Ford, CATL, LFP Batteries -- Boggles The Mind On So Many Levels -- Must Drive Trump Nuts -- May 31, 2025

Locator: 48652BATTERIES.

Bill Ford's message to the US Congress.

Link here.

From the linked article: 

For low-cost, mass-market electric vehicles, lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries are a clear favorite. They skip pricey materials like nickel and cobalt, offer reasonable energy density, better thermal stability and last far longer.

U.S. automakers want to build them here, but they can’t do it without federal subsidies and China’s help. Now, as those subsidies are under the woodchipper, Ford’s joint battery plant with Chinese battery maker CATL in Michigan is on shaky ground. That could spell trouble for its affordable EV plans.

**************************
Michelle Obama and Women's Reproductive Health

Michelle was wrong on so many levels. 

Link here https://www.foxnews.com/politics/michelle-obama-facing-backlash-over-claim-about-womens-reproductive-health. 

You will have to "copy, paste and go."

I wonder if this link works. It does.

I wonder why it's called the "miracle of life." 

Is this what she feels about her own motherhood, that it really did not mean that much to her. But "reproductive health," for example research in ovarian cancer is a more important meaningful and/or gender equality is more important than the miracle of life?

****************************
The Book Page

In spite of the really bad review of this book by another author, this book is really, really good. 

Pioneer Girl, Laura Ingalls Wilder, The Annotated Autobiography, Pamela Smith Hill, Editor, c. 2014.

I bought it o a whim -- $5.00 -- mint condition -- a "library withdrawal book" -- and am more than pleasantly surprised.

It is such an incredible book on so many levels.

Six New Permits; Three DUCs Reported As Completed -- EV Battery Factory Proposed For Arizona Scuttled; CEO Resigns; Remains On Board -- February 4, 2025

Locator: 48473B.

Batteries: proposed battery factory for Arizona scuttled, link here --

**********************************
Back to the Bakken

WTI: $72.70.

Active rigs: 35.

Seven new permits, #41576 - #31582, inclusive:

• Operators: XTO (6); Empire North Dakota
• Fields: Hofflund (Williams); Starbuck (Bottineau)
• Comments:
• Empire North Dakota has a apermit for a Hornbill well, lot 2, section 1-160-79, 
• to be sited 400 FNL and 1350 FEL;
• XTO has permits for six HBU Marmon / HBU Marmon Federal wells, SESW 13-154-95,
• five wells to be sited 697 / 796 FSL and and 2002 / 2114 FWL,  and the sixth well, 400 FNL and 1350 FEL;

Three producing wells (DUCs) reported as completed:

• 36268, 169, BR, George 4A MBH, Mckenzie County;
• 36269, 169, BR, George 4B TFH, Mckenzie County;
• 36833, 1,867, XTO, HBU Muller 31X-12G2, Williams County;

A dry hole reported:

• 32669, dry, Petro-Hunt, Sophus 16-20HS, Divide County;

GM And Lithium Americas Close Deal On Nevada Mine -- Update -- December 23, 2024

Locator: 44518BATTERIES.

In all the stock market clutter today, this may have been the most overlooked story:

Link here.

Four Reuters Headlines For Investors -- December 20, 2024

Locator: 44490LNG. 

Tag: Nvidia NVDA LDC batteries EVs electricity Northvolt Run:ai 

GM -- Batteries -- Archives -- December 11, 2024

Locator: 48375EVS.

For more background, see this post.

GM -- EV Batteries -- November 23, 2024

Locator: 44398BATTERIES.

November 23, 2024: link here.

From the linked article:

General Motors cut its stake in a maker of rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles.

GM Ventures, a unit of GM’s General Motors Holdings subsidiary, sold 13.3 million shares of SES AI on November 15, 2024, for $2.7 million, an average of 20 cents per share.

GM Ventures now owns 9.8 million shares, according to a form GM Holdings filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Coupled with GM Holdings stake of 9.9 million SES AI shares, GM now has overall ownership of 19.7 million SES AI shares, a stake of 6.2%.

Of the SES AI shares owned by GM, 2.1 million shares held by GM Ventures and 836,826 shares held by GM Holdings are restricted earnout shares that GM has the right to acquire upon achieving certain stock-price performance targets.

In response to a request for comment, GM provided this statement: “GM Ventures is beginning the process of reducing its investment position in SES following a fruitful multiyear collaboration that includes the company’s public listing, and the completion of our joint-development research. These actions are consistent with GM Ventures practice after a portfolio company’s successful listing.”

