mode. A more powerful, three-motor variant with fully independent rear torque vectoring is also under development.

Using an Audi-designed power electronics module, the e-tron is able to read sensor data 10,000 times per second and output current values for the electric motors to help with traction in various conditions. With its rear-biased quattro all-wheel-drive system, if the e-tron senses a loss of traction, it is able to redistribute torque to wheels with traction in just 30 milliseconds.

The Audi e-tron can charge using both alternating (Level 1 and 2) and direct (Level 3) current and can achieve approximately 80% charge in 30 minutes at a 150 kW high-speed public charger. Later in 2020, the e-tron will be joined by the e-tron Sportback, a new variant with a coupe-like profile.

J1: The performance electric platform

Shown as a concept vehicle thus far, the Audi e-tron GT performance sedan shows how sports cars will evolve in the electric era. For the e-tron GT, Audi is sharing synergies with the Porsche brand, which developed the J1 architecture.

The Audi e-tron GT concept car is equipped with two permanently excited synchronous motors (PSM) that produce a combined 582 horsepower and 612 lb-ft of torque. A PSM has a rotor with permanent magnets in it and a natural internal magnetic field. In a PSM, the rotor moves in coordination with the magnetic field of the stator (the stationary part of the motor in which the rotor rotates), which is why it is known as a permanently excited synchronous motor. By comparison, an asynchronous motor’s rotor rotates slower than a synchronous speed.

While specifications for the e-tron GT are subject to change, the e-tron GT concept is estimated to reach 62 mph from standstill in 3.5 seconds and 124 mph in just over 12 seconds in production form.

The electrical system in the e-tron GT concept car runs at 800 volts, whereas most modern EVs currently operate at a capacity of 400 volts or less. Volts are a measurement of pressure in an electric circuit, and the J1 platform can accept this level of force thanks to its energy management and cooling systems. Because of this, the e-tron GT is able to charge the battery to 80% in about 20 minutes at a Level 3 DC fast charger with a maximum output of 350 kW.

In the e-tron GT, the battery is located in the underbody, between the axles and is designed with recesses in the rear footwell, ensuring comfort for front- and rear-seat passengers. The body and roof of the e-tron GT are made of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP), and the car uses the same multi-material construction philosophy as other Audi vehicles like the A8.

In combination with the low center of gravity, the e-tron GT has quattro all-wheel drive, with an electric motor at the front and rear axles, offering ideal traction for a sports car. The drive management distributes the torque of the electric motors between the axles as needed and also regulates the wheels separately.

The layout allows for numerous suspension and performance features, for example all-wheel steering or a sport differential, providing excellent traction and vehicle dynamics. Electric motors with different outputs can be used in production versions.

MEB: Small Audi platform, large aspirations

A good way to think about Audi’s use of the modular electric toolkit (MEB) architecture is to think of the current internal-combustion vehicles in the Audi lineup.

Small, gas-powered Audi vehicles like the A3 and Q3 serve as entry points into the Audi brand and share components with one another on a platform called MQB. Larger Audi vehicles from the A4 up to the A8 and SUVs use shared componentry on the MLB platform. This helps engineers develop shared parts across many vehicles that are philosophically similar. That’s what the MEB platform will be to Audi for small and medium electric vehicles, with the PPE platform focused toward medium and large EVs.

With the MEB platform, Audi will draw from the strength of the Volkswagen Group to offer customers affordable yet technically sophisticated electric models with unmistakable Audi DNA. The MEB platform will be used for vehicles like the Q4 e-tron. Designed exclusively for EVs, MEB will provide customers all the advantages that compact electric motors and lithium-ion batteries in different sizes and capacities offer. The battery systems, electric motors and axle designs form a technology toolkit. In contrast to the current models with combustion engines, the front section is considerably shorter—the front axle and firewall move forward, making the wheelbase and usable interior space considerably larger.

The Q4 e-tron is expected to be the first Audi model based on the MEB platform, with exterior dimensions comparable to those of the Q3 but with the interior dimensions of a significantly larger vehicle. The architecture also offers new design opportunities and offers different performance levels and powertrain configurations.

PPE: Medium and large premium vehicles

Finally, what the MLB platform is to vehicles like the Audi A4 through A8 and Q5 through Q8, the Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture is to Audi’s electric portfolio.

PPE has been designed and developed in cooperation with Porsche from the start with the project team sharing space in Ingolstadt. PPE is characterized by a high-tech and highly scalable architecture that allows for both low- and high-floor, from the medium-size class and up—SUVs, Sportbacks, Avants and crossovers. The portfolio and flexibility will allow Audi to develop and sell one of the best combinations of electric, plug-in and internal combustion vehicles in the global markets.

The technology offered in PPE is similar to that of MEB and with a number of powertrain and battery options that will be available. Standard packaging will allow for one electric motor in the rear; the higher-range models will be equipped with a second electric motor at the front axle (PSM or ASM) that can activate quattro all-wheel drive automatically when needed.

