Lithium Plays are gonna explode: 20:41 GMT - Pilbara Minerals says shipments of a lithium material it produces at a property in Australia were up 38% compared with the previous period. The company has seen "increasing customer demand and an upward trend evident in the price for lithium chemicals in China ," CEO Ken Brinsden says in a statement. Stocks for lithium producers, including Albemarle , Livent and Lithium Americas , are off to a fast start in the new year, driven in part by expectations that the market for electric vehicles that use batteries with lithium components will grow. But pricing for lithium materials has been bogged down of late due to a glut. (micah.maidenberg@wsj.com; @MicahMaidenberg)