Much more at the link.

Lithium Update -- October 28, 2024

Locator: 48668LITHIUM.

Lithium in Nevada (Elon Musk): from last week.

Pretty hilarious.

Today, link here. 

Texas: home of so much lithium we'll never run out!

Meanwhile, how much lithium do we really need? Link here. Lithium demand doesn't just decline, it tanks:

Is GM's Barra An Outlier -- Is She On The Wrong Side Of History -- Or Simply A Genius? October 22, 2024

Locator: 48635EVS.

Start with GM's 3Q24 earnings. Incredibly good. Gives them "room to run" on EVs.

Meanwhile, others, which takes you to this link:

Volkswagen reported mediocre first half 2024 financial results with the manufacturer indicating it cannot rule out potential plant closures in Germany, analysts at Morningstar DBRS, a global credit ratings business, said in a research note titled "Are Electric Vehicles Short-Circuiting? Auto Manufacturers Revise Electrification Strategies After Slowing Demand."

However, the analysts also said that in accordance with with "tightening environmental legislation across most jurisdictions worldwide, EVs remain poised to eventually represent much of the global automotive fleet, with automotive original equipment manufacturers highly relying on EVs to attain their future environmental targets."

In addition to the Volkswagen example, Ford Motor Company recently said it would cancel its planned three-row all electric sport-utility vehicles along with other strategic electrification updates.

And General Motors has lowered its planned 2024 EV production to range from 200,000 units to 250,000 units, down from an initially planned range of 250,000 units to 300,000 units, according to the report.

GM also said it will delay the expected launch of the first EV model for its Buick brand.

One of the challenges the automotive industry faces is that after an early wave of EV adoption from buyers drawn to the new technology, higher prices for EVs than traditional internal combustion engine models have prevented buyers from purchasing EVs.

"With EV sales to early adopters now seemingly exhausted, EVs are struggling to maintain ongoing sales momentum among mainstream consumers," the report said. In other words, we've not reached the tipping point, or said another way, we're still not in the upslope of the "S-curve."

EV purchases also remain closely tied to the availability of subsidies, according to the analysis, which noted that "it is not surprising to observe that, across many markets, the slowing demand for EVs has followed a decline in applicable subsidies and incentives in these regions." Europe has had their fill of EV subsidies, for example.

Despite some recent price reductions by automakers, on average an EV is $10,000 to $15,000 more expensive than a comparable conventional ICE vehicle, although this is less of an issue in China, where over 60% of EVs are priced below conventional vehicles, according to the International Energy Agency's World Energy Outlook 2024.

Many US states continue rolling out subsidies to help decrease the price discrepancy between EVs and ICE vehicles. For example, New Jersey recently offered incentives of up to $4,000 for the purchase or lease of a new battery EV and up to $250 for buying an eligible EV charger.

Range anxiety also remains an issue, according to Morningstar, particularly at lower temperatures when batteries can be less efficient.

At the end of the day, the real headwinds:

• the concept of being tethered; and,
• Americans experience with batteries.

Much more at the link. 

So, all things being equal, we can follow F vs GM, mano a mano. 

Journaling -- May 18, 2024

Locator: 47114EVS.

EVs, rambling: I don't drive much any more. In fact, if I didn't have Sophia to chauffeur to friends' parties; jiu-jitsu; or, soccer, I could probably give up my car completely. My own cars I only drive locally. If I take a road trip, I always rent from Enterprise -- they have a site about four minutes from where we live.

When I do drive, and this has been the way it's been since I got my first car -- a 1948 Willys jeep -- back in high school,  when I get home, I don't think about the car. I drive up to the house, park the car and get out. I don't think about the car until the next time I go out to drive it. No fuss, no muss, with the car on most days.  Annual maintenance, oil change, state inspection and registration, new tires every so often, and a new battery every so often. And that's it.

I don't think about gassing up -- re-fueling -- whatever. On the way home, I take a glance at the gauge, and if I need gasoline, I stop at one of any number of gas stations along the way, almost no matter when I am. The stop takes five minutes and I'm good-to-go for the next week or so, unless traveling cross-country.

“Along the way.” I don’t need an app to find a gas station.

But my perspective with regard to EVs. Just the opposite. Tethered. Always thinking about the battery. On the drive home -- every day -- every time I'm driving -- I would be checking the battery gauge. It's no different than looking at my battery every so often when I'm on the laptop. When will I need to plug it in? Will I be going somewhere later today where I will need to have a fully charged computer? Same with an EV. Not only every time I get into the car, but throughout the trip, I would be looking at the battery gauge. 

