Apart from the new facility, Battrix will soon start supplying EV batteries to electric three-wheeler OEMs. There are plans to go international as well.
Battrixx, future technologies division of Kabra Extrusion, is building a new facility which will solely cater to the high voltage electric vehicle (EV) market. Based on LFP chemistry, the company will first supply these EV batteries to light commercial vehicles, trucks, and buses original equipment manufacturers.
Dr Yashodhan Pramod Gokhale, CTO, Battrix, shared the facility will be “up and running” somewhere during the fourth quarter of the current fiscal year. The company is in the final stages of entering into collaborations and MoUs with OEMs.
The benefits of a higher voltage architecture over a low voltage architecture include faster charging time, less use of wires resulting in lowered weight, reduced heat, longer lifespan for most of the components used in EVs, and more. These are a result of the fact that a high voltage EV needs less current to push power to the motor. Moreover, the heat generated while fast charging a high voltage architecture is lesser than heat generated while charging a low voltage architecture EV.
For instance the Tata Nexon Max EV is based on 400 V architecture, while the BYD e6 is based on 600 V architecture, and Hyundia Ioniq 5 can support both 400 V and 800 V architectures.
The high voltage EV batteries that Battrix intends to supply starting next year to commercial EV OEMs will be majorly based on 650 V and 350 V architectures. The company is already working with passenger electric vehicle OEMs as well.
“During the last two and a half years, the company has supplied over 250,000 battery packs to electric two-wheeler makers in India. While this number will increase, the company’s focus will also be on all other sectors majorly falling under the high voltage category EVs,” Dr Gokhale said.
As a part of the extension of its EV battery portfolio, the company will also start spplying electric three-wheeler batteries to OEMs in India. Notably, the ticket size of EV batteries supplied to electric three-wheeler OEMs is higher than that of the electric two-wheelers.
The company has also opened is international channel of communication, and is said to be in talks with several EV OEMs from Europe for battery contracts. In India, it is currently working with many OEMs from the EV vertical.
In 2021, the board of Kabra Extrusion Technik Ltd has approved a proposal to raise up to Rs 301 crore for expansion of Battrix. Of this, Rs 101 crore was to be raised initially through issuance of warrants to promoters and foreign investors, and the rest Rs 200 crore via financial institutions.
According to a report by Mordor Intelligence, India’s battery market is estimated to be at $16.77 billion by the end of this year and is projected to reach $27.70 billion in the next five years, registering a CAGR of over 10.56% during the forecast period.