Like in the Audi e-tron GT concept, the electrical architecture is 800 volts; in combination with high-efficiency thermal management, it enables an ultra-high-speed charging capacity of 350 kW. The dimensions and overhangs of the low-floor Audi models on the PPE platform will be slightly shorter than those of the current combustion engine models on the MLB platform but will offer greater interior dimensions. Torque vectoring, air suspension and all-wheel steering will all be available.

The Audi brand has dedicated approximately €12 billion global investment through 2024 to help ensure development of a number of EVs, in an effort to meet demand as infrastructure around the world rapidly develops. Globally, Audi anticipates it will reach production of approximately 800,000 electrified vehicles per year by 2025.

As the Volkswagen Group has committed to the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement and plans to be a CO2-neutral automaker globally by 2050, Audi and the entire Group are putting a full focus into electrification and more sustainable transportation. The above platforms can help ensure the Group does all it can to reach its ambitious goals.

SOURCE: https://us.motorsactu.com/tech-talk-how-audi-plans-to-bring-20-all-electric-models-to-market-in-the-next-five-years/

Green Transportation, From Electric Cars to Walkable Cities SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals $LMR.ca $CJC.ca $SRG.ca $NGC.ca $LLG.ca $GPH.ca $NOU.ca

Posted by AGORACOM at 12:29 PM on Wednesday, April 8th, 2020

SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals is focused on the exploration and development of minerals for the new green economy such as lithium and graphite. Lomiko owns 80% of the high-grade La Loutre graphite Property, Lac Des Iles Graphite Property and the 100% owned Quatre Milles Graphite Property. Lomiko is uniquely poised to supply the growing EV battery market. Click Here For More Information

https://grist.files.wordpress.com/2020/04/grist-edu-transpo-1.jpg?w=1024&h=576&crop=1

The transportation sector is one of the biggest reasons why the average temperature on our planet is climbing, a phenomenon you probably know as climate change. In the United States, transportation contributes about a third of the carbon dioxide, or CO2, that the country releases into the atmosphere where it traps heat and causes temperatures to rise. Every year, Americans produce about 1.9 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide from driving cars, flying in planes, and shipping things by road, sea, rail, and air all over the country. That’s the weight of more than 20,000 Washington Monuments.

https://grist.files.wordpress.com/2020/03/transportation-1.jpg

We want to get that 1.9 billion number closer to zero as soon as possible. But we still need ways to get people and products from one part of the country to another. How do we change the way we move ourselves and our things so that we create fewer planet-warming emissions?

Grist has put together some introductory videos and activities to help you understand some of the ways the transportation sector might go green.

Electric Cars

Electric vehicles are an exciting alternative to the traditional, gas-guzzling, combustion-powered cars. Instead of filling up at the gas station, you simply plug your car into an electric socket and charge the car’s battery. In the past decade, electric cars have gotten better, cheaper, and more popular.

So is an electric car right for your family? It all depends on where you live, how you gets around, and what your family can afford.

Activities:

Research: Look up and see if there are electric vehicle charging stations in your area. If you live in an area where there are very few charging stations, it might be difficult to imagine owning an electric car. Think about all the car trips you normally make: school, work, grocery shopping, even weekend trips and vacations. If your electric car could go 100 miles on a charge, could you still easily make most of these trips?

Do: The “greenness” of your electric vehicle depends on how your region generates electricity. You can find out by typing your ZIP code into the “power profiler” sidebar on this Environmental Protection Agency web page. It will tell you how many pounds of carbon dioxide it takes to produce a megawatt-hour of electricity — the energy equivalent of about 28 gallons of gasoline. We can use this number to compare whether an electric car is better than a gas car in your city.

For our comparison, we’re going to use a 2020 Honda Civic as our gas-powered car, and a 2020 Nissan Leaf as our electric car.

https://grist.files.wordpress.com/2020/03/math6.png?w=1200
So … which car produces more CO2 in your city?
Discuss: Would an electric car work with your family’s budget and driving habits? Why or why not?

Walkable Cities

Have you ever gotten in the car only to drive a few blocks away? You’re not alone. Americans take a lot of unnecessary car trips. If we could get more people to take the bus, hop on a bike, or simply walk more, we could shave off a big chunk of the U.S.’s transportation-related emissions.

Some neighborhoods are less walkable than others. If you live near a busy road or in a neighborhood far from your favorite hangouts, it can be inconvenient or even dangerous to walk. To get more people out of their cars and walking, we need to think about how our neighborhoods are designed.

Activities:

Research: Look up your address on the Walk Score website. This will give you a ranking based on how easy it is to walk to nearby stores, schools, or parks. If you click “About your score,” you can see which categories your home scores low and high on.

What’s your score? Do you agree with this assessment? Why or why not?

Discuss: Think about all the places you go on a regular basis. Where do you shop for groceries, eat food, or watch movies? What parks do you like to visit? Can you find any alternate places to do these activities that are within walking distance?

Bikes

Bikes are fun, healthy, and climate-friendly forms of transportation. But not everyone owns a bike — or it can be impractical to lug one along for certain types of trips. In some cities, companies offer bikes on the sidewalk that you can just hop on and ride.

