Investing is one of those things where people usually end-up saying “if-only.” “If only I had known”, is one way to kick yourself because you didn’t see a shift coming and failed to get in on a potentially profitable company. Henry Ford saw the issues surrounding manufacturing and took advantage of the assembly line and fair wages. Mellon saw the advantages of rail in the steel producing states. Anyone could have gotten in on these opportunities as they were taking hold, but most ended up saying “if-only.”
Avoid the “if-only” trap
Today’s small-cap and micro-cap stocks offer the opportunity to avoid the “if-only” tendencies found in the majority of the population. Many of the stocks one might choose will fall by the wayside, but most will begin to make some sort of a profit. Still others will go on to be solid mid-cap companies. But, when a company has an opportunity to go all the way – as it were- the possibility of “if-only” looms and presents the chance for an investor to avoid it. Recognizing an opportunity to avoid this possibility is the trick. Acting on it is the need.
Filling the Need
For most opportunities to end up at this particular stage in the investment process, there needs to be a need, and progress made toward filling it. This is the first rule of product development and marketing – fill a need. Today’s world needs clean and sustainable energy.
It can come in any form, but it needs to be clean and sustainable. Wind and solar power are two ways to fill this need. These “need fillers” apply to electricity generation directed at homes and businesses, but more directly toward generating electricity. This is the second portion of avoiding the “if-only” kick in the pants, application. To make an investment work there needs to be a way to generate revenue, which in this example would be the application.
Hybrid Technologies Inc., a company oriented toward the development and marketing of electric-powered vehicles and products, works to develop lithium ion power batteries for a variety of applications. The company is one of the leading developers of commercialized applications for lithium ion powered batteries, with a focus on automotive. It currently has product orders in place and is quickly moving forward to meet, what many feel, is the optimum standard for electric-powered automobile batteries, or 400 miles per electric charge.
The company, however, is not waiting for needed technology to catch-up with the opportunity for electric powered products. It currently has agreements, in several different stages of finalization, to move its products forward.
The US government has seen the efficiency of the company’s products and is investing in them through its military, space/ground exploration, and environmental agencies/departments. The private sector is also embracing the company’s technology with automobiles, motorcycles, scooters and even smart homes that take advantage of lithium battery technology. In a general sense, the company has been just as busy diversifying its product base as it has in making great strides toward meeting mass production needs.
Indeed, manufacturing product at current levels is nice and potentially profitable, but mass production with mass profit is the goal. As the CEO of General Motors recently indicated, producing at smaller levels is all well and good, but it won’t help the environment and the company’s bottom line until a few million units per year can be manufactured. For the most part, lithium battery manufacturers hear a statement like this and indicate “OK, fine.”
Company management certainly understands that there are hurdles to meeting consumer demands. Fortunately, the company has been directing its efforts in this regard with great successes. It has found automotive engine parts decrease by 10% – along with associated weight – and charge time from a 0 charge to full charge fall to fewer than 3 hours, a 65% reduction.
Distribution structure ready to roll
Past the technology aspect of the company’s efforts, it has also been cognizant of the need for market structure as it moves a new paradigm of power usage and power transportation forward. It is currently working with the Mini-Cooper and other automotive brands to get its systems integrated. In the near term, it is anticipated that 75 licensed dealerships of its vehicle products will be in place with many more following as its products take hold.
In the world of paradigm, timing is everything. Mrs. Ford actually preferred her electric car over the gas variety back in the 1920’s, but plentiful crude stopped that idea cold. The electric automobile simply got buried by oil right from the start. In many respects, the same happened in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s when the technology just could not make it happen and oil was cheap by comparison.
Today’s electric-powered automotive market appears to have timing on its side. In today’s market, Hybrid Technologies Inc. appears to have technology on its side and the company structure to make its products roll. Investors are in a position to see a shift coming, and Hybrid Technologies Inc. is at the forefront and ready to profit by it.
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