Chinese Electric Vehicle Stocks
I like China, inexpensive electric cars, and companies with products subsidized by their governments so it should be par for the course that I’ve found a new stock that fits my investing mold. One of those stocks is Kandi Technologies, KNDI.
All about Kandi
Kandi Technologies makes gas powered ATVs and UTVs, as well as go karts and other recreational vehicles. The company also makes a very cool, and very popular, three wheeled electric motorcycle that has been driving recent growth. Remember, small personal transportation items are a hot seller in China, so it should be of little surprise that its new three wheeled motorcycle helped drive its recent growth. Oh, and since I haven’t mentioned it already, it also makes a product called the COCO, a small urban vehicle that also runs on 100% electricity.
The COCO is sure to be one of the main areas of growth going forward since it has the most “legitimacy.” (How many electric go karts can you sell, anyway?)
The Fundamentals
The COCO LSV sold more than 1,000 units in the second quarter of 2010, most of which were sold in the United States for a total of $4.1 million in revenue, or roughly $4100 per unit. Go karts, a constant top seller, brought in $3.1 million, and the remainder of its electric vehicles accounted for only a portion of its top line. Other vehicles accounted for $5.3 million for the year in revenue.
In the 2Q of 2010, revenues increased by 80%, but profits were up an astounding 425%. Talk about a highly-leveraged company!
Government Help
But that’s not all. Kandi Technologies is getting some serious financial support from the Chinese government that could pay dividends for years to come. In April, the company benefited from a 50% subsidy on the first 3,000 purchases of its EV vehicles. Later in the month, it won approval for meeting China’s electric car guidelines and is now considered a “recommended car.”
More recently, the company grabbed a government contract to deliver 60 cars for use in the Chinese post office. This could prove to be a very profitable and long term contract.
By June, yet another electric vehicle was approved for future sale. Larger in size than the COCO, this car should have broad appeal in China and other emerging markets as well as in urban areas where gas prices are still a top concern.
All in All
With a market cap of less than $70 million and an incredible opportunity for growth in the emerging electric vehicle arena, Kandi has what it takes to be an industry leader. For just $3 a share, this stock is worth a gamble, and though it may trend up and down enough to make you want to vomit, those who buy and hold should be rewarded generously.
As good as this may sound and regardless of the great benefit of using electric source over gas. How do you see the growth of this going when China does not have an alternative renewable energy policy well define yet. The may experience a short term profit on this model but what happens when consumers realize the cost of charging this cars? How do you think it will affect sales?