RE: RE: financing
The reasons people aren’t buying EV’s are probably a bit more complicated than the cost of the batteries, although that certainly plays a major role. Another major concern would probably be a real lack of charging stations/infrastructure, so you’re usually going to be limited to the travel range of the car in one day, making long trips impossible with a dedicated EV.
Buy a hybrid and you’re paying for two propulsion systems; you get mobility but you have a more complex machine. A pure EV should cost less (you’d think) since it’s simpler; this doesn’t seem to be the case yet.
I don’t pretend to know the exact amount of lithium carbonate that goes into a dedicated EV car battery, but let’s presume that it’s around 500 kg. The cost for that much LCE is going to be around $3,000 give or take. A battery can cost upwards of $10,000, so the materials cost is really not the driving force behind the high pricing. Even if you cut the cost of LCE in half, the battery cost would likely drop very little.
Electric motors are very simple and relatively cheap to build for the amount of horsepower compared to a combustion motor equivalent. The cost of an EV should be much less than it is. Until the price reflects that, coupled with more acceptable battery costs and available charging stations spread throughout the world, I think the EV/hybrid market will grow at a slower rate than would be expected if those hindrances were removed. Just my humble opinion.
I certainly don’t plan to buy an EV that I can only commute with but can’t drive on vacation. Maybe if petroleum prices really rocket higher that will change, but unless it more than doubles in price I think the cost benefits won’t be there to make the switch. Having said that, I still believe in lithium long term, and do hold shares in junior brine producers, although not in LAC yet. LAC’s prices are starting to get to a level that have gotten me interested though, I think it’s about time to pull the trigger and buy some.
I certainly feel your pain watching the price spiral down, my position in Rodinia has gotten beaten in the last month as well. This won’t last forever, commodities will be in demand long after world currencies collapse (if indeed that happens).