Automotive electrical components manufacturer Lucas TVS has signed a license and services agreement with 24M Technologies to construct one of the first Giga factories in India, using the latter’s SemiSolid platform technology.
The first plant with world-class safety standards will be set up in Thervoy Kandigai, Gummudipundi, near Chennai. The company hopes to build other plants throughout India to support the growing energy storage, electric mobility and lead-acid battery replacement markets.
Lucas TVS plans to build products using different chemistries with high energy density in Pouch and Prismatic cell formats.
The Chennai plant is expected to begin commercial production in H2 FY23. Based on the aggressive targets set by the government in the renewable energy and electric mobility space, it plans to grow the capacity of the plant to a globally competitive scale of 10 GWh in two stages, the company said.
According to the company, 24M’s SemiSolid platform has significant benefits as compared to conventional manufacturing processes. The process, protected by more than 80 issued and 100 pending patents, offers a significantly simpler process flow reducing capital costs substantially.
The technology enables the production of a thicker electrode, increasing energy density and reducing materials costs. In addition to its cost advantages, the design enhances safety, reliability, and traceability by virtually eliminating potential metal contamination, the most common cause of shorts in conventional lithium-ion cells. It also eliminates binders, thereby enabling the simplest and most efficient recycling of rejected or end of life cells. These advantages make it a preferred choice for demanding customers in critical areas such as energy storage and electric mobility.