Even the most heavily localised electric two-wheelers in India struggle to source one key part locally: the lithium-ion cells that make up the battery pack. That could change soon, with leading Indian battery manufacturer, Exide, tying up with Chinese company SVOLT.
The technical collaboration grants Exide an “irrevocable right and license to use, exploit and commercialise necessary technology and know-how owned by SVOLT for lithium-ion cell manufacturing in India.”
Exide says it is forming a specialised wholly owned subsidiary for handling the lithium-ion cell manufacturing business in the country. It also claims to be in an advanced stage of discussion for finalising the location of the new manufacturing facility.
Additionally, SVOLT will also provide the support required for setting up a state-of-the art green field manufacturing plant. Subir Chakraborty, MD and CEO, Exide said, “With SVOLT‘s strong technical expertise, R&D capabilities and rich experience in manufacturing lithium-ion batteries, Exide plans to set-up a multi-gigawatt lithium-ion cell manufacturing facility. Spread out across two popular cell chemistries and three cell formats, this unit shall be uniquely placed to cater to the diverse requirements of customers in India."
With locally manufactured lithium-ion cells becoming available soon, the day doesn’t seem too far away when we could have a 100 percent locally manufactured electric two-wheeler on sale in India.