EV mass market: GE and Better Place Partner to Accelerate EV Infrastructure Deployment GE, TNR.v, CZX.v, RM.v, LIT, LIT.v, LI.v, WLC.v, CLQ.v, SQM, FMC, ROC, TSLA, HEV, VLNC, AONE, GXY.ax, ORE.ax, F, DAI, NSANY, RNO, BYDDY

"Electric Cars are taking mass media by storm again and after Nissan Leaf and Obama endorsing lithium ion battery makers and GM Volt Shai Agassi takes the spotlight with his idea "Our Goal is Not to Build a Car Company, Our Goal is To End Oil".

  Finally, better place is getting some traction in the North American EV market place. It is a very important development for EV mass market. GE throws its weight, including financial mussels behind the Infrastructure for EVs - charging stations and battery financing options. Price of Lithium ion batteries and Range Anxiety - are the too main obstacles for wide adoption our Next Big Thing - Electric Cars - they have to overcome it in order to take the market by the storm. We are one more step closer today.

More on better place

MarketWatch:

GE and Better Place Partner to Accelerate EV Infrastructure Deployment

NEW YORK, Sep 22, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- GE /quotes/comstock/13*!ge/quotes/nls/ge (GE 16.51, +0.01, +0.07%) and Better Place, a leading electric vehicle (EV) services provider, today announced a technology and financing partnership to accelerate the global deployment of electric vehicle infrastructure through collaboration in four key areas: standards-based technology development, battery financing, joint fleet electrification programs and consumer awareness.

The partnership combines GE's global scale, broad technology portfolio, smart grid expertise, and its new WattStation(TM) electric vehicle charger with Better Place's EV services and infrastructure solution to create scalable solutions that power electric vehicles for nearly all consumers and fleet owners.

"GE values the power of collaboration and this partnership with Better Place is about large and small companies aggregating their strengths to advance electric vehicle infrastructure deployment," said Beth Comstock, GE senior vice president and chief marketing officer. "By integrating our WattStation with this service solution, we can help digital energy transform our roadways and provide a cleaner, more sustainable transportation alternative."

"Almost three years ago, Better Place identified the transformation from oil to electricity as the last massive 'digitization' of energy, and a significant economic opportunity globally," said Shai Agassi, Founder and CEO, Better Place. "Our collaboration with GE is another significant step forward for Better Place as we seek to assemble a formidable ecosystem of industry leaders including Renault, HSBC and now GE that can help us scale our model globally. Our team of partners is committed to accelerating the acceptance of electric cars as more affordable and more convenient than our gasoline heritage."

The partnership includes collaboration in four areas:

1. Standards-based technology: GE's WattStation(TM) will be compatible with the Better Place service network. Under the Better Place model, the ownership of the car and battery is separated, allowing EV drivers to avoid the heavy up-front cost of the battery and instead pay for miles and a more convenient, cleaner solution for personal transport. This partnership will allow consumers that manage charging costs under Better Place's network to easily charge their vehicles using GE's WattStation. Establishing charging uniformity for electric vehicle drivers, guarantees drivers can "roam" from one charge point to another under one seamless transaction for faster charging and a more convenient experience.

2. Battery Financing: GE and Better Place will develop a battery financing program that begins with a pilot project to finance 10,000 batteries in Israel and Denmark, which are the first two markets for Better Place. This financing will further drive the early EV market in those countries, helping to bring the first 10,000 electric cars to consumers there.

3. Fleet Electrification: GE and Better Place are collaborating to target fleet owners for pilot projects to test a comprehensive fleet electrification offering model in major city centers and connecting highways. The goal is to convert corporate fleet owners to electric fleets, so owners reap both the economic benefits of lower cost of ownership as well as reducing harmful carbon emissions.

Target pilot locations include cities in North America, including the San Francisco Bay Area, Honolulu, Hawaii, and Ontario, Canada, as well as cities in Europe, Asia and Australia. Better Place is already working towards initial network deployments in these markets, beginning in 2011.

4. Consumer Awareness: Better Place and GE, as part of its ecomagination initiative, will focus on raising consumer awareness to understand the economic and environmental value of widespread adoption of electric transport and the infrastructure that is needed so make that level of adoption a reality.

