You are already carrying around lithium in your pockets; it powers the battery of your smartphone. But much more than smartphone batteries, there is one use of lithium that is causing lithium demand to explode!
We’re talking about Electric Vehicle Batteries.
Love them or hate them, electric vehicles are the future. As environmental consciousness rises throughout the globe, more and more governments are providing incentives and mandates to increase electric vehicle usage.
The Electric Vehicle Revolution is Driving Lithium Demand through the Roof!
In July 2017, the United Kingdom and France announced that it would ban the sale of fossil-fuel-powered vehicles by 2040.
In September 2017, China, the world’s largest auto-market said that it would set a deadline for automakers to end sales of fossil-fuel-powered vehicles.
Here are some numbers to put things in perspective. In 2016, China sold 28 million cars out of total global car sales of 88.1 million. That means that China alone accounted for 32% of global car sales…. now imagine that every single one of those vehicles will soon be entirely electric.
Adding in UK’s 2.7 million car sales and France’s 2 million car sales in 2016, that means that the countries that together make up 37% of the global car market have pledged to become 100% electric.
Don’t forget that these are just the countries that have made such pledges to date, it is highly likely that more and more countries will pledge to end fossil fuel vehicles in the future.
Bloomberg New Energy Finance predicts electric vehicles will make up an astounding 54% of new car sales by 2040. Only a few months before, their forecast stood at 35%; which means that the current 54% forecast is on the LOW END!
Here’s the PROBLEM With All That Demand: It’s RACING Ahead of the Supply
The electric car revolution is upon us, but the suppliers can’t mine lithium fast enough! As a result, prices have SOARED!
Current annual production of lithium carbonate stands at 182,000 tonnes.
One Tesla car battery already uses 45 kg or 100lbs of lithium carbonate. Tesla intends to ramp up its vehicle production to 500,000 cars per year by 2018 and 1,000,000 cars by 2020. If Tesla hits its 500,000 car target by 2018, it is estimated that it will take up almost 14% of global lithium supply.
With lithium prices soaring, won’t the price of electric vehicles increase, thus decreasing its demand?
The answer is no! Even if prices increase by 300%, battery pack costs would only rise by a mere 2%.
So the only question that remains is:
HOW CAN YOU BENEFIT FROM THE DEMAND FOR LITHIUM?
Buying stocks in lithium mining companies is the obvious answer. But before you rush out to buy the popular lithium mining stocks, consider this:
The Market Already Knows About the Lithium Demand Surge!
The information above is NOT new or proprietary. What that means is that popular lithium mining stocks have ALREADY PRICED IN all the anticipated demand.
If you are thinking of investing in the lithium mining companies with mines in Australia (the world’s largest producer of the element) or in South America (Chile and Argentina account for 67% of global reserves), the easy money has already been made.
Everyone has already rushed to buy stocks in those companies. and prices of these companies have spiked, meaning that YOUR UPSIDE IS LIMITED FROM HERE.
What investors should be looking for are the ‘hidden gems’ that the market is just becoming aware of, and are onto new high grade discoveries.
Fortunately, there is one place that most investors aren’t looking at; a place that is more synonymous with maple syrup than lithium.
That’s right, it’s CANADA.
Unbeknownst to many, Canadian miners have been quietly scouting out suitable sites for lithium mining. Canadian lithium miners are the industry’s BEST KEPT SECRET. Most of them aren’t even on investors’ radars and their stock prices have remained relatively low due to underexposure.
But you are fortunate, because you now have the rare opportunity to invest in one of those ‘hidden gems’. An opportunity to invest in a company that has amazing potential and is on to a new high grade discovery.
92 Resources (TSX-V: NTY) (OTCQB:RGDCF) – A Canadian Lithium Pioneer
Here’s why 92 Resources is could become the next Lithium Canadian Miner.
HIGH QUALITY LITHIUM DISCOVERY
92 Resources Corp wholly owns a property called the Hidden Lake Lithium Property. This hidden lake is proving to be a ‘hidden gem’ for the company, and potentially for you! Here’s why:
92 Resources has a low market cap (just under $6 million) relative to others developing and exploring lithium pegmatites. Four pegmatites channel sampled to date from 350 to 800 m in length, up to 11.5 m in width with two additional lithium-bearing pegmatites identified.
Given the simplicity of the project, the company anticipates being able to advance the project quickly from discovery through development.
• The Hidden Lake Project encompasses 1,045 ha within the world-class Yellowknife lithium-pegmatite district, NWT.
• Lithium-rich pegmatites (Dyke #12) with up to 35% coarse-grained spodumene crystals
• Historic trench samples for Dyke #12 from 1.37 to 3.01% Li2O – confirmed during 2016 trenching
• Trend of known lithium pegmatites. Historic reports of high-grades and sizeable resources (Lasmanis, 1977)
Lasmanis (1977) summarized “Lithium Resources in the Yellowknife Area, Northwest Territories, Canada” and concluded:
“Detailed mapping and surface sampling of fourteen properties within the district has demonstrated the presence of 49,000,000 tons of rock to a depth of 152 m (500 ft) having an average grade of 1.40% Li2O. These resources could be developed if and when market conditions place a strain on available supplies.” *
Recently, on July 18, 2017, 92 Resources provided an update on the preliminary metallurgical program. Highlights included:
• Production of high-grade mineral concentrate of 6.16% Li2O at 79% recovery using standard spodumene flotation methods
• An average spodumene lithium content of 3.8% Li (8.2% Li2O) – near maximum theoretical limit
• Muscovite confirmed as the dominant mica, and correspondingly, has a low lithium content (less than 0.03% Li) – favourable for mineral processing
In the first benefaction test on the pegmatites comprising the Hidden Lake Project, the Company successfully produced a high mineral concentrate of 6.16% Li2O at 79% recovery.
The mineral claims on this site total 1,100 hectares and the lithium potential here is high grade.
The location of the of the Hidden Lake property is also fantastic, located just north of a main highway and only 40km away from the city of Yellowstone. The Yellowknife area has a long history of mine development including diamonds, gold and rare metals.
Although, 92 Resources Corp has yet to start the mining and is in discovery phase, intelligent investors will know that this is a unique opportunity, especially with surging lithium demand and soaring prices. The stock is considerably undervalued based on these excellent results from the preliminary metallurgical work program.
Conclusion: While everybody else is looking at already expensive stock, you have a select opportunity to invest in one that hasn’t taken off yet. In fact, at current prices, it’s literally a steal. The stock trades adequate volume on the TSX.V and holders should stay long.
Check out the latest press release.
92 Resources (TSX-V: NTY) (OTCQB:RGDCF)