Activities:

Research: How does the built environment make people more or less likely to bike? Look up your neighborhood’s Bike Score. This tool grades each neighborhood’s bike-ability based on four factors: safe infrastructure (like bike lanes), hills, the number of gathering places within biking distance, and how many of your neighbors also ride bikes.

Observe: Does your neighborhood have bike lanes? Would you feel safe riding a bike in your neighborhood? How many of your favorite destinations — like parks, restaurants, stores, or museums — are within biking distance? Does your neighborhood have a lot of hills? If it does, would a rentable e-bike make you more likely to ride? The Bike Score website believes that it’s safer to ride on streets that have a lot of bike traffic already. Do you see people riding bikes in your neighborhood?

Discuss: Does your city have a bikeshare or short-term rental program? What are some trips you would take using a bike you own or could rent?

Do: Plan a fun fantasy trip you could take on a bike. Where would you want to go? What would you need to bring? How much time would you need?

Trains

Trains have been around for nearly two centuries, and they’re a promising solution for cutting the country’s transportation emissions. They’re also pretty efficient — meaning they only use a little bit of fuel to carry each rider. Some trains even run on electricity.

But in the United States, our trains are pretty slow and outdated. Can we fix them?

Activities:

Research: Think about the most recent plane trips you have taken. Would it have been possible to take the train instead? How much time would it take? How much would it cost?

Discuss: What might make you want to take a train over a plane? How would you make a train trip a more desirable option compared to an airplane flight?

SOURCE: https://grist.org/climate/lesson-plan-transportation-climate-electric-vehicles/

Vehicle-To-Grid Charger Maker Fermata Receives UL Certification SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals $LMR.ca $CJC.ca $SRG.ca $NGC.ca $LLG.ca $GPH.ca $NOU.ca

Posted by AGORACOM at 10:37 AM on Thursday, March 19th, 2020

SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals is focused on the exploration and development of minerals for the new green economy such as lithium and graphite. Lomiko owns 80% of the high-grade La Loutre graphite Property, Lac Des Iles Graphite Property and the 100% owned Quatre Milles Graphite Property. Lomiko is uniquely poised to supply the growing EV battery market. Click Here For More Information

Fermata’s bidirectional charger (pictured) has been the first to attain UL 9741 certification. Image: Fermata Energy.

An electric vehicle-to-grid (V2G) charging system which allows for bi-directional flows of power created by US maker Fermata Energy, has become the first to receive certification under a new standard introduced by UL.

UL 9741, ‘Investigation for bidirectional electric vehicle charging system equipment’, was first published on 18 March 2014. Almost six years to the day later Fermata – which has previously partnered with automakers including Nissan and received investment from backers such as Japanese utility company TEPCO – became certified under the North American safety standard.

Vehicle-to-grid, allowing parked cars to discharge as well as charge energy to and from the grid from their batteries means they can be used as a grid-balancing resource. Fermata Energy’s website states that the company was founded for two purposes: to accelerate the adoption of EVs and to accelerate the transition to renewable energy. By acting as stationary energy storage systems (ESS), EVs can provide services such as frequency regulation.

Thus far, while V2G technology has existed at least since the early 2000s, and been trialled on a commercial basis in the last five years or so, various barriers exist to widespread adoption. Last year, a research note from consultancy Apricum pointed some of these out, including potential reluctance of owners to allow aggregators access to their batteries, which may have an impact on battery lifetime through causing accelerated degradation of battery cells. Another possible barrier is that trials have only shown very limited commercial revenues being possible for using EV batteries for frequency regulation under most existing market structures.

From the carmakers’ point of view, only a few have given serious thought to enabling the function due to possible impact on warranties, with Nissan being the first to allow its Leaf EV to be used in this way. Earlier this month, Energy-Storage.news reported on a successful V2G ‘showcase’ project where Leaf EV batteries were used for storing locally generated renewable energy.

Despite the barriers that exist, V2G technology is likely to have a “bright future,” Apricum experts Florian Mayr and Stephanie Adam, who co-authored that earlier mentioned piece on the consultancy’s website, said. While acknowledging a survey held in Germany by digital association Bitkom that found only 37% of EV owners would be willing to allow their cars to be used for V2G participation, if one large electric mobility market such as China went for it, others might follow quickly.

“With increasing demand for the required components, standardization will improve and economies of scale will kick in. Due to falling costs for hardware, the economic case for a car owner participating in V2G will improve, increasingly outweighing potential disadvantages of a reduced battery lifetime or limitations in car availability,” the Apricum note said.

