Jon Evans is the CEO of Lithium Americas and a long-time industry veteran.

Topics:

How the industry has changed since 2008

Why price stays higher for longer this cycle

The battery market

After the first Thacker Pass ton

US lithium demand

Not Jon's first rodeo

Partners

A lesson from Ted Lasso

What keeps Jon motivated

Sulfuric acid

LAC's position on the cost curve

America's midstream issue

Africa

What success at Thacker Pass looks like

This is a solo episode where I talk about market commentary, hype from the US Government, where China is really dominant, the big banks return to lithium, price, and Lithium Confidential.

My guests are two voices from the brine world. Murray Brooker and Clint Van Marrewijk.

Topics:

Why do brine projects take so long?

WA's hard rock advantages

Will brine development be faster in this cycle

The impact of big balance sheets

What makes a great brine project?

Brine recovery rates

The "promise" of DLE

No DLE, no Smackover

"Brine without borders"

Modular brine production

The brine talent pool

Rapid fire

Chris Reed is the Managing Director of Neometals

Topics:

Status of the lithium market

What China got right

Pivoting from urban mining to brine

LFP

Conversion in the West

Africa

DLE

The project in Utah

SPAC of the century?

Oh Canada

Lithium history lessons

Demand in 2030

CATL's lithium strategy?

Supply in 2035

Geopolitics

Tu Le is the founder of Sino Auto Insights, an innovation & management consulting firm.

Topics:

The Global EV picture

The final frontier for China EVs

The US "China EV" strategy

GM and Ford

The status of FSD (full self-driving)

The changing perception of Tesla in China

What's next for BYD and Tesla?

When will CATL be producing batteries in the US?

The "best of the rest" China EV companies

Rapid fire

The growing angst in China over lithium supply

Tom Benson (aka the "Doctor of Volcanoes") is the Vice President of Exploration at Lithium Argentina.

Topics:

Being creative in exploration

The major upgrade to the Cauchari - Olaroz resource

Bigger than the Atacama?

Tom's history at Thacker Pass

Lithium Africa - Tom's latest focus

The Africa lithium "recipe"

Use of new technology & AI in exploration

"Permitting Purgatory"

Making Africa a lithium success

Comments on the Smackover & Salton Sea

It's "nice to be nice"

Rapid fire

This is a short solo episode.

Topics:

What lithium investors are asking

The converter in Texas

A tale of two earnings calls

My visit to Thacker Pass

YJ Lee is a Director and Fund Manager at Arcane Capital in Singapore. Find him on X @usuallyYJLee

Topics:

The Backstory

YJ's path to lithium

The learning process

His bullish forecasts

EVs, E-trucks & BESS

Picking winners

Ganfeng & Tianqi turn bullish

CATL's diminishing lithium market influence

Is another price spike coming?

Thacker Pass

DLE & the Smackover

Eramet

Vulcan

Nemaska

Canadian potential?

Rapid fire

Rene is a VP at Lithium Americas and one of the best technical minds in the industry.

Topics:

How the industry has changed in 20 years

The return of LFP

Flowsheets

China's overnight success after two decades

The challenge for America

The next cycle

Is the low hanging fruit gone?

What derailed high nickel cathode

Tesla's Texas converter hype

BESS

DLE

Thacker Pass update

This is a solo episode. In the past I wrote a time limited "stream of consciousness" New Year's post on LinkedIn. This year I decided to do a podcast with the same rules.