Demand for lithium, nickel and rare earths is already skyrocketing
Have you heard of DeepGreen?
It is a Canadian company that wants to extract metals for electric vehicle (EV) batteries from rock formations found deep in the Pacific Ocean. Vancouver-based DeepGreen Metals Inc. announced that it will merge with Sustainable Opportunities Acquisition Corp. in the second quarter of the year.
DeepGreen’s valuation? $2.9 billion. The company does not even have a proven technology.
DeepGreen may be an extreme example but its unicorn status indicates the red-hot appeal of EV metals such as lithium, nickel and others. Some mining companies such as Lithium Americas (NYSE:LAC) have seen their stocks surge 200%…
Air mobility companies touch unicorn status but how real and viable are their prospects?
We are now well and truly in deep SPAC.
The ongoing trend of publicly-traded shell companies, known as special purpose acquisition companies or SPACs, acquiring or merging with startups had already hit the frothiest part of mobility — electric vehicles, self-driving AI, connected data. (You can check out my recent post on this trend).
Now the frenzy is making its way to more esoteric areas of transportation, such as flying cars. Joby Aviation, one of the leading companies in air mobility, is merging with Reinvent Technology Partners (NYSE:RTP) through a SPAC deal valued at $6.6 billion. …
Self-driving companies get the headlines but these under-the-radar startups have great potential for investors
When it comes to artificial intelligence, self-driving and autonomous tech receive all the attention in the world of mobility startups. There are many companies in this space. Most have blockbuster valuations and headline glory. Argo AI, Waymo, Pony.ai, Zoox (check out this list) — you are probably familiar with all these names.
But some new companies are bringing machine learning, artificial intelligence, and predictive action to other areas of mobility, while others are indirectly powering self-driving technology. These startups are often hustling in the background, without the star-studded status of a Waymo or a Cruise. …
Blank check companies are ramping up investment in mobility startups — even Goldman Sachs joining the fray (sort of)
If you keep up with business and technology news and you haven’t heard of SPACs, you have been probably been living under a rock.
A special purpose acquisitions company, or SPAC, is arguably the hottest financial and investment trend in North America right now. In 2020, there were nearly 250 SPACs accounting for about $84 billion in investments, compared to only $3.9 billion in 2015.
In layman’s terms, SPACs are public shell, or “blank check”, companies that do not have a product or service. They are specifically created by a group of investors with the intent of buying or pouring…
The EV wars are upon us. Elon Musk may not win them.
Who remembers Netscape?
I am going to date myself here but when I first started using the Internet in the mid 90’s, Netscape Navigator was Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer rolled into one. In 1995, the now defunct web browser had a whopping 80%+ market share. It pioneered the way we interact with information online and was far sexier in look and feel than other browsers of its time, e.g. Lynx.
At that time, Netscape seemed unstoppable but its dominance was short-lived. The browser onslaught that defined the turn of the millennium buried the Marc Andreessen-founded company. …
Detroit automaker’s 2035 all-EV plan is more than a marketing game
Mary Barra knows how to make a splash.
Early January, the General Motors CEO sent the autosphere abuzz with her company’s impressive virtual CES showcase — essentially redefining the way traditional automakers introduce their products. Then, a few weeks later, she dropped the real bombshell.
Her announcement that the Detroit automaker will stop producing internal combustion vehicles and go emissions-free by 2035 has already become one of the top stories of the year. …
A warts-and-all look at the state of electric mobility in Canada
[Part 1 of this article explored what’s working for Canada in the race for vehicle electrification. This part will look at what’s broken.]
See the chart above. It doesn’t paint a pretty picture for Canada.
The analysis comes from a report published in April 2020 by the International Council of Clean Transportation, a Washington-DC based group. Canada’s clean energy think tank Pembina Institute co-authored the study, which explores the country’s “position in the emerging global electric vehicle industry by analyzing sales and production trends for conventional and electric vehicles and comparing these trends to similar auto markets around the world.”
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A warts-and-all look at the state of electric mobility in Canada
Suddenly, there’s a spark in the Canadian automotive industry.
After years of production clawbacks and gloomy outlook, I was pleasantly surprised by the flurry of good news coming out of Ontario recently. In the past four months, both Ford and General Motors have confirmed a lineup of electric vehicles for their Oakville and Ingersoll plants respectively. There have been a few other wins, such as the renewed commitments for overall production in Oshawa, but the EV deals are more exciting. They are the Canadian automotive industry’s ticket to the future.
But how ready are we for electrification? Production announcements grab…
Timing may be key to the success of an “iCar”
Titan has risen. Again.
Not your average Greek god, but rather the much deified “Apple Car,” generally referred to as Project Titan.
This has happened every very few years since 2014. Some industry insider gets a whiff of some conversation about Apple’s automotive plans — and off we go. A Taiwanese newspaper recently reported that an Apple Car will be on sale by September 2021. Hyundai also released a statement that it’s in talks with the iPhone maker to build an autonomous electric vehicle, before backtracking from any specific reference…
Kumar Saha
Automotive strategist by day, culture hound by night.
