One of the underperforming sectors in the stock market today is the battery sector. Trade tensions, higher raw material costs and global inflation are just a few of the macroeconomic headwinds that consumer discretionary stocks face. Yet stock markets tend to over-exaggerate on the downside risks, punishing a sector on the view that things will not improve.
Fundamentally, the battery market is undergoing a major shift. Electric vehicles are driving the demand for lithium-ion batteries. Solar power panel prices plunged in recent years. This is creating a potentially higher demand for battery solutions to store energy captured from such panels.
How might investors play the battery boom led by growing electric vehicle production and a soaring number of devices needing portable power?
Let us start with Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA). The stock fell by over 40% because its unit sales of EVs are under pressure. With government subsidies no longer supporting them, Tesla shares are underperforming.
Still, the company’s ambition extends beyond electric cars. On May 16, Tesla completed its acquisition of Maxwell. At a cost of just $200 million, it gains some valuable intellectual property. Maxwell is best known for its manufacturing of ultracapacitors, but it is also developing dry electrode technology for batteries.
If Maxwell’s R&D efforts pay off, the unit could bring performance enhancements for lithium-ion battery cells. For starters, Tesla could start manufacturing batteries that have an energy density of over 500Wh/kg. That would bring a 15% to 100% increase to Tesla’s current battery technology.
Informally, Tesla has the best battery technology in the auto industry. Adding Maxwell’s IP may also result in lithium-ion batteries that gain in capacity and will not lose energy after charged. Ultimately, TSLA stock could start turning around once the company implements the new technology. Having battery technology that is even further ahead of that offered by other automobile manufacturers could drive Tesla EV sales.
Tesla is facing a slowdown in sales of Model S and Model 3. It has a cross-over Model Y that is not yet on the market. Chances are good that both the Model Y release and new battery technology coming with it will give the stock a boost.
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