And, then, before calling it a day, I need to decide whether I need to charge the car overnight, either in the garage (and worry about an in-garage battery fire) or at a public charging station -- where the next one might be; will there be a charger available; will the charger work; how long will I need to charge the EV? Is it safe to leave the car unattended overnight in some dark parking lot on the edge of town?

Tethered to a battery.

It’s no longer about the car. It’s no longer about range, per se. It’s about the battery. Everything wrapped up in the battery.

I think about that almost every day, trying to understand  why EVSRNFM, and then I saw this in the news feed this morning:

 *************************
Journaling

I've kept journals since middle school. My longest continuous journal went from summer between my junior year and senior year in high school to medical school graduation, 1968 - 1977. About nine years.

In addition, a lot of my journaling was in the form of letters sent from college and graduate school to my parents. My mom kept all those letters, kept them organized, and are safely stored in the bat cave. 

Then in the USAF for 30 years plus a day, I kept multiple journals, covering different activities, permanent duty stations and temporary duty locations.

Then with the grandchildren, any number of photo albums for each. 

I continue to journal but it's a bit different now that I blog.

Anyway, here's a few of my journals and photo albums down in the bat cave.

This is my most treasured journal for form and function, and detail. It was one of many kept at the time. First entry, San Antonio, January 23, 2006; final entry, August 6, 2006. I would have had two or three other journals covering specific subjects running concurrently.

Here's a sample of what the journal looks like on the inside. I opened the journal and randomly came to the entry for May 2, 2026. We were stationed in San Antonio, TX, with just a bit more than one full year yet to serve, before retiring. I was surprised by the entry; it could have been written today, LOL:

• depressed over some family news
  
• Hamas
• Puerto Rico
• investing
• oil prices
• the Fed and inflation concerns.

EV Implosion -- December 20, 2023

Locator: 46362EVS.

Link here

The electric-vehicle reckoning continues: Panasonic has decided against building an electric-vehicle battery plant in Oklahoma.

It’s a significant announcement from a large EV player. Panasonic is the fourth-largest independent EV battery maker on the planet, according to SNE research, with market share approaching 10%.

It’s another sign that car companies were simply too aggressive with EV plans in 2021 and 2022—auto makers have paid for overpromising in 2023 and will continue to pay in 2024.

”Panasonic Energy is always exploring growth opportunities and evaluating ways to strengthen our business and advance the EV industry in the United States,” said a Panasonic spokesperson in an emailed statement. The Oklahoma project was part of that exploration, but the company has decided against developing the project.

Batteries: link here. Scorecard, EVs. 

Tesla wannabees, today:

• Lucid, Nikola, Fisker: all fell ten percent
• Rivian: fell five percent

CATL, EVs, And All That Jazz -- October 2, 2023

 Locator: 45622EVS.

Update -- Much More To The Story

Link to Forbes.

The chairs of the three most powerful House committees have threatened to subpoena Ford if it does not provide documents detailing a deal with China’s CATL battery maker. Ford cannot ignore this request, and it might even force them to back out of the deal. It’s already pressed pause on a new $3.5 billion battery plant in Michigan.

It’s not clear what Ford will do after this, but the experience illustrates how turbulent the electric vehicle (EV) transition might be.

In 2021, President Biden announced an executive order that directs government policies to ensure 50% of all new passenger vehicle sales are electric by 2030. This year, the administration proposed that the figure increase to two-thirds by 2032. These are ambitious targets—the electric vehicle (EV) share of the new vehicle market was just 7% for the first half of this year. Getting from 7% to 67% by 2032 in a commercially viable way is going to take a massive reallocation of people, capital, and resources.

Such a monumental transition would be challenging even in the best of times. Today’s EVs are powered by lithium-ion batteries. Coupling and growing the two industries together comes with many challenges, including investing in new capital equipment, forming new business ventures, licensing the know-how, and ensuring they have the right people in place.

Mining and processing the raw materials for these batteries so far has largely been done outside of the United States. Ford found a way to domestically manufacture EVs by licensing battery cell technology from China’s CATL, a world leader in lithium iron phosphate battery technology. The arrangement was announced in February 2023 and allowed for Ford’s wholly owned subsidiary in Michigan to manufacture the battery cells using CATL’s LFP battery cell knowledge and services. In other words, Ford will control a 100% ownership stake in the plant while licensing the know-how.

