The Global Lithium Podcast

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.

Episode 11 was recorded in Salta, Argentina in June 2018 as one of two "Father's Day" episodes. One of my all time favorite episodes, my guests are lithium experts: Dr Daniel Galli, his son Carlos Galli and the "Last Samurai of Brine" David Guerrero. They do a great job of simplifying some of the complexities of producing lithium chemicals from brine. I do a short intro discussing what I feel are the key takeaways from this episode.  I also tell "speed listeners" how far to skip ahead if they prefer not to listen to the "intro banter" of the old podcast format. In any case - listeners will come away with a better understanding of brine chemistry and what REALLY makes Battery Quality lithium chemicals.   I am off to Battery Japan next week. Expect a podcast from the "Land of the Rising Sun".

In preparation for a planned March podcast recording with Solid Power's Dean Frankel,  we decided to test the quality of recording on Zoom's video conferencing platform. What was planned as a combination "sound check" and the recording of a trailer (another first for this podcast) morphed into Part One of a two part discussion.  We find out how Dean came to work at Solid Power.  We learn what defines "solid state" and the potential for better safety performance along with increased energy density. We move on to Solid Power's thinking regarding both their target market and the roadmap to commercialization. Next we delve into ongoing development challenges and finally touch on the lithium raw material implications in a solid state battery world. During rapid fire, you will hear from Solid Power newbie Will McKenna.  "Part Two" will be recorded in March.

In this episode we discuss the recent announcement by Lithium Americas regarding a transaction with their partner Ganfeng Lithium. The agreement  will result in benefits to both parties. Guests Mac Whale of Cormark and LAC CEO Jon Evans will give their perspective on the deal.  Note: Mac misspeaks on the project valuation implied by the 1% of the project Ganfeng is purchasing. (1% at $16 million = a valuation of $1.6 billion).  I also discuss the recent run-up in Tesla stock and caution lithium investors not to get too excited about the likely short term impact Tesla's performance has had on certain lithium stocks. I wish Luke Kissam, CEO of Albemarle, "Godspeed" in dealing with his recently disclosed health issue. I also briefly discuss the coronavirus and potential impacts it may have on 2020 in the lithium world. 

One of my objectives in starting the Global Lithium Podcast was to use it as a tool to learn from the best minds in the industry. After recording over 50 episodes, a great deal of valuable knowledge has been disseminated by my guests. Beginning this week I will, on a bi-weekly basis, repost some of the best episodes and provide  commentary on what I feel the major "take aways" are. Although the lithiumpodcast.com website is still available, eventually all the episodes with guests will appear on this platform with updates and additional comments. Although I personally know many of my guests well, I learn something new each time I listen and I believe your experience will be the same. I appreciate that listening to podcasts a second time isn't for everyone which is why "Archive" episodes will be stated upfront. The Ganfeng "Not Lost in Translation" episode is one of the best not so much for the technical information revealed but more it is a "rags to riches" story about how initially one man's vision and later a "dynamic duo" can change an industry by defying conventional wisdom. I learn from Li Liangbin and Wang Xiaoshen each time we meet. It has been a privilege to watch my two friends have great success and to have been in a small way part of that success.