Meanwhile, Fermata Energy CEO and founder David Slutzky said that bidirectional energy solutions “play an important role in reducing energy costs, improving grid resilience and combating climate change. We’re excited to be the first company to receive UL 9741 certification and look forward to partnering with other organisations to advance V2G applications.”

https://www.energy-storage.news/news/vehicle-to-grid-charger-maker-fermata-receives-ul-certification

VW Appears To Be Eyeing Vehicle-To-Grid Technology, Could Sell Energy From Electric Vehicles SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals $LMR.ca $CJC.ca $SRG.ca $NGC.ca $LLG.ca $GPH.ca $NOU.ca

Posted by AGORACOM at 5:12 PM on Tuesday, March 17th, 2020

SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals is focused on the exploration and development of minerals for the new green economy such as lithium and graphite. Lomiko owns 80% of the high-grade La Loutre graphite Property, Lac Des Iles Graphite Property and the 100% owned Quatre Milles Graphite Property. Lomiko is uniquely poised to supply the growing EV battery market. Click Here For More Information

Volkswagen plans to have millions of electric vehicles on the road by the end of the decade and that opens up new opportunities for the automaker.

According to Reuters, Volkswagen’s chief strategist revealed the company is exploring new business opportunities related to the energy stored in electric vehicles.

As Michael Jost explained, “By 2025, we will have 350 gigawatt hours worth of energy storage at our disposal through our electric car fleet.” He went on to say that number will increase to 1 terawatt hours by the end of 2030.

That’s a massive amount of electricity and Jost noted it’s “more energy than is currently generated by all the hydroelectric power stations in the world.” This opens up a new opportunity for the automaker as Volkswagen can tap into this energy using vehicle-to-grid technology.

Essentially the opposite of charging, vehicle-to-grid technology allows electric vehicles to send energy back to the electrical grid. This would typically occur during times of high demand.

This represents an interesting opportunity for Volkswagen as they could become a makeshift energy company. While Jost didn’t go into too many specifics, it’s not hard to imagine how such a service would work.

In theory, electric vehicles would be charged at night when demand for electricity is low and so are energy rates. When demand and rates increase, Volkswagen vehicles could sell some of that energy back to the grid. Consumers would likely be paid for this, but Volkswagen could potentially take a cut of the profits.

It remains unclear if that is what Volkswagen is thinking, but it could be a potential win-win situation. Consumers would get paid, while energy companies could tap into affordable electricity. Likewise, Volkswagen could get a slice of the action.

There’s no word on when this capability could be added to electric vehicles from Volkswagen, but a number of companies are exploring vehicle-to-grid technology. Nissan has even demonstrated how electric vehicles could be used to power your home in the event of a power outage.

https://www.carscoops.com/2020/03/vw-appears-to-be-eyeing-vehicle-to-grid-technology-could-sell-energy-from-electric-vehicles/

GM Announces Battery Technology, EV Production Plans SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals $LMR.ca $CJC.ca $SRG.ca $NGC.ca $LLG.ca $GPH.ca $NOU.ca

Posted by AGORACOM at 10:42 AM on Thursday, March 12th, 2020

SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals is focused on the exploration and development of minerals for the new green economy such as lithium and graphite. Lomiko owns 80% of the high-grade La Loutre graphite Property, Lac Des Iles Graphite Property and the 100% owned Quatre Milles Graphite Property. Lomiko is uniquely poised to supply the growing EV battery market. Click Here For More Information

  • Automaker plans to launch several electric vehicles with lower-cost batteries within the next three years.
  • “Accepted the challenge to transform product development at GM and position our company for an all-electric future”

Detroit, Michigan – General Motors (GM) is promising a wide array of less-expensive electric vehicles (EVs) thanks to battery technologies it is developing, improved product design processes, and plans to scale EV production to the size of its truck business.

“Our team accepted the challenge to transform product development at GM and position our company for an all-electric future,” said GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra. “What we have done is build a multi-brand, multi-segment EV strategy with economies of scale that rival our full-size truck business with much less complexity and even more flexibility.”

The heart of GM’s strategy is a modular propulsion system and a highly flexible, third-generation global EV platform powered by proprietary Ultium batteries.

“Thousands of GM scientists, engineers, and designers are working to execute an historic reinvention of the company,” GM President Mark Reuss said. “They are on the cusp of delivering a profitable EV business that can satisfy millions of customers.”

Ultium batteries use large-format, pouch-style cells that can be stacked vertically or horizontally inside the battery pack. By avoiding rigid, cylindrical cells, GM engineers can optimize pack shapes and layouts for each vehicle.

Energy options range from 50kWh to 200kWh – enough for 400 miles of range on the larger battery side. Motors designed in-house will support front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, all-wheel drive, and performance all-wheel drive applications.

Ultium-powered EVs are designed for Level 2 and DC fast charging. Most will have 400V battery packs and up to 200kW fast-charging capability. Trucks will get 800V battery packs and 350kW fast-charging capability.

Developed with LG Chem, GM’s joint venture partner on a battery cell plant in Ohio, upcoming cells reduce use of expensive cobalt, a development the companies believe will drive cell cost to less than $100/kWh. At $100/kWh, GM’s 200kWh batteries would cost $20,000, before considering the cost of the rest of the vehicle, so lowering cell costs is critical to affordable EVs.

Reuss said engineers are designing future vehicles and propulsion systems together to minimize complexity and part counts compared to adapting gasoline-powered vehicles for electric drive. GM plans 19 different battery and drive unit configurations initially, compared with 550 internal combustion powertrain combinations.

