Exide Industries Ltd., an Indian lead acid storage battery manufacturer, and Leclanche, a global energy storage solutions provider, have formed a joint venture (JV) to build lithium-ion (Li-Ion) batteries and provide energy storage systems for India’s electric vehicle (EV) market and grid-based applications.

The JV will focus on e-transport, stationary energy storage systems, and specialty storage markets. In e-transport, the target segment is fleet vehicles including e-buses, e-wheelers and e-rickshaws.

As part of the JV, Leclanche will provide its knowhow and intellectual property for Li-ion cells, modules and battery management systems and Exide Industries will leverage its extensive sales network and brand.

The JV’s production unit will be based in Gujarat. Exide Industries, which is committed to setting up large-scale manufacturing of Li-ion batteries, will be the majority shareholder and Leclanche will be the strategic minority shareholder of the JV.

A module and battery pack assembly line is expected to be operational by Q2 2019 and a Li-ion cell production plant is expected to be in operation by mid-2020. In the intervening period, cells will be sourced from Leclanche’s plant in Willstätt, Germany.

This is the second major announcement in the Li-ion manufacturing sector in India. Recently,  Central Electro Chemical Research Institute (CECRI), which comes under the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) and RAASI Solar Power Pvt Ltd signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) for the transfer of technology for India’s first Li-ion battery project.

Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), a part of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), invited applications regarding the Request for Qualification (RFQ) to transfer its in-house developed Li-ion cell technology. The renowned center for technological research and innovation intends to transfer its technology to competent Indian industries and start-ups so that they can establish Li-ion cell production facilities in the country.

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