Now, congressional concerns over CATL’s ties to the Chinese Communist Party have led to the subpoena, and Ford has halted work at the Michigan battery factory. It’s unclear if they will resume.

Original Post -- Some Weeks Ago

Ford halts construction of $3.5 billion EV battery plant in Michigan:

• why Barron's says this is a big, big deal; link here; link here, also;
• "Michigan" can't be happy
• how many union jobs lost or "put on hold"?
• Ford re-thinking this EV thing?
• UAW - Ford, GM, Stellantis -- circular firing squad
• UAW planned / plans for months (plural)-long strike and will gradually expand

EV 101 -- August 10, 2023

Locator: 45415B. 

 Updates

December 10, 2023: nice update.

August 27, 2023: tech writer for The WSJ buys an EV for the family. The "buying experience" here at "YouTube." Exactly why EVs will not catch on for a long, long time.

Original Post

I know very little about car engines, but when shopping for a new car, all I need to know is mpg. One number. Okay, two: city / highway.

• I never ask about range
• I never ask about the kind of pump I need to use
  

I know nothing about electricity and nothing about EVs, but when shopping for a new car, I need to know:

• type of connector
• type of charging station
  
• the size of the tire which affects range
• range on a fully charged battery (see below)
• a very cold day
• a “normal” day
• a very hot day
• level charging station: level 1, 2, or 3
• how long does it take to fully charge the vehicle
• how do I know when it is optimally charged? What is the optimal charging range?
  
• advertised range vs actual range (this is more relevant than you will ever realize until after you’ve bought the car);

This is how I understand it (right, wrong, or indifferent) now. This is how I would explain it to Sophia, subject to editing, correcting, and adding more information as I get a better understanding and as technology, batteries, charging stations evolve over time.

The links:

• EVs: the difference between kW and kWh;
• scam: $115,000 Ford Lightning: link here.
• EV energy ratings. Link here. 
• EVs with longest range; depends on size of the tires: 18"; 19"; 20"; 21"
• there are 70 cars in this list, supposedly every EV available, ranked worse to best "efficiency"
• #70: the worst: the 2021 Hyundai IONIQ Electric
• #62: the 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EV
• #54: the 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV
• #1, the best: 2022 Audi 3-tron S 21"
• #3, third best, the 2022 Rivian R1S (large pack) 21"
• among the top 12: Audi (4); Rivian (2); Porsche Taycan / Taycan (6)
• charging your EV;
• charging stations;
• level 1 vs level 2 charging stations;

This is the most important graphic. It doesn't require any understanding of anything; just keep the graphic in you mind. 

What to note in the graph:

• the left side of the graph/chart: 
• the charging stations you see in parking lots around town
• measured in kW (you don't even have to know what a kW is -- just know that's how EV charging station ports are "rated;
• in the example: one charging port is rated at 7.5 kW; the other charting port is rated at 60 kW
• some existing ports are now rated higher than 60 kW
• as time goes on, the ratings will increase in size (power)the right side of the chart:
• this is your car, your EV
• when you talk to your dealer or to you friend, you will ask about / talk about the "size of the battery" or the "battery's energy" -- or whatever the phrase is
• if you don't have much money, the EV you buy will have a battery with a lower energy rating, such as 15 kWh in this example;
• if you are rich, you will be able to afford an EV with a "bigger battery" -- such as 120 kWh in this example
• like most things in life (but not golf scores), bigger is better
• buy the "biggest" EV you can afford

Charging: in the graph above -- 

• when you pull into a charging station, the greater the rating of the charging station, in this case 7.5 vs 56, the faster you can charge your EV
• so, why doesn't everyone just plug into the the charging port / station with the higher / highest rating, 56 in this case
• you can't plug your cheap little EV into a charging station that has too much power for your little pathetic EV
• so, in the example above, if your pathetic little EV is rated at 15 kWh, it cannot plug into a charging unit with a higher rating. 
• so, in the example above, you can only plug your 15-kWh-rated pathetic little EV into the 7.5-kW-rated charging port / station

And that's all you need to know.

Except for this, in the graph above: the small print.

In the graphic above, the bigger car rated at 120kWh pulls up to the charging unit rated at 60kW. The car takes a charge for two hours. Two (2) hrs x 60 kW = 120 kWh which is what the bigger car in the graph above is rated. 

So, a "big" car with a rating of 120 kWh can be fully charged in two hours if plugged into a charger rated at 60 kW.

