Electric vehicles [1]

Electric vehicles, commonly known as EVs, are powered by electricity either partially or fully. They are cost-effective due to fewer moving parts and eco-friendly as they rely on minimal or no fossil fuels. Although some EVs use lead-acid or nickel-metal hydride batteries, modern EVs predominantly rely on lithium-ion batteries, which are known for their durability and high energy retention capacity. These batteries discharge at a rate of just 5% per month. However, there are still concerns regarding their safety, as they can experience thermal runaway, resulting in incidents such as fires or explosions, as observed in the Tesla Model S. Nevertheless, efforts are being made to enhance the safety of these batteries.

To make our three picks more dynamic, we have decided to pick the biggest EV producers from North America, Europe, and Asia. Market capitalizations of our picks are:

- BYD 101,90 billion USD

- Volkswagen 78,10 billion USD

- Tesla 526,36 billion USD

Since Asia is the biggest EV market, we will start there.

BYD

The biggest EV company in China by sales is Tesla. However, the biggest domestic company is BYD. BYD is a tech company that focuses on creating new technologies to improve people's lives. The company was established in February 1995 and has experienced rapid growth over the past two decades. With over 30 industrial parks worldwide, BYD is involved in a variety of industries including electronics, automobiles, new energy, and rail transit. Their goal is to provide energy solutions that have zero emissions, covering everything from energy generation to storage and beyond. Company is listed on Shenzhen stock exchange under the ticker 002594, as well as on Hong Kong stock exchange.

Since their start on the stock exchange in 2011 at 28 CNY, their stock has had an amazing ride. In the past 12 years, they have managed to grow for more than 846%, to reach the price of 265 CNY, where it is today. The most rapid growth was in the middle of 2020, when the stock quickly jumped for 360%, and then the correction. The all-time high was in 2022, when the price reached 351 CNY. * [2]

Movement of BYD since coming to the market. (Source: Google Finance) *

Price is in CNY, because it is listed on Shenzhen stock exchange. At the time of writing, the exchange rate was 1 USD for 6,96 CNY.

Volkswagen

In the second biggest market of EV, Europe, Volkswagen is the most dominant. It is important to remember, however, that Volkswagen Group owns a concern of Škoda, Porsche, Audi, Lamborghini, etc. Volkswagen AG, a prominent German car manufacturer, was established in 1937 by the German government to produce an affordable people's car. The company was run by the Nazi organization, the German Labour Front, and was responsible for building a new factory in Lower Saxony, Germany. The factory was to be used for mass production of the car designed by Austrian engineer Ferdinand Porsche. Volkswagen's production expanded rapidly in the 1950s, with the introduction of the Transporter van and the Karmann Ghia coupe. [3]

Currently, Volkswagen is leading the charge in electric mobility with a greater level of consistency and enthusiasm compared to other mobility groups. Its goal is to produce and sell up to three million all-electric vehicles annually by 2025, subject to market demand. The range of electric models in its portfolio is extensive, including the Volkswagen ID.3, Audi Q4 Sportback e-Tron, and Porsche Taycan, with plans to electrify the entire portfolio. [4]

Stocks of Volkswagen are listed on Frankfurt Stock Exchange. When they came to the market in 1994, the price for a stock was 18,60 EUR. Since then, company had a nice growth and expanding, which pushed the price up for 500%, if we check the current price of 119,32 EUR per stock. However, the all-time high was in 2015, when the price reached 250 EUR, and presented a growth of more than 1200%. Since that time, stocks had a rather volatile, as growth was followed by correction, but again reached another top at 245 EUR in 2021. * Since then, the price has been falling, but it gives a stock a very nice potential space for movement. [5]

Movement of Volkswagen stocks since coming to the market. (Source: Google Finance) *

Price is in EUR, because it is listed on Frankfurt Stock Exchange. At the time of writing, the exchange rate was 1 EUR for 1,09 USD.

Tesla

The third biggest EV market is North America, which is led by United States. Even though US market is also very competitive in the EV sector, Tesla is the biggest company by market capitalization. Tesla, formerly known as Tesla Motors, is a US-based company that produces electric cars, batteries for cars and home power storage, and solar panels. The company was founded in 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning, and it was named after Nikola Tesla, a Serbian American inventor. Elon Musk, the co-founder of PayPal, provided over 30 million USD in funding for the company and became its chairman in 2004.

Tesla's primary goal was to create an electric sports car, and in 2008, it released its first car, the Roadster. The Roadster was completely electric and had an unprecedented range of 245 miles (394 km) on a single charge. The car's performance was comparable to gasoline-powered sports cars, with the ability to accelerate from 0 to 60 miles (96 km) per hour in less than four seconds and reach a top speed of 125 miles (200 km) per hour. In 2010, Tesla went public, raising 226 million USD in its initial public offering. Since then, the company made many major breakthroughs and milestones. [6]

When Tesla entered the Nasdaq Stock Exchange, the price was only 1,28 USD. Current price of the stock is 168 USD, which means that in 13 years, company managed to provide a growth of unbelievable 13.000%. However, this is not the highest the stock has been. Stocks reached an all-time high in 2021, when the price for a stock reached 406 USD, which means that at that time, the growth was skyrocketing 31.725%. Just to put that in perspective, if you invested 1,28 USD in 2010, you would have 406 USD in 2021, if we don’t count any costs and fees. * [7]

Movement of Tesla stocks since coming to the market. (Source: Google Finance) *

Conclusion

The global shift towards e-mobility has gained momentum due to environmental concerns, with companies committing to become carbon neutral. The EV sector, in particular, has witnessed significant growth in recent years due to cost-effectiveness and eco-friendliness. BYD, Volkswagen, and Tesla are the biggest EV producers in Asia, Europe, and North America, respectively. These companies have experienced significant growth in the past years, but also faced challenges, such as safety concerns with lithium-ion batteries. Nonetheless, efforts are being made to improve battery safety and enhance the sustainability of the EV sector.

Adam Austera, chief analyst at Ozios

* Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

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[1] https://www.twi-global.com/technical-knowledge/faqs/what-is-an-ev

[2]https://www.google.com/finance/quote/002594:SHE

[3] https://www.britannica.com/topic/Volkswagen-Group

[4] https://www.volkswagenag.com/en/group/e-mobility.html

[5]https://www.google.com/finance/quote/VOW3:ETR

[6] https://www.britannica.com/topic/Tesla-Motors

[7]https://www.google.com/finance/quote/TSLA:NASDAQ