GM’s technology can be scaled to meet customer demand much higher than the more than 1 million global sales the company expects mid-decade.

Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC, and Buick will all be launching new EVs starting this year.

  • 2021 Bolt EV, launching in late 2020, updating GM’s first mass-market all-electric
  • 2022 Bolt EUV, launching summer 2021, larger crossover version of the Volt will be the first non-Cadillac GM to get Super Cruise semi-autonomous driving
  • Cruise Origin, self-driving, electric shared vehicle, debuted at shows but no production plans announced
  • Cadillac Lyriq SUV unveiling set for April 2020
  • GMC HUMMER EV debuted in Super Bowl ads, more details coming May 20, production to begin fall 2021

SOURCE: https://www.todaysmotorvehicles.com/article/gm-battery-tech-ev-plans/

Elon Musk Says Tesla Has Now Produced 1 Million Electric Vehicles SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals $LMR.ca $CJC.ca $SRG.ca $NGC.ca $LLG.ca $GPH.ca $NOU.ca

Posted by AGORACOM at 3:36 PM on Wednesday, March 11th, 2020

SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals is focused on the exploration and development of minerals for the new green economy such as lithium and graphite. Lomiko owns 80% of the high-grade La Loutre graphite Property, Lac Des Iles Graphite Property and the 100% owned Quatre Milles Graphite Property. Lomiko is uniquely poised to supply the growing EV battery market. Click Here For More Information

  • Tesla shares dropped by over 13% yesterday, amid continuing concerns about the coronavirus outbreak and a steep drop in oil prices.
  • Musk’s announcement comes at a time when several large automakers are making moves into the electric vehicle sector.

Tesla has produced 1 million electric vehicles, according to the firm’s CEO Elon Musk, who congratulated the “Tesla team” on the milestone via a tweet. News of the landmark figure came after Tesla shares dropped by over 13% yesterday, amid continuing concerns about the coronavirus outbreak and a steep drop in oil prices. The Nasdaq Composite index, on which Tesla is listed, fell 7.3 percent on the day. In extended hours trading Tuesday, Tesla shares were over 10% higher

Currently, Tesla offers four models of electric vehicle: the Model 3 and Model S, which are sedans, and the Model Y and Model X, which are types of SUV. Deliveries of the Model Y are due to start by the end of this quarter.

Musk’s announcement comes at a time when several large automakers are making moves into the electric vehicle sector.

Last week, the BMW Group released details of an electric concept car, the BMW Concept i4. Production of that vehicle is expected to start in 2021.

Towards the end of last year, the German company announced that 500,000 of its electrified cars had been sold. At the time, CEO Oliver Zipse said that the business “was stepping up the pace significantly” and aiming to have one million electric vehicles on the road “within two years.”

And in November 2019, the Volkswagen Group officially started series production of its ID.3 electric car, with the German carmaker planning to launch “almost 70 new electric models” on its platform by 2028.

China’s electric car market is the biggest on the planet: a little over one million electric cars were sold there in 2018, according to the IEA, with Europe and the U.S. following behind.

SOURCE:https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/10/elon-musk-says-tesla-has-now-produced-1-million-electric-vehicles.html

MINING.COM Launches EV Battery Metals Index SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals $LMR.ca $CJC.ca $SRG.ca $NGC.ca $LLG.ca $GPH.ca $NOU.ca

Posted by AGORACOM at 2:34 PM on Thursday, March 5th, 2020

SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals is focused on the exploration and development of minerals for the new green economy such as lithium and graphite. Lomiko owns 80% of the high-grade La Loutre graphite Property, Lac Des Iles Graphite Property and the 100% owned Quatre Milles Graphite Property. Lomiko is uniquely poised to supply the growing EV battery market. Click Here For More Information

The value of metals used in batteries for the nascent electric vehicle industry measured for the first time

It is worth remembering that the first all-electric vehicle to use a lithium-ion battery –  the Tesla roadster – only rolled off assembly lines in 2008. 

And the blue-sky scenarios and exuberant forecasts for electric vehicle demand and mining only really started to make headlines three or four years ago. 

And those headlines came just at the right time for an industry at the bottom of a brutal business cycle and in desperate need of a feelgood news story. 

Not that the feeling lasted all that long. 

All of mining is mercifully free of the ravages of price stability, but even tulip bulbs took longer from boom to bust than EV metals. 

But how does falling prices for lithium, cobalt, graphite and nickel square with demand forecasts that all start in the bottom left corner and end in the top right?

Pedal to the metal

To get a better grip on the nascent sector, MINING.COM combined two sets of data: 

  • First, prices paid for the mined minerals at the point of entry into the global battery supply chain.

    London-based Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, a global battery supply chain, megafactory tracker and market forecaster, provides MINING.COM with monthly sales-weighted price data.
  • Second, the sales weighted volume of the raw materials in electric and hybrid passenger car batteries sold around the world.

Toronto-based Adamas Intelligence, which tracks demand for EV batteries by chemistry, cell supplier and capacity in over 90 countries provides the data for the raw materials deployed.

