Lithium
Canada Lithium* (CLQ : TSX-V : $0.64), Net Change: 0.01, % Change: 1.59%, Volume: 675,805
Lithium One* (LI : TSX-V : $1.53), Net Change: -0.02, % Change: -1.29%, Volume: 73,332
Rodinia Minerals* (RM : TSX-V : $0.49), Net Change: 0.03, % Change: 5.38%, Volume: 430,295
Western Lithium Canada* (WLC : TSX-V : $1.20), Net Change: -0.02, % Change: -1.64%, Volume: 77,106
Help the environment – drive a minivan! Canaccord Adams Senior Mining Analyst Eric Zaunscherb highlighted Tuesday that
Toyota (TM), previously a detractor of lithium-ion battery technology, has announced that it will launch a competitively priced
Prius hybrid minivan in 2011 using lithium-ion batteries. The batteries will initially be produced in-house but will shift to the
new joint venture plant being constructed with Panasonic. Mitsubishi is manufacturing the i-MiEV (Mitsubishi innovative
Electric Vehicle), currently available in Japan. Batteries are currently produced at the Kusatsu plant owned by the Lithium
Energy Japan (LEJ) joint venture between Mitsubishi and GS Yuasa in two lines producing 600,000 cells per annum. GS
Yatsua is installing a line at its Kyoto plant, which is expected to be in production in December 2010 at 1 million cells per
annum. LEJ has now decided to build a new JPY37.5 billion (US$408 million) plant in Ritto, Japan capable of producing 4.4
million cells per annum. By the end of 2012, the three plants, with a capacity of 6 million cells per annum, should be able to
supply the lithium-ion batteries for 68,000 e-cars. Although now joined at the hip, Renault (controlled by Nissan) and Daimler
(DAI) see the future in electrification but have competing visions when it comes to battery technology. Daimler will spend
US$2.7 billion over the next two years in that space while Renault-Nissan has budgeted over US$5.5 billion by 2011. Daimler
is working in partnership with Evonik of Germany and BYD of China, while Renault-Nissan is partnered with NEC of Japan,
but both are focused on lithium-ion battery chemistries. Zaunscherb’s favoured junior lithium names are Canada Lithium,
Lithium One and Western Lithium.