What’s Louis Navellier’s “#1 EV Breakthrough” Stock Pick?

Hi, and welcome. In this post, I’ll be looking into a presentation about Louis Navellier’s “#1 EV Breakthrough of 2022,” which is essentially a pitch for his service, Growth Investor.

According to the InvestorPlace website, Louis Navellier is bullish on a company that has been backed by Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and one of the world’s largest automakers.

And it’s supposedly “trading for a fraction of the price of Tesla.”

Read on to see what “EV breakthrough” Navellier is referring to, which company he’s bullish on, and what his Growth Investor service is all about.

Unpacking Louis Navellier’s “#1 EV Breakthrough of 2022” Presentation

The presentation we’ll be discussing in this post is an “interview” between host Rossi Morreale and investment guru Louis Navellier of InvestorPlace.

According to Rossi Morreale, Louis Navellier recently “went forward with a bold claim” about how a critical part of the electric vehicle is about to become obsolete – the lithium-ion battery.

I tend to agree with Morreale on that; this is a pretty bold claim considering lithium-ion batteries are used in virtually all electric vehicles and many laptops and cell phones.

So, why does Navellier think lithium-ion batteries will become obsolete? In short, Navellier believes that a “new battery technology” will soon replace lithium-ion batteries.

One that, according to Navellier, is superior in virtually every way.

As the presentation continued, Navellier revealed that the “EV breakthrough” he’s referring to is solid-state batteries, which he describes as a “total upgrade” to lithium-ion.

“The breakthrough battery technology I’m talking about here is called a solid-state battery.”

“Now, I’ve already told you throughout this presentation that these batteries are vastly superior to lithium-ion batteries…”

“A total upgrade.”

What’s the difference between a lithium-ion battery and a solid-state battery?

In a word, it’s the battery’s separator.

A lithium-ion battery consists of three main parts. If you were to look inside one, you’d see an anode on the left, a cathode on the right, and a liquid electrolyte separator in the middle.

A solid-state battery has a similar setup, but instead of having a liquid electrolyte separator in the middle, it has a solid electrolyte separator.

Samsung created a really helpful article about the difference between each battery in more detail, so I recommend checking that out if you want to learn more. But that’s the gist of it; lithium-ion batteries have a liquid electrolyte separator, whereas solid-state batteries have a solid one.

Why does Navellier believe solid-state batteries are “vastly” superior? Based on what he states in the presentation, there are five key areas Navellier thinks solid-state EV batteries are superior to EVs using lithium-ion batteries: safety, cost, durability, charging speed, and range.

“This is why I’m so excited about solid-state batteries, Rossi. They fix every major problem that lithium-ion batteries have.”

“They’re safe…”

“They’re cheap…”

“They’re durable…”

“They can charge quickly…”

“And they more than triple an EVs range…”

On the first point, Navellier suggests that solid-state batteries are safer because they’re not nearly as flammable as lithium-ion batteries. This is because they lack the flammable liquid electrolyte and instead use materials like ceramics and solid polymers.

This is a similar point made by Louis Navellier’s colleague, Luke Lango, in a different presentation I wrote about recently. In that presentation, Lango talked about a “forever battery” company he’s interested in (which he also dubbed the “$3 wonder stock”), and I revealed his stock pick here.

Anyway, the other central point to Navellier’s thesis is that solid-state batteries have a longer range than EVs with lithium-ion batteries. Specifically, he states that EVs with solid-state batteries “could drive up to 1,000 miles on a single charge.”

It’s still early days for this technology, so time will tell if they can reach that distance. However, solid-state batteries do have a much higher energy density than lithium-ion batteries.

Meaning, it’s possible to pack more battery power into a smaller space, so they likely will improve the range of electric vehicles since there will be more battery power for the EV to use.

Also, according to Navellier, “experts believe that this new battery technology will allow people to charge their cars to 80% capacity in just two minutes.” I’m not sure where he got that from. However, according to some experts, solid-state batteries can be recharged quicker because, unlike lithium-ion, there’s no risk of overheating a solid electrolyte.

So, if that’s the case, why aren’t solid-state batteries being used now?

For the most part, it comes down to cost. Solid-state batteries are more expensive to manufacture at scale than lithium-ion. However, according to insideevs.com, a Dutch market analysis company called FutureBridge believes solid-state batteries “will reach cost-parity with lithium-ion batteries by 2025.”

Of course, that’s just one company’s prediction, so there’s no guarantee that will happen. But as EVs continue to grow in adoption and SSB tech continues to evolve, it’s possible the cost will come down.

And if what Louis Navellier says is anything to go by, there’s one company at the center of the solid-state battery technology trend. So let’s take a look at what company he’s interested in.

What Is Navellier’s #1 EV Battery Stock Pick?

During his “#1 EV Breakthrough of 2022” presentation on the InvestorPlace website, Louis Navellier revealed that his EV battery stock pick is QuantumScape (ticker: QS).