If that "big" car with a rating of 120 kWh pulls into a charging station rated at 7.5 kW, it will take .... 120 / 7.5  = 16 hours to fully charge.

Okay, so that's all you need to know.

But there's a lot more one can know if one is interested.

We shouldn't have to say this but an EV rated at 120 kWH can "last longer" (longer range, all things being equal) than a pathetic little EV rated at 15 kWh.

 

*******************************
Charging Stations

Level 1 vs level 2 vs level 3 charging stations

 

Level 1

• 120 volts — AC
• your garage
• absolutely worthless

Level 2

• 240 volts — AC
• can be installed in your garage
• In the Target parking lot
• at 60 kW, two hours to “achieve” 120 kWh, so four hours to fully charge a soccer mom’s SUV

Level 3

• 480 volts — DC
• not at your house, ever

************************
Connectors

 

Connector type: non-Tesla

• J1772: level 1 and level 2
• CCS1: level 3

NCAS for all Tesla models: link here.

***************************
Miscellaneous

Other facts / factoids / opinions / comments:

• hybrids are fake EVs -- they are the worst thing one can buy in the "EV family" but Ford is now transitioning to hybrids ... more on that later. Ford will sell a lot of hybrids, as well as Toyota will. That's good for the car companies but bad for you; really bad for the roads (but you won't care about that); and really, really, bad for the environment (again, something you won't care about. You will be happy just knowing that you are part of the EV community.
• Ford is "going all out" with hybrids. Link here.
• charging stations prone to “breaking down”; generally, outside of big cities, if the charging station you visit is “out of order,” you are really “out of luck.” If you thought running out of gas is bad, you haven’t experienced the seventh level of hell until you experience a dead battery and a broken charging unit.

Ford Is Reorganising Its E-Mobility Approach In China -- Electriv.Com -- August 3, 2023

Locator: 45309EVS. 

Earlier: "Most interesting story we might see today: link here. Stand-alone later." Archived.

Here's the story. Read every line of this story very, very closely. No sugar-coating from what I can see. 

This is in the world's biggest EV market and where EVs have been sold for quite some time now.

Ford has adjusted its electric car strategy for the Chinese market. The core of the reorganisation is that the company Ford Electric Mach Technologies (FMeT) for the development of electric vehicles will no longer operate independently in the future.

The subsidiary FMeT was founded in China less than a year ago and was not only responsible for the development of new electric cars, but also for the distribution of the currently only e-model – the Chinese version of the Ford Mustang Mach-E. In the meantime, the independence of Ford Electric Mach Technologies is already history again: 

As first reported by the portal Yicai Global and later confirmed by Ford, FMeT was integrated into Changan Ford, Ford’s general China joint venture with Changan Automobile, on 1 August 2023.

This means that Changan Ford will take over sales of the Mustang Mach-E electric model with immediate effect, with nearly 300 dealers in 70 Chinese cities. The sales network for the electric car is thus almost tripled. 

According to insiders, the reason for the change in strategy is the weak sales of the electric car. The sales figures of the Mustang Mach-E in China are so bad that it is difficult for the separate company to accept losses in the long run. An article from China even reported that only 60 units were sold from January to April. Officially, the integration into Changan Ford is due to “Ford’s strategic transformation and business realignment in China”.

Last October and this spring, Ford reduced the prices of the Mustang Mach-E in China in two stages by a total of 68,000 yuan (about 8,700 euros). In the meantime, the E-SUV was available at prices starting at 209,900 yuan, which is equivalent to about 28,600 euros. However, the discount campaign apparently did not boost sales sufficiently. 

According to Yicai Global, 33 Mustang Mach-Es were sold in China in April (i.e. during the price reduction, which lasted until 30 April). This means that more than half of the modest total sales from January to April can be attributed to the discount campaign.

Together with the realignment, a step that has so far been rather unusual in the car industry was also announced: 

Changan Ford will replace and upgrade the processor for the digital cockpit free of charge in all Mustang Mach-Es delivered in China so far. Until now, the older Qualcomm Snapdragon 820A chip was installed. This will be replaced with the Snapdragon 8155, which is now standard in many mainstream models in China.

The Mustang Mach-E for China has been built by Changan Ford at its Chongqing plant since October 2021. In China, Ford relies on battery cells from CATL. 

The Mustang Mach-E for North America and Europe is built in Mexico and uses battery cells from LG Energy Solution’s Wroclaw plant in Poland.

Globally, Ford’s electric vehicle business also continues to post large losses. Therefore, the target of building 600,000 electric cars globally has been pushed back by one year from the end of 2023.

