Lucas TVS and 24M Tech to set up giga factory near Chennai

Electrical components manufacturer Lucas TVS and 24M Technologies Inc, developer of next generation lithium-ion battery technologies, have inked a license and services agreement to construct one of the first Giga factories in India using 24M’s innovative and disruptive SemiSolid platform technology.

The first plant will be set up in Thervoy Kandigai, Gummudipundi near Chennai. Lucas TVS expects to build other plants throughout India to support the growing energy storage, electric mobility and lead acid battery replacement markets.

The Chennai plant is slated to begin commercial production in second half of 2023. In line with the aggressive targets set by the government of India, Lucas TVS plans to grow the capacity of the plant to a globally competitive scale of 10 GWh in two stages.

Simpler process, reduced capital costs
24M Technologies claims its 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 SemiSolid technology enables the production of a thicker electrode, increasing energy density and reducing materials costs. 

Beyond its cost advantages, 24M claims its patented cell design enhances safety, reliability, and traceability, by virtually eliminating potential metal contamination, the most common cause of shorts in conventional lithium-ion cells.  In addition to these benefits, the SemiSolid electrode eliminates the use of binders and thereby enables 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. 

The SemiSolid platform offers innovative solutions to the fast-growing storage and electric mobility markets and the emerging lead acid battery replacement markets and is already seeing large capacities being planned globally in Japan, ASEAN, Europe, East Asia and the US. 

Batteries in pouch and prismatic cell formats
Lucas TVS, which will be the first to introduce SemiSolid lithium-ion batteries produced in India and designed for the Indian market, plans to build products using different chemistries, in Pouch and Prismatic cell formats, with high energy density. The products will meet customer needs in e-mobility, stationary energy storage, including grid-scale markets, and lead acid battery replacement. Lucas TVS will also be offering complete battery solutions to those customers who need them.

“Lucas TVS believes in investing in the next-generation technologies, which is why we chose to partner with 24M,” said T K Balaji, Chairman and Managing Director, