The price difference between electric vehicles and their conventional petrol/diesel peers – a key obstacle to widespread EV adoption – is closing at an accelerated rate.

Affordability = more EVs on the roads = more demand for battery metals like lithium, cobalt, graphite, nickel and copper.

According to a new BloombergNEF study, electric cars and vans will be cheaper to make than fossil-fuel vehicles in every light vehicle segment across Europe from 2027 at the latest.

But for some this will happen sooner.

In the US, Ford’s all-new “powerhouse” F-150 Lightning pickup truck will start at below US$40,000 ($51,000) – not far off its ICE counterpart on cost.

Now an all-electric van made by Buffett-backed Chinese automaker BYD will be sold in Australia for ~$35,000 by September this year.

That’s about the same price as an ICE equivalent, the company says.

“With our products, electric vehicles have now reached price parity with combustion engines, so a switch to EVs makes perfect economic, commercial, environmental and moral sense,” said Luke Todd, CEO of Aussie BYD distributor TruGreen.

“Aussies will soon be seeing these vehicles on their streets en-masse.”

Here’s how ASX battery metals stocks are performing

Scroll or swipe to reveal table. Click headings to sort. Best viewed on a laptop:

CODE COMPANY 1 WEEK RETURN % 1 MONTH RETURN % 6 MONTH RETURN % 1 YEAR RETURN % PRICE MARKET CAP
TKL Traka Resources 94 82 35 247 0.031 $ 15,700,417.11
DEV Devex Resources 46 58 37 204 0.41 $ 103,168,651.60
SYA Sayona Mining 42 22 433 655 0.044 $ 197,097,555.60
PGM Platina Resources 38 14 93 232 0.083 $ 31,473,486.98
ESR Estrella Res 30 23 -38 713 0.065 $ 59,719,367.05
GBR Greatbould Resources 30 150 166 371 0.13 $ 45,807,831.03
AML Aeon Metals . 27 27 -27 12 0.095 $ 58,270,996.52
BUX Buxton Resources 26 69 88 52 0.12 $ 15,646,374.68
LTR Liontown Resources 23 37 98 346 0.535 $ 909,554,990.50
MAN Mandrake Res 21 8 116 632 0.205 $ 69,102,832.04
BKT Black Rock Mining 19 31 129 257 0.19 $ 125,348,075.65
COB Cobalt Blue 19 1 280 230 0.38 $ 96,913,770.33
GED Golden Deeps 18 8 -13 86 0.013 $ 9,298,217.28
QPM Queensland Pacific 18 4 210 767 0.13 $ 141,953,709.00
NKL Nickelx 18 0.165 $ 8,827,500.00
RLC Reedy Lagoon Corp. 18 -5 54 400 0.02 $ 9,400,523.32
VMC Venus Metals Cor 18 8 -5 14 0.2 $ 29,460,343.19
MRC Mineral Commodities 17 9 -30 17 0.245 $ 104,935,561.33
ARR American Rare Earths 16 1 -15 345 0.089 $ 29,749,132.69
AQD Ausquest Limited 14 9 33 85 0.024 $ 19,756,555.94
VML Vital Metals Limited 13 -5 74 392 0.059 $ 232,637,052.70
QXR Qx Resources Limited 13 0 0 6 0.017 $ 10,263,959.46
JRL Jindalee Resources 13 0 254 896 2.94 $ 153,803,422.08
GXY Galaxy Resources 13 2 79 379 3.82 $ 1,941,771,371.52
CHN Chalice Mining 13 27 126 842 8.76 $ 3,005,211,420.31
PLS Pilbara Min 13 6 79 411 1.215 $ 3,548,697,149.20
INF Infinity Lithium 12 -61 -46 35 0.075 $ 29,796,437.14
ALY Alchemy Resource 12 27 6 39 0.019 $ 12,772,625.61
AXE Archer Materials 12 -10 44 23 0.77 $ 179,699,054.07
MLX Metals X Limited 11 22 222 197 0.2675 $ 231,352,847.09
AZS Azure Minerals 11 -5 -70 219 0.3 $ 92,425,716.30
VUL Vulcan Energy 11 -6 230 2539 7.39 $ 833,785,741.44
POS Poseidon Nick 11 13 1 132 0.072 $ 188,230,795.08
SBR Sabre Resources 10 10 -50 38 0.0055 $ 9,256,850.07
ADV Ardiden 10 -15 -48 144 0.011 $ 21,493,542.16
JRV Jervois Mining 10 27 87 226 0.57 $ 481,374,618.00
ARN Aldoro Resources 9 -8 145 274 0.355 $ 27,709,090.04
LEG Legend Mining 9 -11 20 -20 0.12 $ 316,840,607.92
EGR Ecograf Limited 9 7 254 799 0.62 $ 278,524,744.58
GAL Galileo Mining 8 16 42 39 0.32 $ 45,076,879.58
PAN Panoramic Resources 8 8 24 90 0.1675 $ 338,400,810.66
ORE Orocobre Limited 8 0 59 173 6.61 $ 2,268,001,694.48
PLL Piedmont Lithium Inc 8 -13 124 600 0.84 $ 490,040,134.00
IXR Ionic Rare Earths 8 -40 100 211 0.028 $ 89,499,186.39
LPD Lepidico 8 -30 75 75 0.014 $ 72,630,317.65
EUR European Lithium 7 -6 30 -14 0.06 $ 53,234,329.43
AGY Argosy Minerals 7 0 38 38 0.094 $ 116,275,268.47
G88 Golden Mile Res 7 -32 21 49 0.064 $ 8,961,172.99
GL1 Globallith 6 0.26 $ 23,578,612.44
HAS Hastings Tech Met 6 -5 17 67 0.175 $ 295,537,395.22
CZN Corazon 5 5 -22 -19 0.039 $ 7,919,111.62
NIC Nickel Mines Limited 5 -7 -5 87 1.005 $ 2,565,329,632.02
LYC Lynas Rare Earths 5 5 50 170 5.505 $ 4,991,975,327.66
BAR Barra Resources 5 16 -31 29 0.022 $ 14,907,378.22
LIT Lithium Australia NL 4 -4 107 131 0.12 $ 104,118,575.57
MIN Mineral Resources. 4 -3 40 137 44.85 $ 8,662,981,573.80
IGO IGO Limited 4 4 59 55 7.575 $ 5,762,808,056.93
BEM Blackearth Minerals 4 -11 184 221 0.125 $ 26,263,619.13
STK Strickland Metals 4 19 -73 108 0.025 $ 19,116,565.88
NMT Neometals 4 -5 110 189 0.505 $ 280,855,901.99
VR8 Vanadium Resources 4 -4 104 240 0.051 $ 21,340,649.36
PAM Pan Asia Metals 4 -7 -19 0.13 $ 6,860,482.20
ASN Anson Resources 4 -18 84 26 0.059 $ 53,655,458.52
CNJ Conico 3 0 -19 329 0.03 $ 25,849,644.19
AVZ AVZ Minerals 3 -11 67 142 0.155 $ 462,426,428.00
IPT Impact Minerals 3 -13 -25 18 0.0165 $ 32,380,718.70
TLG Talga Group 3 4 -22 296 1.565 $ 488,200,148.66
SRL Sunrise 2 -5 -16 16 2.27 $ 212,614,427.34
PNN PepinNini Minerals 2 4 53 46 0.26 $ 11,655,455.24
CWX Carawine Resources 2 -12 4 44 0.26 $ 27,766,925.01
SRI Sipa Resources 2 -20 -21 8 0.056 $ 10,136,158.84
RXL Rox Resources 2 -9 -34 34 0.0335 $ 78,015,767.84
PUR Pursuit Minerals 1 3 400 1242 0.075 $ 65,453,758.04
MOH Moho Resources 1 14 -21 6 0.083 $ 8,262,032.16
HXG Hexagon Energy 1 -41 46 35 0.089 $ 39,695,230.60
BHP BHP Group Limited 1 0 24 36 47.99 $ 141,872,203,135.04
MCR Mincor Resources NL 1 -2 1 38 0.97 $ 417,234,244.75
RNU Renascor Res 0 -13 508 564 0.073 $ 139,024,662.25
BSM Bass Metals 0 -14 50 50 0.006 $ 26,308,741.82
REE Rarex Limited 0 -17 -33 47 0.087 $ 38,231,001.95
AOU Auroch Minerals 0 0 28 201 0.205 $ 55,705,612.80
CTM Centaurus Metals 0 4 23 164 0.74 $ 255,246,226.08
AUZ Australian Mines 0 -10 31 104 0.018 $ 75,267,623.15
ATM Aneka Tambang 0 0 0 0 1 $ 1,303,649.00
AJM Altura Mining 0 0 0 56 0.07 $ 209,037,029.25
LML Lincoln Minerals 0 0 0 60 0.008 $ 4,599,869.49
NTU Northern Min 0 -17 0 40 0.035 $ 169,447,003.81
CXO Core Lithium 0 -16 281 411 0.24 $ 287,658,727.23
CLA Celsius Resource 0 8 2 258 0.043 $ 46,078,035.56
PRL Province Resources 0 -23 1275 2038 0.17 $ 176,385,569.76
OZL OZ Minerals -1 5 56 168 25.47 $ 8,449,318,694.98
SGQ St George Min -1 -14 -34 -22 0.082 $ 48,313,656.83
BSX Blackstone -1 1 6 155 0.37 $ 117,800,427.45
INR Ioneer -1 -13 18 179 0.335 $ 682,803,433.44
TMT Technology Metals -1 -1 -11 97 0.335 $ 51,811,429.67
MNS Magnis Energy Tech -2 -24 58 270 0.285 $ 251,173,191.07
SYR Syrah Resources -2 -15 16 229 1.02 $ 515,517,623.10
ARL Ardea Resources -2 -2 11 53 0.49 $ 63,835,291.00
LPI Lithium Pwr Int -2 -25 -33 54 0.2 $ 61,720,895.50
WKT Walkabout Resources -3 -48 9 50 0.18 $ 68,604,056.10
ARU Arafura Resource -3 -9 52 105 0.16 $ 193,178,825.90
S2R S2 Resources -3 -3 -42 52 0.16 $ 47,233,676.85
ESS Essential Metals -3 -7 2 -27 0.088 $ 17,671,922.40
HWK Hawkstone Mng -3 -26 190 263 0.029 $ 49,076,799.21
RFR Rafaella Resources -4 -4 30 23 0.096 $ 15,453,788.45
AVL Aust Vanadium -5 -21 46 90 0.019 $ 55,673,017.47
EMH European Metals Hldg -5 -14 61 406 1.19 $ 159,720,376.95
GLN Galan Lithium -5 -23 75 327 0.64 $ 160,532,589.35
SLZ Sultan Resources -5 47 8 83 0.265 $ 18,426,613.09
LKE Lake Resources -6 -16 249 571 0.255 $ 266,880,684.46
FGR First Graphene -6 -8 -10 68 0.235 $ 124,118,248.80
BOA Boadicea Resources -8 22 27 53 0.29 $ 18,643,723.80
ADD Adavale Resource -8 44 65 493 0.089 $ 25,526,445.56
PSC Prospect Res -9 0 7 71 0.145 $ 57,874,007.42
TON Triton Min -10 -3 -18 -20 0.037 $ 40,840,850.41
GME GME Resources -12 -14 -12 53 0.051 $ 28,400,213.43
HNR Hannans -14 -14 0 20 0.006 $ 16,519,840.34
FFX Firefinch -17 6 145 304 0.38 $ 290,219,693.13
VRC Volt Resources -20 39 220 88 0.032 $ 80,931,155.43
MLS Metals Australia -25 -40 -25 0 0.0015 $ 6,340,782.07
TNG TNG Limited -28 -39 -37 13 0.06 $ 79,967,810.56
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DEVEX RESOURCES (ASX:DEV)

Following a ~$8m share placement, $115m market cap Devex now has $17.6 million in the bank to accelerate exploration across its project portfolio.

Proceeds will partially go towards drilling the ‘Sovereign’ nickel-copper-PGE project in the Julimar region of WA.

Expanded air-core drilling is now testing the intrusion that lies between Chalice Mining’s (ASX:CHN) Julimar discovery to the south and Caspin Resources’ (ASX:CPN) Yarawindah Brook project to the north.

Results will pave the way for deeper reverse circulation/diamond drilling later in 2021, Devex says.

The explorer is up ~35% over the past six months.

 

SAYONA MINING (ASX:SYA)

Sayona Mining and Piedmont Lithium’s (ASX:PLL) joint company changing bid for the mothballed $400m North American Lithium (NAL) mine looks to have been successful.

Brett Lynch sounded very confident of a successful bid in an interview with Stockhead in April, and now we know why.

The project administrator confirmed that it will support the filing of a motion with the Court for the approval of Sayona’s joint bid for NAL with Piedmont (Sayona 75%, Piedmont 25%).

There are still some hoops to jump through. In addition to the approval of the Court, the transaction remains subject to completion of definitive agreements, shareholder approval and other necessary regulatory approvals.

 

ESTRELLA RESOURCES (ASX:ESR)

The #5 best performing resources stock of 2020 rerated on a spectacular, “completely blind” intersection at Carr Boyd on October 8.

Estrella was in the news last week with more sulphide rich drill-core unveiled from its ‘T5’ target at the  Carr-Boyd nickel discovery near Kalgoorlie.

“We have not lost sight of the fact that T5 is only one area in a much larger magmatic system, and that other trap-sites for nickel-copper sulphides have historically been identified within the Carr Boyd Intrusive Complex,” Estrella managing director Chris Daws said last week.

“We will be pressing on with exploration of all these areas in due course.”

 

AEON METALS (ASX:AML)

Drilling has kicked off at the flagship Walford copper-cobalt project in Queensland, where mineralisation has been defined over a 10km strike length.

The combination of a new processing flowsheet and expansion of resources via this exploration program “constitute the twin pillars on which Aeon is seeking to enhance Walford Creek project economics”, the company says.

The initial results from the Phase 1 drilling campaign are expected in July. Phases 2 and 3 will follow.

A Pre-Feasibility Study on Walford Creek is targeted for completion in H1 2022.

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