US based XNRGI opens lithium-ion battery factory in India

Based in Gurugram, the factory is spread over 30,000 sq.ft and can produce 240 MWh of high-temperature battery storage solutions annually. These batteries can charge to 80% capacity within two hours and operate in excess of 55ºC, which makes them suitable for hot, humid tropical climates.

March 16, 2020 Uma Gupta

XNRGI's 240MWh Lithium-ion factory in Gurugram, Haryana

<Image: XNRGI

Washington based XNRGI has announced setting up of a high-temperature (HT) lithium-ion battery factory in Gurugram district of Haryana, which is capable of producing 240 MWh of battery storage annually.

Operating as XNRGI India, a wholly owned subsidiary of XNRGI, the factory will produce turnkey energy storage solutions including battery packs, battery/energy management systems, optional tracking and remote status monitoring hardware. These ESS are specially optimized for hot, humid tropical climates such as in South-East Asia, MENA (Middle East, North Africa), and southern and central parts of North America, read a company statement.

The company is also building such ESS for other mainstream applications.

Speaking about the supply chain, XNRGI president and CEO Dr Chris D’Couto told pv magazine: “The cells are sourced from China and other regions. We have employees on the ground in China managing the supply chain for us.”

“The factory [in India] will cater to the global market,” he said, adding “The XNRGI factory in Gurugram is rapidly ramping up its sales. The factory can produce up to 240MWh/year at the rate of $350 to $500.”

The factory has already begun producing HT Mobility smart telemetry battery XM5kWh for rickshaws, e-bikes, e-motorcycles, golf carts, solar and wind farms, and telecom tower UPS.

Worldwide XNRGI plans to scale the capacity in the multi GWh range by 2022 with strategic relationships in different parts of the world.

“We are seeing a growing demand in lightweight transportation, stationary storage, and other applications,” said Dr Chris.

“We are very pleased to deploy this manufacturing capacity in India and to service one of the fastest-growing markets for lithium-ion based battery storage. We envision this factory becoming a center of excellence that can be replicated in other geographies throughout the world,” he added.

Unique advantages of the XNRGI HT batteries include charges to 80% capacity within two hours and operation in excess of 55ºC. Moreover, for rickshaws and similar applications, the batteries can be remotely monitored and tracked for safety and charge status, XNRGI claims in a press statement.

Market potential

XNRGI’s 30,000 sq.ft factory has been opened to capitalize on the fast growing rechargeable lithium battery market, which, according to Global Market Insights, was valued at more than US$ 21.1 billion in 2018 and is expected to grow at 12.8% annually from 2018 to 2024, to an estimated US$ 38.6 billion by 2025, according to XNRGI press statement.

Moreover, Deloitte in its November 2019 report expects more than 130 million e-bikes (using all battery technologies) to be sold between 2020 and 2023, with e-bike sales in 2023 expected to top 40 million units worldwide, generating about US$20 billion in revenue.

As a center of excellence and research, the XNRGI facility in Gurugram will also serve to test and characterize the XNRGI PowerChip products as they enter low-rate initial production.

This article was amended on March 18 to include additional information.

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