About GE's ecomagination

GE is driving a global energy transformation with a focus on innovation and R&D investment to accelerate the development and deployment of clean energy technology. Since its inception in 2005, more than 90 ecomagination-approved products have been brought to market with revenues reaching $18 billion in 2009. With $5 billion invested in R&D its first five years, GE committed to doubling its ecomagination investment and collaborate with partners to accelerate a new era of energy innovation. The company will invest $10 billion in R&D over five years and double operational energy efficiency while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption. As part of the initiative, GE launched "GE ecomagination Challenge: Powering the Grid", a $200 million financial commitment challenging innovators to join in building the next-generation power grid. For more information, visit the ecomagination website at http://ge.ecomagination.com/index.html

About Better Place

Better Place, the leading electric vehicle services provider, is accelerating the global transition to sustainable transportation. Better Place is building the infrastructure and intelligent network to deliver a range of services to drivers, enable widespread adoption of electric vehicles, and optimize energy use. The Better Place network addresses historical limitations to adoption by providing unlimited driving range in a convenient and accessible manner. The company works with all parts of the transportation ecosystem, including automakers, battery suppliers, energy companies, and the public sector, to create a compelling solution. Based in California and privately held, Better Place has operating companies in Israel, Denmark, and Australia. More information is available at http://www.betterplace.com."

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"Main message for us from Shai Agassi this time is that "China gets it". "Ones China does it - it is bound to happen everywhere"

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Now we can put our Lithium M&A fever into another prospective. Talison taking out Salares Lithium is a clever entry point by Chinese business backing Talison into the Lithium Brine business without making two many waves before they can secure new deals in the sector. Our idea about Second Leg of this Bull market in Canadian Lithium developers receives more confirmation on fundamentals and now we need to see the action in the market place. With all junior companies at the low base valuation from last year run we can have rally in the making already. Listen to Shai Agassi interview on video below, he has a good listeners already among Better Place's backers - HSBC, Lazard Asset Management and Morgan Stanley:"

We have another hint into the recent M&A activity in Lithium space. Talison deal with Salares Lithium confirms real Chinese appetite for Lithium.

Image via Wikipedia

Now it is time for Lithium Supply - China already controls 97% of Rare Earths market. Lithium output will be increased fivefold in Chinese Lithium province, but the real news is below from Reuters - it is only half of previously expected output and now Chinese companies are on the shopping spree among lithium developers. Who will be at the boardroom table next - only a few lithium brines plays are left without J/V partners and we are following here two of them: International Lithium and Rodinia Lithium. We expect M&A activity in lithium space to be continued during this summer months.


"Bill wants half of U.S. vehicles electrified by 2030
This is what we need to address dire consequences of Peak Oil. There is still time and technology available to us to electrify our transportation system. Electric cars are coming on the roads and Asian conglomerates are busy building Supply Chain for Electric Cars starting with lithium deposits. Will US Corp. finally awaken to this geopolitical problem?"

China Knowledge:


Qinghai to increase lithium output by 500% in 5 years


Jul. 23, 2010 (China Knowledge) - Southwest China's Qinghai Province plans to increase lithium output by five times to 30,000 tons over the next five years, as demand for electric vehicles powered by lithium cells surges, the Xinhua News Agency reported, citing a senior official from Land and Resources Department in the province.

The province has the largest reserves of lithium in China, with estimated reserves of over 17.65 million tons, and nearly 90% of the nation's total lithium production.

Reportedly, Citic National Security Lithium Technology Corp and Qinghai Lithium Co will be responsible for the production of the 30,000 tons capacity.

China recently surpassed Japan as the world's largest lithium battery provider. It also has about one-tenth of the estimated global lithium reserves, and is the world's third-largest producer of the metal."

Reuters:

China halves lithium plan, now sees only fivefold growth
Fri Jul 23, 2010 7:38am GMT

BEIJING July 23 (Reuters) - China's principal lithium-producing province plans to boost output of the metal fivefold in the next five years, half the level of its previous target, the China Daily reported on Friday.
China is the world's No.3 miner of lithium, used in the production of batteries, after Chile and Australia, and nearly 90 percent of its output comes from salt lakes in Qinghai province.

Qinghai produced 6,000 tonnes of lithium carbonate last year and planned to raise that to 30,000 tonnes over the next five years, the newspaper quoted Liu Shanqing, director of Qinghai's Land and Resources Department, as saying.

"The original plan was to have a capacity of 60,000 tonnes by 2015, but since extraction technologies are not that mature we have scaled it down to 30,000 tonnes," he said.

Liu said the bulk of production -- 25,000 tonnes -- was expected to come from Citic National Security Lithium Technology Corp, with Qinghai Lithium Co the other main producer. (Editing by Chris Lewis)"

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