The Global Lithium Podcast

Mac Whale is back for another discussion of the lithium world, how he looks at markets, the impact of Covid 19 and how that has changed his analysis of future EV/lithium demand.  Mac discusses lack of investment in new lithium projects and how that will likely result in a future run-up in prices that may exceed the price spike of 2015-2016. I close the episode with my thoughts on why there was a very noticeable increase in the price of many lithium stocks in the last week and caution lithium investors not to fall into the trap of short term thinking. I also do a shout out to my daughter Cailin who shares a birthday (June 5th) with the late Breonna Taylor and was inspired to raise more than $10,000 in her memory to promote social change via BLM charities .

Recorded as part of Benchmark's #EVFest, this was the first live edition of the podcast that is now being released as three separate podcast episodes. The first installment is with Robert Mintak, the CEO of Standard Lithium and Andy Robinson the COO. We discuss their unique lithium project which leverages the brine output and infrastructure of the bromine operation of their partner Lanxess. A pilot operation with unique technology has recently started operating bringing a chance for the small town of El Dorado, Arkansas to have a significant position in the "new energy" economy on the one hundred year anniversary of the first major oil strike in that part of Arkansas which ultimately helped create the wealth of the Hunt family of oil, silver and Super Bowl fame. Listen and enjoy.

Dr. Rene LeBlanc is my guest for Episode 65. Rene is a PhD Chemical Engineer with extensive experience in the lithium/battery space. After a decade with Livent/FMC Lithium, Dr. LeBlanc moved on to Tesla where one of his responsibilities was evaluating potential lithium suppliers on a global basis. After a couple years at Tesla, Rene moved back to the lithium world where he now serves as Chief Technical Officer of Lithium Americas. In his current role, Rene brings his technical acumen to bear on LAC’s two world class lithium projects – Cauchari in Argentina and Thacker Pass in Nevada. I worked with Rene for several years. I consider Rene the world’s foremost technical expert in the production of lithium hydroxide as well as one of the most knowledgeable people on planet with respect to resource development whether it be brine, hard rock or sedimentary assets. We discuss the key criteria for lithium resource  evaluation, quality metrics, qualification protocols for  suppliers, reprocessing, the trade-offs of using various cathodes, future demand expectations for carbonate and hydroxide and more. It is my privilege to count some of the world’s greatest experts in lithium, cathode and battery as personal friends. Rene is certainly in that group.

The is a special double episode with one of the best minds in the lithium/cathode/battery arena – Dr Yuan Gao. I have been proud to call Yuan my friend for nearly a quarter of a century. In today’s episode we discuss new safety regulations for the China EV market that will take effect in January. The new rules will likely have an impact on cathode/battery pack choices in China – perhaps for several years. You will learn the details. The new content is about 30 minutes – as a bonus I have included episode 43 which was recorded in Santiago, Chile in June, 2019. Even if you listened last year, you will likely learn something new listening again. For new listeners, I absolutely recommend E43. I edited out first few minutes so it begins with questions rather than the lengthy intro.

In today's episode we hear how people from Australia to the US & Canada to Bolivia and the UK are coping with the global "lockdown" or "shelter in place" orders. Some names like Chris Berry aka "the voice of reason" and Alexi Zawadzki aka "the biggest feet in lithium" are well known to Global Lithium Podcast listeners. Other names such as Gene Morgan (Zelandez), Big Ben Ash (Benchmark), Alex Rubin (Bisley & Co) and Stu Crow (Lake Resources) a little less so.   The second half of the podcast is more traditional. I do two  brief interviews. The first with my daughter, Erin and her husband Joe. They live in New York, the epicenter of the virus in the US and are making the best of it. Due to a bandwidth issue and Zoom freezing for a few seconds there is a brief bit of "dead air".  The second interview is with my younger daughter Cailin who lives Los Angeles. Cailin is holding up well - working from her small apartment. I ask my daughters the same rapid fire question. The answers are strangely similar. The podcast closes with a brief and positive message from my former driver and current friend Philip Wu. According to Philip, the situation in Shanghai is quite normal now. Philip's advice to us is stay inside and wait it out.

This episode features five guests - each gives his unique perspective regarding how the Corona Virus is impacting where they live. We hear from podcast newcomer Alex Cheeseman of Altura Mining and four podcast veterans - Benchmark's Simon Moores, Mac Whale from Cormark, Daniel Jimenez and David Guerrero aka "the Last Samurai of Brine". In addition to the guest's commentary I provide some thoughts on the market and why I think those projecting large supply increases over the next 24 months have it wrong. In addition to this podcast I was also on the S&P Global Platts Battery Metals podcast which you can find here:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/battery-metals-podcast/id1418058093 

Much of the western world is still in the early days of dealing with the "Corona Virus Storm". China and Korea have shown us the storm will pass but it takes proper response and time to effectively deal with global outbreak. It is still too early to accurately predict the impact on the lithium, battery and EV markets but I share some thoughts on possible outcomes. I also give my thoughts on what I believe is a false narrative regarding China dominating the lithium, battery & EV markets.

I am repeating one of the top episodes from season one of the Global Lithium Podcast. Benchmark Mineral Intelligence's Simon Moores and Andy Miller are the guests. We cover the "Rise of Benchmark" discussing their place in the industry providing price insights and commentary critical to various battery industry stakeholders. You will learn about various types of lithium contracts, offtake agreements vs supply agreements and what makes an agreement "bankable". We learn why the deeply ingrained concept of "spot" price  is a misnomer. We discuss the different contracting philosophies of various industry players and how lithium, the Atacama and James Bond are connected. Before all that I also speak to recent price activity and some industry misinformation. And, yes, you will actually hear me say spot price in my comments when I should have said short term price.... mea culpa.

Dean Frankel from Solid State Battery developer Solid Power is back for a longer complement to the short part I we recorded a few weeks ago. We review what makes a battery solid state, discuss Solid Power's plans to bring a much higher energy density battery to market. We get into the battery components and the lithium intensity of various cell designs. Along with lithium intensity we discuss the lithium chemical raw material supply implications to accommodate a meaningful entry of solid state batteries into the EV market.  We review the options for getting lithium metal into a solid state battery and potential routes to the lithium sulfide which Solid Power will also require. Along the way we discuss the recent news stories that both BYD and Tesla have plans to implement a new LFP battery design to capture share in the EV market that were previously thought to require nickel cathodes. In addition to the LFP stories we discuss Dean's thoughts on GM's recent announcement about their NMCA plans.  The podcast ends with one of the more interesting rapid fire answers I have had.

Recorded on 2/29 in Tokyo. I discuss the recent LFP buzz after people learned that both BYD and Tesla plan to use a newly designed LFP battery which will have much higher energy density.  I also discuss the impact of the Coronavirus on the lithium world, supply chains, etc. My early 2020 demand forecast will have to be redone based on the impact of the virus. I am celebrating the 20th anniversary of moving my family to Japan today and talk a little bit about that.