Unmitigated disaster.

The next question: will Ford do the same for its North American operations?  In fact, they already have, but Ford reports EV sales and earnings separately from the parent company, though Ford's quarterly earnings include both, if that makes sense (the way I wrote it).

Tesla Has Won! The Race To Market The "Holy Grail": A Universal EV Supercharger -- June 20, 2023

Locator: 44981ECON. 
Locator: 44972INV.
Locator: 44837MUSK.
Locator: 44837EVS.
Locator: 44837INV.  

Updates

Later, 1:31 p.m. CT: Rivian partners with Tesla. 

Original Post

On a day the market is down, TSLA continues it's "win" streak.

News today: Hyundai is next in line to join GM and F in declaring TSLA the winner of the global universal supercharger race.

Link here.

I'll add this to this post. And, of course, to this post, one of my best ever posts, along with my original posts on Netflix and Devon, and to some extent, more recently Apple and Nvidia. Whoo-hoo.

The Electric Company -- June 3, 2023

Locator: 44837MUSK. 
Locator: 44837EVS. 
Locator: 44837INV. 

Updates

June 20, 2023: Hyundai, next? Update. Tesla has won.

Jun 18, 2023: update. 

June 8, 2023: GM and Tesla partner.

Locator: 44874TSLA.

Huge story, from the viewpoint of an amateur investor:

• TSLA: one step closer to the "holy grail." Announced today. At this link:
• with the charger partnership between Ford and Tesla, we are one step closer to a universal charger. GM, right now, has a huge, huge, huge problem. The board has to be losing sleep over that Ford-Tesla-supercharging partnership.
• problem solved; one step closer to the "universal supercharger."

June 7, 2023:

June 4, 2023: on top of everything else, Tesla vehicles again qualify for the tax credit.

June 4, 2023: Ford needed this badly and Elon Musk doesn't do things half-ass. This is huge. The Ford-Tesla partnership on the Tesla supercharger.

June 4, 2023: the world reacts to this news.

Original Post

This slide continues to haunt me.

I plan to open a position in TSLA -- that's the lingo they use on CNBC.

In a sidebar discussion with a reader, the reader -- a much, much better investor than I could ever be -- says that for me to invest in TSLA goes against all my rules on investing.

My not-ready-for-prime-time reply:

**********************
Background

I agree completely. It goes completely against my rules. If I were to invest in TSLA -- I'm still sitting on the fence -- it would be my first real exception since I started down this road.

This is going to be a long rambling note, some of it added since I "talked" with the reader.

First, the graphic above. That's a 10-year return. That's not a six-month or even a two-year return.

Second, we've just come out of a two-year lockdown / slowdown / pandemic -- it's hard not to compare this period with what happened in 1946 - 1956 or thereabouts. I can accept the argument that, "true, but on a much lesser scale," but I'm not easily going to roll over on that "on a much lesser scale" qualification. Things move a lot more quickly now and there's a huge amount of "money" activity in the US right now. 

Stimulation money continues to work its way through the system and now we have the IRA, which easily could have been drawn up by MAGA policymakers. Yes, it included renewable energy but one needed to get the bill passed.

Third, "everyone" seems to suggest that the US is woefully behind on infrastructure -- in almost all sectors, except perhaps commercial real estate. And, that's not going to change; folks will return to offices sparingly and grudgingly. But I digress. To repeat,"everyone" seems to suggest that the US is woefully behind on infrastructure.

Fourth, the graphic above.

Fifth, the other day (yesterday) I mentioned the three greatest entrepreneurs in my lifetime, and asked readers to name the outlier among the three: Jeff Bezos, Steve Jobs, and Elon Musk.

Sixth, I have no plans to invest in the outlier in this case. 

Seventh, the outlier is not Elon Musk.

Eighth, when I get the time, I will post a graphic of the companies of which those three entrepreneurs are associated.

Ninth, philosophy of those three. Which also leads back to the outlier. 

Tenth, in a sense each of the three is an outlier.

***********************
Cults

It's interesting how folks talk about Elon Musk and Tesla. Include me in that group. "We're" all idiots thinking we "know" Elon Musk and Tesla. That was the paradigm change for me. 

"We're" all in a "cult" when it comes to Elon Musk / Tesla. Some of us are in the "pro-Elon-Musk cult"; others are in the anti-Elon-Musk cult." And it seems those cults are based on "personality" for lack of a better word right now -- but all cults are personality-based so it might be as good a word as any.

