8bits, from the date of the nyt article in 1991, when nissan made their pitch, when platinum was at $376.70, down 20, it now sits at 1,415, gaining 9% per annum since, without fuss and minus the hassles..
Ahhh... Jay the article I was looking for was from this year and wasn't taking about substituting Palladium for Platinum but substantially reducing the need for either metal. Although my error in posting the wrong article brings up an interesting point.. substitution can only last so long... (although adjusted for inflation Platinum did drop for the next decade after the article was written...)
kitco.com
Note Mazda as well as Nissan announced breakthroughs in catalytic technology this year:
Nissan (2007 :-) )
reuters.com
Nissan Motor Co. (7201.T: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Friday it has developed a catalyst for gasoline cars that halves the use of precious metal components to clean tail-pipe emissions, promising big cost savings amid high commodity prices.
Japan's third-biggest automaker employed nano-technology to prevent clustering of the fine metal particles present in catalysts under high temperature conditions, enabling the use of less material to clean exhaust emissions.
Mazda:
Mazda Develops a World-First Catalyst Material Structure for Autos Using Single Nanotechnology
HIROSHIMA, Japan-Mazda Motor Corporation has developed a world's first catalyst for cars that uses single-nanotechnology to create a catalyst material structure which substantially reduces the amount of precious metals that are used, such as platinum and palladium.
The new development enables Mazda to reduce the amount of platinum and palladium used in automotive catalysts by 70 to 90 percent. It does not result in any changes in the performance of purifying gas emissions and maintains the high durability of conventional catalysts. Single-nanotechnology is a technology that can control even smaller particles than nanotechnology.
autobloggreen.com
I think I am right (or hope I'm right) about Palladium since a major portion of it is used in the automotive industry but I may be wrong about Platinum. (As you say only Platinum can be for diesels which are expanding in production and Platinum has a broader use and lower supply than Palladium plus an additional cachet as an investment/jewelery item...) Also many of the areas were Palladium is mined seem more stable than areas were much of Platinum is mined, adding another wrinkle to the equation. |