“This market is an $87 billion opportunity – I don’t want people walking away from this presentation without knowing the name of one company.”

“So, the company I want to talk about is called QuantumScape.”

“The ticker symbol is – QS.”

QuantumScape is a solid-state battery company that has developed solid-state lithium-metal battery technology as part of its mission to “revolutionize energy storage.”

The California-based company was founded in 2010, has 500 employees, and over 200 patents and patent applications. And according to electrek.com, QuantumScape just achieved a solid-state battery that can be charged in 15 minutes from 10% to 80% capacity over 400 charging cycles.

In terms of the stock, the company’s current market cap is just under $7 billion, making it a mid-cap stock. And its share price is trading at around $17, down from a high of almost $115 in late 2020.

And yes, the company is backed by Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, and Volkswagen (among other companies). And according to Navellier, the company’s partnership with VW is one of the reasons he thinks “QuantumScape is so promising.”

He also states that “once QuantumScape brings a battery to market, they could see revenue climb quickly.” So that seems to be the catalyst he’s keeping an eye out for.

As a side note, QuantumScape is a stock a different stock picker named Charles Mizrahi from Banyan Hill Publishing teased in his “Forever Battery” presentation.

I’ve also seen it mentioned on InvestorPlace’s blog if my memory serves me correctly. So, my point is this company appears to have been making the rounds among finance gurus lately.

I won’t comment on whether or not I think QS is a good investment. However, I will say it’s nice to see Navellier pitching a stock that’s trading near the all-time-lows. At least that way, there’s less potential for massive downside than buying in a year ago at peak hype.

That said, Louis Navellier states that QuantumScape is “still not producing revenue” and believes “there are some better companies out there that are already in the green.”

And based on the presentation, there are three solid-state battery companies Navellier’s interested in aside from QuantumScape. He reveals these in a report titled “3 Plays for the Age of Solid-State Batteries,” and the only way to access that report is to join Growth Investor.

Unfortunately, he doesn’t provide many clues about these companies, either. All he really says is that one is a Chinese company that could be the first to release an SSB in China:

“One of these companies is one of China’s most promising EV plays … and they are likely going to be one of the first companies in China with a solid-state battery.”

That doesn’t tell us much, though. So, if you want to see his other three EV battery stock picks, you’ll need to fork out $49 to join Growth Investor.

What Is Growth Investor?

Growth Investor is Louis Navellier’s flagship advisory service focused on growth stocks, which he launched 30 years ago with the goal of helping everyday investors take advantage of “some of the biggest technology breakthroughs in history.”

At the core of the service are the monthly newsletters. Each issue covers Navellier’s latest take on the market trends he sees unfolding and shares his latest stock pick.

Growth Investor subscribers also get access to the model portfolio, updates on Navellier’s investment recommendations, and some bonus research reports.

The first is the report I mentioned earlier, another is called “The #1 Stock for the Driverless-Car Revolution,” and the third is “3 Stocks for the $150 Trillion AI Revolution.”

The cost of joining Growth Investor is $49 to $99 per year, depending on what membership option you select, and the service has a 12-month refund policy.

Is the service legit?

Yes, Growth Investor is a legitimate service. It’s been around for over 30 years now, and in that time, it has developed an impressive track record. Louis Navellier has recommended numerous triple-digit (and higher) stocks. And he states that the service saw an average return of 14.6 % in 2020.

I’m not sure how 2021 played out, but I don’t know if that data has been released yet. Still, that’s a solid track record, and the service is one of the most reputable in the space.

Who’s Louis Navellier?

Louis Navellier is a professional money manager with over 40 years of experience.

He also works with InvestorPlace, where he shares his investment insights, and stock picks with subscribers of the various advisories he runs.

Growth Investor is Navellier’s flagship advisory. However, he also runs Breakthrough Stocks, Accelerated Profits, and Power Options which are all higher-end services.

Each service utilizes different strategies and focuses on unique investments. However, for the most part, Navellier is focused on tech-related growth investments. That’s his thing.

Not every investment Navellier recommends will do well, but he is a genuine expert and has one of the best, longest-running track records in the space, so he is the real deal.

Bottom Line

Louis Navellier’s “#1 EV Breakthrough” presentation centers around electric vehicle batteries. In particular, solid-state batteries and Navellier believes these are superior to lithium-ion batteries due to things like range, recharging speed, safety, and durability.

Time will tell if and when solid-state batteries take off, but it is a promising technology, and one of the solid-state battery companies Navellier recommends is QuantumScape.

He also says there are three other companies he’s interested in, which he reveals in a report called “3 Plays for the Age of Solid-State Batteries,” which comes with a Growth Investor subscription.

Growth Investor is a legitimate and worthwhile service. So, if you’re looking for an affordable advisory with a solid track record that shows you how to bet on tech trends in a relatively conservative way, it could be worth checking out.

However, keep in mind that there’s no guarantee you’ll make money following Navellier’s picks. There are always risks with investing, and nobody can predict the market, so anything can happen.