By the way, that's also true with regard to AAPL. Some of us are in the "pro-Apple cult"; others are in the anti-Apple cult." [CNBC is definitely in the anti-Apple cult but there's a reason for that. They're in another cult.]

So, let's step back. Leave the cult. Exit "cult-thinking."

************************
Tesla

First, Tesla is so much bigger than "Tesla" now. Tesla isn't just vehicles on four wheels and batteries. I don't know what all falls under "TSLA" for investment purposes, so I'm out of my depth here but that's okay. 

Second, Tesla is so much more than "Tesla" now. At the turn of the century -- 19th/20th --  Standard Oil -- or whatever it was called -- controlled vertically and horizontally the entire fuel distribution system for land vehicles in the US. Fact check me on that. Hold that thought.

Third, Elon Musk is the richest man in the world. The [London] Guardian, June 1, 2023. He is the founder, or the CEO, or the product architect, or the chief engineer, or the co-founder, or the angel investor of the following companies:

• Space X (chief engineer, and CEO)
• Tesla (product architect, and CEO)
• Twitter (owner, CEO)
  
• Boring Company (founder)
• Neuralink (co-founder)
• OpenAI (co-founder)
• Musk Foundation (president)

Fourth, TSLA market cap: $670 billion. #9 on list of largest publicly traded companies by market cap. Link here.

• AAPL: trending toward a 3-handle
• MSFT, Saudi Aramco: 2-handle
• GOOG, AMZN: 1-handle
• NVDA, BRK, META, TSLA: 0.5 trillion handle

and that's it.

Fifth, NVDA is a proxy for AI. ChatGPT is Open IA.

Sixth, EVs have reached the tipping point. No longer are we asking whether EVs replace ICEs within the investing lifetime of Gens X, Y, Z, and A. We're just asking in which "Gen" it happens.

Seventh, Standard Oil didn't make its money in vehicles. The company made its money on supplying fuel for the vehicles.

Eighth, for those who drive EVs, the "holy grail" is a universal charger.

Ninth, with the charger partnership between Ford and Tesla, we are one step closer to a universal charger. GM, right now, has a huge, huge, huge problem. The board has to be losing sleep over that Ford-Tesla-supercharging partnership.

Tenth, CarPlay (AAPL) is in "every" American car except Tesla. Fact-check me here. 

Incidentally, quick! Name the semiconductor chip company / card company that is perhaps the primary "manufacturer" of chip / cards needed for autonomous driving, outside of Tesla. Hint: it's on the list above -- tied with with TSLA with a 0.5 trillion handle for market cap. Fact check me on that.

A digression: look at the list above. Eight companies. One outlier. Engineers. The Mind of a Bee. Cross-pollination. Sexual reproduction. Evolution. The Reign of Mammals. The first four billion years. The last 300,000 years.

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Possibilities

It's hard for me to believe that The Electric Company won't be bigger than TSLA some day. 

The Electric Company:

• a spin-off of TSLA, 2030
• real-estate: recharging stops along the freeways will each take up many acres of real estate
• batteries: TSLA engineering
• charging stations: TSLA engineering
• universal plugs: TSLA patent / TSLA engineering
• TEC's "play-watch-eat" centers

Quick: who just bought a huge amount of interstate real estate destined to be EV charging centers. Hint: the buyer would have bought the entire company but the seller wanted to keep 20%).  The buyer was largest acquirer of US real estate in 2022.

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Supercharging Networks

GM/EVgo at GM website, undated:

GM is helping accelerate infrastructure growth by working alongside EVgo to make available more than 2,700 fast-charging stations by the end of 2025. EVgo’s fast chargers deliver convenient, fast charges to EV drivers on the go. The first GM and EVgo sites are now live, and we’re currently on track to have approximately 500 fast-charging stalls live by the end of the 2021.

GM, EVgo, and Flying J / Pilot:

To accelerate the widespread adoption of EVs, increase access to charging and help enable long-distance electric travel of people and vehicles across the U.S., GM and Pilot Company (Pilot and Flying J) are collaborating on a national DC fast charging network that will be installed, operated and maintained by EVgo through its eXtend offering.

This project demonstrates how public and private entities can come together to build out the nation’s charging infrastructure, particularly along American highways, connecting urban and rural communities, the East and West Coasts and different metropolitan areas. This network of 2,000 charging stalls, co-branded “Pilot Flying J” and “Ultium Charge 360”, will be powered by EVgo eXtend and open to all EV brands at up to 500 Pilot and Flying J travel centers.

