China, Oil and Lithium: Beijing to mass produce electric cars TNR.v, CZX.v, RM.v, LMR.v, LI.v, WLC.v, F, BYDDY, NSANY, DAI, RNO, GM, HEV, AONE, LUN.to

After groundbreaking Toyota move with Tesla, Daimler is pushing its way into Electric Cars mass market and in Asian market with BYD. Companies have announced a few cooperation ideas before and now it is the time is for the bold action and they are establishing a J/V. Auto Majors are buying time in Electric Car market battle field. Nissan is a clear leader on the pricing side for EV now and GM Volt will be first to market with Range Extender model alongside with BYD. Toyota has lost its time on Soft Hybrid side and Daimler was very cautious with its engagement in Electric Cars as well. Daimler has made an impressive Electric show at Frankfurt Motor Show last year, but real things were among Hybrids and Smart Electric to test the grounds with small town car. This concept model above was still at the prototype level at that time. Now BYD will get premium auto brand, safety and mass production technology and Daimler will get access to batteries, low cost production base and the market.

"Competition for Oil is heating up and aggressive move by China into Electric Cars leaves no other options for US than to follow. In order to keep power China needs gradually improve standard of living, it will bring upside pressure on labor cost. Electrification will not only provide Energy Security to China, but will significantly reduce the cost of its transportation element and provide another opportunity to stay among low cost producers. Situation is completely different to U.S. - they have capital to invest in Electric Mobility CAPEX now and rip the rewards of lower cash cost on transportation side later. We will refer you to the Economics of Electric Cars.
Recent Ash Cloud events in Europe brought a very sobering sense of the feeling to be grounded. It is amazing how many things are taking for granted. This time it is Ash Cloud - what will happen with oil above 150?
Electric Cars is the only commercially viable technology today to sustain mobility world wide with rising Oil prices. Lithium is at the heart of Green Mobility revolution - it is an industry adopted standard for batteries and billions of dollars are invested into battery technology and upcoming by the end of this year Electric Cars on a mass market scale. This Bull market is still very young - only a year or so from the beginning after the crash of 2008."

The Malay Mail:

Beijing to mass produce electric cars

Submitted by amir azree on Friday, May 28th, 2010
Friday, May 28th, 2010 11:04:00

ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY: The BYD Auto on show at the company's factory in Shenzhen

FRANKFURT: Chinese auto group BYD (Build Your Dreams) and German luxury car maker Daimler announced yesterday a joint venture to mass produce an electric car in China. A new research and development group to be called Shenzhen BYD Daimler New Technology Company will get an initial investment of around US$87 million (RM286m), a Daimler statement said. "We are well-placed with our new joint venture to make the most of China's enormous potential in electromobility," Daimler chairman Dieter Zetsche said. Daimler is to bring "knowhow in vehicle architecture and security" to the venture , while BYD will contribute "its competence in batteries and propulsion systems for electric vehicles," the statement added. The world's oldest automaker and one of the youngest aim to market the vehicle under a new jointly-owned brand, joining forces to target China's fast expanding urban market. Around 16 million autos are currently sold across the country each year. Launched just seven years ago, BYD Auto now claims to be the sixth biggest car maker in China and its future plans are focused on electric or hybrid vehicles, building on the experience of its battery-making parent group. The Chinese firm, in which US billionaire Warren Buffett holds a stake of 10 per cent, has already begun to sell its electric E6 model as a taxi in the southern city of Shenzhen and aims to distribute the car in Europe next year."

EVs mass market: $10k Electric car tax break proposed TNR.v, CZX.v, RM.v, LMR.v, WLC.v, LI.v, CLQ.v, SQM, FMC, ROC, NSANY, BYDDY, F, GM,

"The main open question is: will Electric Cars' adoption rate be correlated with Washing Machines' one or will it enjoy more explosive growth like Mobiles with rate of acceleration like iPods on the chart below? First, we will strike brutally and cynically (the way the Wall Street works): how can you compare washing machines and Cars? Even Electric ones? Cars are all about men, their personal social security space with a statement. How many of us discussed washing machines even the best ones? Brutal history about washing machines is that it was for the "best part" - to make her life better, it was not about status and not about statement - so it took 80 years to get to the 80% adoption rate. On a more serious note time has changed: it will not be about him all the time this time and it is not about U.S. only this time, but first back to iPod Moment."

We have another reason to believe that growth in Electric Cars penetration rate could be explosive: in all estimates government policy is crucial combined with lithium battery cost for mass adoption of EVs within next ten years.

DetNews.com:

Electric car tax break proposed

Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf buyers in select cities would get $10K incentive under Senate plan
David Shepardson / The Detroit News
Washington -- Buyers of the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf would be eligible for a $10,000 federal tax credit in some cities under a $10 billion Senate plan to boost electric vehicles.
House and Senate members on Thursday released similar plans intended to make electric vehicles more than niche models.
The House version would spend $6.6 billion, dedicating $800 million to five "deployment communities" to speed 700,000 plug-in vehicles into use and establish recharging networks. A Senate version would spend about $10 billion and grant $250 million to up to 15 communities.


The Senate version would extend the current $7,500 tax credit for 200,000 plug-in vehicles per manufacturer to 300,000. And it would boost the credit to $10,000 in those 15 communities.
That would further reduce the cost of the Volt, which will get up to 40 miles on a charge, and the fully electric Nissan Leaf, which will get up to 100 miles.
General Motors spokesman Greg Martin praised the bills.
"We appreciate Congress' foresight and interest in electric vehicles," he said. "With the Chevrolet Volt just months away from the showroom, we believe the timing is right to start working on policies that can accelerate early consumer adoption of advanced electric vehicle technologies."
Electric vehicles enjoy widespread support across the political spectrum.
"Republicans and Democrats agree that electrifying our cars and trucks is the single best way to reduce our dependence on oil," said Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., one of the sponsors.
Both bills would set aside billions more for research into batteries, research and tax credits.
The Senate bill also would create a $10 million prize for the first manufacturer of a battery that can get 500 miles on a charge.
Congressional aides have spent several months writing the bills. Members cited the recent Gulf oil spill as a factor in the urgent need to shift vehicles from oil to electric power.
Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., noted that the United States has 2 percent of the world's oil reserves but consumes 25 percent of the world's oil.
"This isn't a question of if, but when," Markey said, adding the bill would speed up the widespread use of electric vehicles. "It will drive the creation of jobs, domestic manufacturing and homegrown innovation."
The Senate bill would require that one of the 15 deployment communities be a rural area of fewer than 125,000 people and would "reflect diverse populations" and geography.
The Senate bill sets aside another $2 billion for grants and cost sharing -- local communities would have to provide 20 percent of the funding.
Communities and their business and utility partners would have to apply for inclusion.

From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20100528/AUTO01/5280349/1148/rss25#ixzz0pDCtrQjP"