In 72 hours Volkswagen will make an Electric Announcement

Electric car maker Tesla is valued at $US675 billion and is the success story of a generation.

Every year founder Elon Musk hosts “Tesla Battery Day”, where he announces all the plans Tesla has for the next year.

Last time Musk announced Tesla’s plans around battery metals like lithium and manganese, our battery metals investments surged.

Volkswagen Group (VW) is by far the biggest automaker in Europe and the biggest in the world, manufacturing over 10 million cars per year.

Not to be outdone… and possibly in response to Tesla’s Battery day, VW is holding its first ever “VW Power Day” scheduled for 15 March at 1PM Central European Time, which is 10PM AEST.

This is huge news for a traditional ‘petrol engine’ automaker and another clear signal that electric vehicles are the future.

VW has been making noise about going big into electric cars – they quietly held an “Electrification Summit” in January and last week accelerated their EV deadlines:

Building batteries and capturing the full EV value chain

In just 72 hours from now at “Power Day”, it is expected that VW will announce some interesting plans.

Key things to know:

• VW is the biggest carmaker in Europe and the world.
• Europe is the fastest mover in the global shift to electric vehicles.
• Europe has new laws to secure supply chains within its border.
• VW will need a lot of battery metals over the next 10 years.
• Manganese is crucial battery metal – and the EU has no local supply.
• Lithium price has doubled in the last three months – and was up 20% in the last 24 hours.

Here are our three current investments in battery metals in Europe, that we think will benefit from VW’s Power Day announcements:

ASX: EMN, High Purity Manganese, Czech Republic

Euro Manganese Inc. (ASX: EMN) is developing a new high purity manganese project in the Czech Republic.

EMN is right on the doorsteps of multiple battery makers’ European factories in the world’s fastest growing battery and EV market.

Manganese is a critical ingredient in cathodes and was mentioned by Elon Musk late last year.

• Initiation Report: EMN Developing Battery Grade Manganese Supply
• Latest update: EMN receives support from EU backed organisation to accelerate development

ASX: EMH, Hard Rock Lithium, Czech Republic

European Metals Holdings Ltd (ASX: EMH) is developing the largest hard rock lithium resource in the European Union and is racing to become the first local EU battery grade lithium producer to deliver to an emerging local industry.

• Initiation report: EMH is Leading the Pack to be the First Local EU Lithium Producer

ASX: VUL, Zero Carbon Lithium, Germany

Vulcan Energy Resources (ASX: VUL) has developed the world’s first and only Zero CarbonR  lithium process and plans to produce battery-grade lithium hydroxide from geothermal brines pumped from wells with a renewable geothermal energy by-product.

• Initiation report: World’s First Zero Carbon Lithium Project
• Latest report: Vulcan on track to deliver word’s first Zero Carbon Lithium project

We will be watching VW Power Day and will bring you a full analysis on any news that is released that might benefit our battery metals investments next week.