GM customers will receive special benefits like exclusive reservations, discounts on charging, a streamlined charging process through Plug and Charge and integration into GM’s vehicle brand apps providing real-time charger availability and help with route planning. This collaboration is expected to enhance America’s EV driving experience.

The Pilot and Flying J travel centers plan to feature numerous fast charging stalls provided by EVgo, including high power fast chargers capable of offering up to 350 kW1. EVgo, which is also working with GM to add more than 3,250 fast chargers in American cities and suburbs by the end of 2025, was chosen as a strategic collaborator due to its expertise in building, operating and maintaining DC fast charging infrastructure.

Tesla supercharging network:

• With 45,000+ Superchargers, Tesla owns and operates the largest global, fast charging network in the world. 

Ford charging network:

Plug into a standard 120V outlet with the Ford Mobile Power Cord or power up at one of over 84,000 public chargers throughout North America with the Blue Oval™ Charge Network. Another EV perk? Access is complimentary for the first three years

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Brand Names

Tesla:

• number one selling car in the world, 2023: Tesla's Model Y

Ford:

• has the number one selling vehicle in the US -- the F-150
• Ford Mustang Mach-E SUV

Disclaimer: this is not an investment site.  Do not make any investment, financial, job, career, travel, or relationship decisions based on what you read here or think you may have read here.

All my posts are done quickly: there will be content and typographical errors. If anything on any of my posts is important to you, go to the source. If/when I find typographical / content errors, I will correct them. 

Again, all my posts are done quickly. There will be typographical and content errors in all my posts. If any of my posts are important to you, go to the source. 

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Seeking Alpha: Losing The Margin Crown
But Protecting Its Market Share

Link here.

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Info War

Link here.

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Ticker

F-150 Lightning -- Jump In Price -- ZeroHedge -- December 19, 2022

Link here.

The base version of the Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickup now starts at $56,000, more than 40%, or about $15,000, over its original listing price earlier this year, according to Electrek. Ford hiked prices in August and October. 

Electrek discovered the stealth price hike after visiting the order page of the Detriot-based automaker's website. The configuration and base price of all EV Lightning variants is shown below. 

"Interestingly, the prices of the other versions of the F-150 Lightning haven't increased with this update. The cheapest way to get a Lightning with the longer-range extended battery pack is still the XLT, starting at $81,000," Electrek said. 

There was no explanation by Electrek or Ford about the price hike. However, we pointed out several days ago that lithium-ion battery packs jumped in price for the first time since BloombergNEF began tracking. 

Tickers:

• TSLA: down $2.00; trading at $148.
  
• RIVN: up slightly; trading at $22.52.
  
• LCID: up 4%; trading at $7.10
  
• RIDE: down 8%; trading at $1.20
  

GM: Three New Battery Plants Planned -- $2.5 Billion -- Deccember 14, 2022

This may be old news. I may have blogged about it before. I forget.

From WXYZ, Detroit ABC, GM joint venture gets $3.5 billion load to build three battery plants, including one in Michigan. 

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Gasoline Demand

Link here.

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California -- Electricity Demand .... And Cost

Link here.

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GDPNow

Link here.

For EV Batteries: The Graphite Story Gets Tedious -- August 28, 2022

Link here.

There won't be a shortage of graphite and it won't be expensive.

Disruptive:

• EVs: link here. Scorecard.  
  
• graphite

For The Archives -- Lithium-Sulfur Batteries -- July 28, 2022

This seems a bit bogus but we will post it for the archives and see how this plays out.

Link here.

Lithium-sulfur batteries?

Sodium-sulfur batteries?

After decades of study and billions of dollars spent on R&D for EV batteries, I have a natural (healthy?) skepticism of "an accidental discovery."

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The Apple Page

Link here.

Apple is opening a new development site in Jerusalem, Israel, to develop new Apple silicon chips for future Macs.

Over time, chip companies will marginalize China. 

GM -- EV -- Detroit, Lansing -- $3 Billion -- December 10, 2021

Link here.

• GM - $3 billion
• two EV-related projects
• suburban Detroit, Orion Assembly plant: hub for its electric pickup trucks
• $2 billion; 1,500 jobs
• Lansing, MI
• 50-50 joint venture between GM and LG Energy Solutions
• battery partner
• $2 billion split; 1,200 jobs

Obvious questions:

• source of semiconductor chips?
• software partner?
• who will do the software design work?

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A Musical Interlude

Time for the head phones and loud music.

All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down, Mavericks