- Demand for Electric Vehicles is Growing
- Lithium Producer Valuations are on the Rise
- Junior Valuations Likely to Follow
The die is cast. There is no turning back the legion of electric vehicles (EVs) now making inroads in our cities. Americans are warming up to the idea of driving EVs. As a result, EV sales, running at a rate well above 40 percent compared to 2016, could reach 200,000 in 2017. Tesla, of course, is in the vanguard of this EV invasion, followed closely by General Motors (GM) and Toyota; but practically every other auto manufacturer, including BMW, Fiat, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Mercedes, Nissan, Porsche, Volkswagen and Volvo, has gotten on board the EV wagon. This upsurge in EV sales is driving demand for automotive batteries and the lithium that powers them, which makes the lithium properties held by 92 Resources Corp. (TSX.V: NTY) (OTCQB: RGDCF) (FSE: R9G2) increasingly precious resources.
A recent article on NetworkNewsWire highlights how Lithium is Fuelling the New Millennium (http://dtn.fm/gZV5F). Apart from its use in automobiles, lithium is an essential component of the batteries that power the 8 million smart phones and other mobile devices now in use around the globe. Consequently, while the hunger for lithium will fluctuate in the short term; in the longer term, it is only likely to increase, as market signals indicate. Valuations of the leading lithium producers have been rising steadily. FMC Corp (NYSE: FMC) has appreciated by 87% over the past year; Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile (NYSE: SQM) has shot up by over 109% and Albemarle Corporation (NYSE: ALB) has climbed some 62%.
As stock prices of the senior mining companies fully encapsulate the promising outlook for lithium, it is only a matter of time before the attention turns to junior exploration companies like 92 Resources. The company presently holds two lithium rich properties, at Hidden Lake and at their Corvette Property in Quebec. The Corvette Property is geologically situated within the Guyer Greenstone Belt and consists of 76 claims, totaling 3,891 hectares. The Corvette project has returned high-grade samples of 3.48% and 7.32% Li20 from spodumene bearing pegmatite exposed at surface. The Hidden Lake Lithium Property, located approximately 40 km northeast of the city of Yellowknife, NT, consists of two mineral claims, totaling approximately 1,100 hectares. It is highly prospective for spodumene-bearing lithium pegmatites, with samples indicating between 1.37% and 3.01% Li2O. The very high grades of lithium have been attributed to observed concentrations of coarse-grained spodumene and crystals of up to 36 inches long were also noted, with visual estimates across the dyke(s) in some places of 20 to 35%.
However, there’s more to 92 Resources than Hidden Lake and Corvette. The company recently acquired three new properties, believing it’s critical to maintain a pipeline of additional high quality, early staged lithium pegmatite projects, each with the potential as stand-alone properties. The new deposits are sited at Corvette, Eastmain, and Lac du Beryl, and consist of 115 mineral claims on a combined 14,710 acres, all rich in pegmatite. Pegmatite is a type of crystal-heavy igneous rock, and is a good source of ‘hard rock’ lithium, which represents about one-third of all global reserves.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.92Resources.com
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