Benchmark has been tracking megafactory construction since Tesla broke ground on the first of its kind in June 2014. Adamas completes the chain, recording all that battery power hitting the road. 

That makes the MINING.COM EV Metals index more than a mine to market measure. More like mine to, er, garage.

The inaugural MINING.COM EV Metals Index shows an industry in better shape than what tanking prices and dismal headlines would suggest. 

In fact, the nickel sub-index is at a record high and cobalt bulls would be happy to know that the metal feeding the battery supply chain had its biggest month in nine.

Click for full size chart

Where the rubber, only the rubber, meets the road

If you take Tesla’s stock price as a guide (and I know a bunch of short sellers who would rather pluck their own eyes out than do that) the essential ingredients of muskmobiles should not be languishing at multi-year lows.

Last year, Elon Musk said getting more Teslas on the road is dependent on scaling battery production and to scale at the fastest rate possible it may be necessary to get into mining, “at least a little bit.” 

The last auto exec to venture into mining was Henry Ford

The last auto exec to venture into mining was Henry Ford. When the equivalent of an over the air update was a hand crank and cars could only be had in black and not four (wow!) other colours like the Model S. 

Crucially, at the time the cost of raw materials had a much bigger bearing on the final price of a car. In EV production the battery can be up to 50% of the cost of production and raw materials the bulk of that.  

A seminal study on EVs by UBS showed the only commodity your average EV (Chevy Bolt) and ICE car (VW Golf) have in equal amounts, is rubber. (Ford, btw, also owned a rubber plantation in Brazil.)    

That’s how much of a change the switch to electric vehicles represents in the auto industry’s raw material supply chain. 

Rocks down to electric avenue

Yet here we are.

Newbie investors are taking a crash course in surviving a sector that can turn on a dime.

Juniors are being scared off. Bodies are piling up among developers. Producers’ grand ambitions have been thwarted. Contracts have been reneged on. 

It’s difficult to see the disconnect on fundamentals lasting that much longer – governments’ green demands and emissions strictures are only intensifying and carmakers’ programs are only becoming more lavish. 

Volkswagen promises 80 all electric models across its brands by 2025. Three hundred by the end of the decade. 

While miners are encountering the pitfalls of vertical integration, the global auto industry is getting a crash course in mining lead times

A year ago already, Wolfsburg said it was allocating $48 billion for EV development.

And then you also read that Audi (a VW brand) and Mercedes Benz had to suspend production due to a battery shortage (long before coronavirus). 

While miners are encountering the pitfalls of vertical integration, the global auto industry is getting a crash course in mining lead times and how tiny markets (annual global cobalt mining revenue is less than what VW collects in a week) can impact giant industries.  

In total, the world’s automakers have committed $300 billion for making rides you have to plug into a wall, Benchmark estimates. Or to use the car industry term, $300 billion for ushering in a new epoch of sustainable mobility.

Neither is there a shortage of government support for the transition. Unlike AOC’s, the EU’s $1 trillion green new deal may actually get off the starting grid, and Beijing has ordered 25% of cars sold must be EVs within five short years. 

Lithium nirvana 

MINING.COM compiled the data for lithium prices from Benchmark and lithium deployment from Adamas going back eleven years. 

It just shows again that the EV raw materials industry is in its infancy.

Click for full size chart

For calendar year 2009, the electric and hybrid cars sold around the world contained a paltry 31 tonnes of lithium in their batteries worth a combined $182K (that’s a K not an m).  

Eleven years later, the industry had grown 3,330-fold for a value of $609m. Ok, that’s just having fun with the base effect, but measured just over the last five years the annualized value of lithium in EVs are up more than 1,000%

And that’s despite a contraction in 2019. Lithium price tripled between April 2015 and peaked three years later, only to tumble by 60% in value since then. 

Graphite was the first to peak in early 2012, but has since halved. The value of graphite deployed in EVs is up 370% in three years. And as a percentage of the index, graphite has in fact steadily increased its share.

The bigger picture is one of an industry that is still expanding. And at a breakneck pace.

Cobalts from the blue 

Given its tricky fundamentals, cobalt is always going to be a conundrum for investors and a headache for carmakers. 

It’s the priciest component and the most volatile. At its peak, Co made up as much as 55% of the cost of raw materials for batteries. Despite a plummeting price and ongoing thrifting, it still makes up a third of the input cost. 

 Given that almost two-thirds primary supply is from the Congo and more than 80% of processing capacity is located in China, cobalt’s spike to just shy of $110,000 a tonne in April 2018 was understandable. 

That 15 months later it was below $26,000, less so. 

At the stroke of a pen, Beijing can change market dynamics completely. Its subsidy cuts last year crumpled a market growing at more than 60% the year before. 

In February, Tesla – which in good months sells more battery capacity than its three nearest rivals combined – surprised cobalt and nickel bulls by opting for batteries at its Shanghai plant that forego both.

At the time of writing, the impact of the four Cs – cobalt-Congo-China-coronavirus – is far from clear. But as the graph shows, cobalt bulls had something to celebrate in the second half of last year.

