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EV Nickel - Aiming for Production in 4 Years

EV Nickel is advancing exciting nickel projects in Canada to supply growing battery metals demand, with near-term production potential and large scale resource upside.

  • Sean Samson, CEO and Director of EV Nickel, discusses the company's two nickel deposits in Northern Ontario near Timmins.
  • They are targeting production in 3-4 years with a large-scale, low-grade deposit in development.
  • Samson has been travelling extensively to meet investors and potential partners. He attended the raw materials for EVs conference in Barcelona, highlighting concerns around nickel supply, especially given geopolitical tensions involving Russia, Ukraine, Indonesia, and China.
  • European car and battery companies are interested in partnering with EV Nickel due to their impending large decisions around battery production and a need to secure raw materials.
  • Over the next few months, the company will release metallurgical work results on the high-grade deposit and continue drilling. They are currently funded for their strategies, which include further resource exploration and studies to be released next year.

EV Nickel - Promising Early Stage Nickel Projects in Canada

EV Nickel is a Canadian nickel exploration and development company led by CEO Sean Sampson. The company is focused on advancing two nickel projects located just outside of Timmins, Ontario. EV Nickel offers investors exposure to both near-term high-grade nickel production potential as well as a large-scale, lower-grade nickel deposit. With the electric vehicle revolution underway and demand for nickel surging, EV Nickel presents an attractive investment opportunity.

Highlights:

  • Targeting nickel production at high-grade projects within 3-4 years
  • Second large-scale, lower-grade nickel project offers substantial growth potential
  • High-grade project located just 7km from existing third-party concentrator and processing plant
  • Completed 8,400m drill program at large scale project, assays pending
  • Metallurgical results at high-grade project expected within months
  • Attractive valuation compared to peers

Interview with President & CEO, Sean Samson

Near-Term High-Grade Nickel Production

EV Nickel's high-grade nickel project, known as the Shaw Dome Project, contains an existing historic resource and has returned impressive drill results, including 8.6% Ni over 3.9m and 10.4% Ni over 3.7m. The project is located just 7km away from an existing third-party-owned concentrator and processing plant.

With additional infill and step-out drilling planned for this winter, EV Nickel is targeting an upgraded resource estimate by early next year. Metallurgical test work is also currently underway to confirm recoveries and concentrate grades. The proximity to existing infrastructure means the high-grade project provides a clear path to nickel production within 3-4 years.

The company believes the high-grade project alone justifies a higher valuation than the current C$7 million market capitalization. EV Nickel's VP of Exploration previously discovered and developed a comparable high-grade nickel project nearby (the Alexo-Dundonald deposit owned by Class 1 Nickel). However, Class 1 Nickel's market cap is 3x higher than EV Nickel's, despite EV Nickel's belief that their high-grade project has more resource upside.

Large-Scale Nickel Growth Potential?

In addition to the high-grade project, EV Nickel has identified an enormous nickel target covering over 10km of strike length on its 100% owned Carlang Project. This large-scale project is situated in the same geological setting as major nickel deposits in the Timmins region.

An 8,400m drill program has recently been completed on the property, with assays pending. Surface sampling has returned grades above 0.3% nickel. The mineralization starts at just 10m depth with little overburden.

While too large for EV Nickel to develop on its own, the company believes this large-scale project will be of interest to major industry players looking to secure future nickel supply. EV Nickel aims to delineate an initial resource in 2023 that demonstrates the scale potential.

Strategic Partner and Off-take Interest

With demand for nickel from the electric vehicle industry expected to rise significantly, EV Nickel has received substantial interest from potential strategic partners and off-take customers.

CEO Sean Sampson recently attended the Future of Mining conference in Barcelona, where he met with European automakers and battery manufacturers. Many expressed concern over securing reliable long-term nickel supply and showed interest in partnering directly with mining companies to help develop projects.

EV Nickel's projects offer what these companies are looking for - scalable growth potential as well as a clear path to near-term production. The company's plan is to continue advancing both projects independently, while remaining open to a potential strategic investment that could accelerate development.

Attractive Valuation Relative to Peers

Despite the promising projects and immense industry interest, EV Nickel maintains a very modest C$7 million market capitalization. The company believes this represents a deep undervaluation relative to comparable nickel developers.

For example, the previously mentioned Class 1 Nickel which owns a high-grade Timmins project trades at 3x EV Nickel's market cap. Other nickel developers focused exclusively on lower-grade projects trade at significantly higher valuations than EV Nickel, even though EV Nickel offers exposure to both high-grade and large-scale potential.

With nickel demand forecast to surge over 200% by 2030, EV Nickel offers investors a unique opportunity to gain exposure to the electric vehicle revolution at a substantial discount to peers. As the company continues advancing both projects over the next 12 months, demonstrates further resource upside, and attracts strategic/off-take partners, EV Nickel appears poised for a potential re-rating.

Opportunities & Risks

Opportunities

  • EV Nickel does have promising nickel projects that could benefit from surging nickel demand driven by the electric vehicle revolution. Developing a new nickel supply could be rewarding if executed well.
  • The high-grade project offers a potential quick path to production within 3-4 years. Getting to revenue generation relatively quickly could allow EV Nickel to fund expansion.
  • The large-scale project, while early stage, provides blue sky growth potential. A major discovery and resource there would be game-changing.
  • Trading at a deep discount to some peers does suggest upside potential if milestones are hit.

Risks

  • As an early stage exploration company, there is substantial risk still associated with EV Nickel's projects. The resources and economic viability are still to be confirmed.
  • Many junior mining companies tout world-class potential discoveries, but most projects fail to ever enter production. Investors have seen this story play out negatively many times.
  • EV Nickel will likely need significant amounts of capital to advance its projects to production. Equity financings could continue to weigh on share price.
  • Execution challenges frequently impact development timelines and budgets in the mining industry. Delays are common.
  • Competition for nickel resources is fierce. Larger, better-funded companies may try to acquire EV Nickel's assets. While takeovers can reward early investors, timing and terms are uncertain.
  • Nickel prices have been volatile historically. Prices could drop sharply, hurting project economics.

EV Nickel offers legitimate potential upside as an early-mover in the nickel space. However, investors should weigh the substantial risks and challenges still facing the company. Caution is warranted until definitive resource estimates, economics, and financing plans are delineated. EV Nickel remains a speculative investment option at this stage.

Conclusion

In summary, EV Nickel presents a compelling investment case thanks to:

  • Near-term high-grade production potential within 3-4 years
  • Large-scale, lower-grade project provides huge growth upside
  • Impressive drill results and exploration upside
  • Existing infrastructure proximal to projects
  • Deep undervaluation relative to peers
  • Surging nickel demand from EV industry
  • Interest from potential strategic partners

With catalysts upcoming in the form of drill results, an updated resource estimate, and metallurgical data, EV Nickel offers investors an attractive opportunity to position themselves as a promising nickel developer in the early stages of growth. As the electric vehicle revolution accelerates, high-quality nickel projects will be in increasingly short supply. EV Nickel has the projects, location, infrastructure, and team to become a leading player in this booming market.

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