Will Hyundai Beat Toyota and Honda in Lithium-Ion Hybrids?

Juan Carlos Zuleta submits: In a previous article , I announced the imminent arrival to the U.S. market of Hyundai´s (HYMLF.PK) first conventional hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) equipped with lithium-ion batteries: The Sonata.

Juan Carlos Zuleta submits: I have long advocated the possibility of using lithium-ion batteries for conventional hybrid electric vehicles.

Juan Carlos Zuleta submits:Until recently, two things have distinguished hybrids from plug-ins (i.e. PHEVs, REEVs and BEVs): The batteries and the way they are recharged. In fact, most hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) still use low-capacity nickel metal hydride batteries which are rechargeable through a breaking regenerative mechanism only, while all plug-ins utilize high-capacity lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries which are mostly recharged by the electric plug. These differences have been thought to be unsurmountable.

By Juan Carlos Zuleta:This contribution is about "Build your Dreams" - BYD (BYDDF.PK), Warren Buffett's most famous investment in China. It's aimed at analyzing this company's possibilities of success in the introduction of Li-ion starter batteries into the micro-hybrid car market.

Juan Carlos Zuleta submits:As reported by The Wall Street Journal a few days ago, MC Capital Advisors and Global X Management Co.

The business of making cars is complex and, as the world has recently learned, vulnerable not only to swings in energy prices but also to the economy as a whole. Today, industry analysts are struggling harder to figure out  the short term than the future. “It’s an unbelievably volatile market right now,” says Rebecca Lindland of Global Insight. “It’s never been more difficult to project.”

Juan Carlos Zuleta submits:As recently reported by the Financial Times, South Korea's intention to commercially extract lithium from seawater by 2015 only underscores the increasing intensity of the lithium rush in the global lithium-ion battery industry.

Juan Carlos Zuleta submits: In the first part of this a rticle I reviewed and extended my discussion about the influence of oil prices on adoption of lithium batteries including a brief analysis of oil ETFs as possible investment options during the transition of the global automotive industry to electric propulsion.