Better than the devil’s copper you know   

Batteries account for only 6% of global nickel demand today, meaning investors buying into the sulphates story also take a hit when Jakarta convulses the nickel pig iron trade. 

MINING.COM’s inaugural index shows nickel setting a new monthly record at the end of last year, despite the sharp retreat in prices since September. 

The increasing use of nickel rich cathodes also means its contribution to the value mix has almost doubled in a year to more than 18%. 

As nickel-rich chemistries increasingly dominate the EV market, the average sales weighted value of nickel on a per vehicle basis is rising sharply – to over $100 in December from $67 a year earlier or from less than a quarter of the cost of the cathode’s cobalt to half that.   

The combined value of lithium, graphite, cobalt and nickel based on sales weighted average deployed per vehicle was under $600. 

When prices were peaking in early 2018 those raw materials cost more than $1,500 per vehicle. Not the battery, just the raw materials.

In the longer run, nickel for batteries could be as big a market as for stainless steel, which would be equivalent to gold’s use in electronics, becoming a $100 billion industry, from an afterthought today. 

Kalahari thirst 

Adamas data shows that NCM (nickel-cobalt-manganese) and NCA (nickel-cobalt-aluminum) cathodes had a 94% market share in December, based on  total battery capacity deployed globally. 

MINING.COM is not tracking manganese as EV dynamics have almost no bearing on its price. 

High-purity manganese sulphate usually sells at a healthy premium, but as a component of NCM batteries, no auto exec is losing sleep over manganese costs or supply.

Likewise aluminum, despite significantly higher use in EVs.

 That said, in an all-EV world battery-grade manganese demand could make the Kalahari desert, home to the oldest population of humans on earth and 70% of global reserves,  a point of contention not unlike cobalt and the Congo (minus the child labour and ongoing violent conflict). 

 We lose money on every sale, but make it up on volume 

 Call them giga or mega, your average battery manufacturing plant is huge.

 There are more than 100 megafactories in the pipeline around the world – 14 of them in Europe. 

MINING.COM’s prediction is that 2019 wasn’t only the first annual fall in the index, but also the last

 Last year battery power deployed rose 30% globally. In Europe, gigawatt hours hitting the road grew 89%. 

To feed those factories to power those cars requires the extraction of lithium, graphite, cobalt and nickel to increase by magnitudes.  

The MINING.COM EV Metals Index shows that the gap between future supply and future demand has become a chasm. 

MINING.COM’s prediction is that 2019 wasn’t only the first annual fall in the index, but also the last.

SOURCE: https://www.mining.com/mining-com-launches-ev-battery-metals-index/

LOMIKO Metals $LMR.ca Talks TESLA, Batteries, Graphite and The Decade of the Electric Vehicle Revolution at PDAC Booth IE2547 $CJC.ca $SRG.ca $NGC.ca $LLG.ca $GPH.ca $NOU.ca

Posted by AGORACOM at 9:27 AM on Tuesday, February 25th, 2020

SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals is focused on the exploration and development of minerals for the new green economy such as lithium and graphite. Lomiko owns 80% of the high-grade La Loutre graphite Property, Lac Des Iles Graphite Property and the 100% owned Quatre Milles Graphite Property. Lomiko is uniquely poised to supply the growing EV battery market. Click Here For More Information

  • TESLA REACHES $100 BILLION MARKET CAPITALIZATION WHILE MORGAN STANLEY PREDICTS $1200 LEVEL COMING SOON

Toronto, Ontario, Feb. 25, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Lomiko Metals Inc. (“Lomiko”) (TSX-V: LMR, OTC: LMRMF, FSE: DH8C) Lomiko Metals Inc. is pleased to announce that the company will attend the Prospectors & Developers Association Conference at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre March 1-4, 2020.  Lomiko will be at booth #2547 in the Investors Exchange portion of the Conference.  Lomiko is focused on developing graphite materials supply for the green economy.

Prospects for developing critical minerals mines in Quebec were buoyed when Canada and the US announced January 9, 2020 they have finalized the Canada-US Joint Action Plan on Critical Minerals Collaboration.  The Plan is aimed to secure a North American supply chain for the critical minerals needed for manufacturing sectors, communication technology, aerospace and defense, and clean technology.

Canada has significant resources of graphite, lithium, cobalt, aluminum, and rare-earths.

Media has also focused on Tesla in recent interviews with CEO A. Paul Gill who has consistently spoken about the coming change in consumer purchasing patterns.  In the last decade, range anxiety and concerns over infrastructure have limited the penetration of electric vehicles in the North American market and this has cast doubt on the potential of Tesla.  However, it is clear that those fears have been alleviated and with the onset of new electric vehicles from Ford, GM, BMW, Audi, Volkswagen, and others.

“Tesla stock price closing in on $ 1000 per share and its valuation has exceeded $ 100 billion.  This is a major indicator that investors think electric vehicles will become mainstream.  Every day, I see at least one or more. And every time I see one, I think about the battery it holds which contains up to 70 kgs of graphite.”, stated A. Paul Gill, CEO of Lomiko Metals, “That’s why Lomiko looked for projects with good infrastructure, high grades, and high carbon purity so we could make strides toward participating in the supply chain of electric vehicles with materials such as spherical graphite and graphite anodes.”

Mr. Gill has been interviewed on the Los Angles TV Show Big Biz and the Geekery Review in Salt Lake City, Utah focusing on Tesla, EV Batteries and Natural Flake Graphite.

Big Biz Show

The Geekery Review

For more information on Lomiko Metals, email: [email protected].

On Behalf of the Board

“A. Paul Gill”

CEO & Director

Attachment

A. Paul Gill
Lomiko Metals Inc. (TSX-V: LMR)
6047295312
[email protected]

New Charging Stations for Electric Vehicles Coming to Northern Ontario SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals $LMR.ca $CJC.ca $SRG.ca $NGC.ca $LLG.ca $GPH.ca $NOU.ca

Posted by AGORACOM at 12:29 PM on Friday, February 21st, 2020

SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals is focused on the exploration and development of minerals for the new green economy such as lithium and graphite. Lomiko owns 80% of the high-grade La Loutre graphite Property, Lac Des Iles Graphite Property and the 100% owned Quatre Milles Graphite Property. Lomiko is uniquely poised to supply the growing EV battery market. Click Here For More Information

An Ivy charger on display at the 2020 Canadian International AutoShow in Toronto. Ontario Power Generation photo
  • Ivy Charging Network aims to create the “largest and most connected electric vehicle fast-charger network” in the province.
  • The company is expected to install 160 Level 3 fast-chargers at 73 locations across Ontario, each less than 100 kilometres apart from one another on average, by the end of 2021.

Electric vehicle charging stations are coming to North Bay and Temiskaming Shores as part of a new province-wide network being developed by Hydro One and Ontario Power Generation (OPG).

Media releases from both Hydro One and OPG say they have launched a new company, Ivy Charging Network, which aims to create the “largest and most connected electric vehicle fast-charger network” in the province.

The company is expected to install 160 Level 3 fast-chargers at 73 locations across Ontario, each less than 100 kilometres apart from one another on average, by the end of 2021.

Natural Resources Canada has provided an $8-million repayable contribution, through its Electric Vehicle and Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Deployment Initiative, to help build the network.

The Ivy Charging Network opened its first location in Huntsville in September and an official public launch took place Friday at the 2020 Canadian International AutoShow in Toronto.

“We play a critical role in energizing life in communities across Ontario. This fast-charger network will create a better and brighter future through a greener transportation sector while meeting the evolving energy needs of our customers and all Ontarians,” Hydro One vice-president of customer service and Ivy Charging Network co-president Imran Merali said.

“By entering this growing market in partnership with OPG, Hydro One is expanding our product and service offering to deliver greater value for our customers, employees, communities and shareholders.”

Ivy Charging Network is a limited partnership owned equally by Hydro One and OPG.

The company has chosen Greenlots, a member of the Shell Group, as its service provider to operate and manage the network.

“Having delivered the world’s largest single climate change action to date with the closure of our coal stations, OPG’s clean power serves as a strong platform to electrify carbon-heavy sectors like transportation,” fellow Ivy Charging Network co-president and OPG vice-president of corporate business development and strategy Theresa Dekker said.

“That’s why we’re so pleased to be partnering with Hydro One on an initiative that will broaden the benefits of electrification and provide a reliable, integrated network while ensuring no additional cost to ratepayers.”

Nipissing-Timiskaming Liberal MP Anthony Rota applauded the news on Twitter, while Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry Navdeep Bains said the federal government is committed to supporting projects that will bring the country closer to a “competitive, zero-emissions transportation sector.”

He added that the network will ensure “Canadian-made solutions are at the forefront of solving the global climate change crisis, leaving our children and grandchildren with a healthier planet and cleaner air to breathe.”

SOURCE: https://www.nugget.ca/news/local-news/new-charging-stations-for-electric-vehicles-coming-to-northern-ontario

$LMR.ca The Media Is Waking Up to EVs and Battery Materials – Lomiko Metals $CJC.ca $SRG.ca $NGC.ca $LLG.ca $GPH.ca $NOU.ca

Posted by AGORACOM at 5:20 PM on Wednesday, February 19th, 2020

SPONSOR: Lomiko Metals is focused on the exploration and development of minerals for the new green economy such as lithium and graphite. Lomiko owns 80% of the high-grade La Loutre graphite Property, Lac Des Iles Graphite Property and the 100% owned Quatre Milles Graphite Property. Lomiko is uniquely poised to supply the growing EV battery market. Click Here For More Information

A. Paul Gill, CEO Lomiko Metals Inc. VP Business Development, appears on Michael Campbell’s MoneyTalks podcast, A financial show syndicated Canada-wide on the radio.

Money Talks – February 15 Complete Show: move forward to minute 14:22

https://omny.fm/shows/money-talks-with-michael-campbell/money-talks-february-15-complete-show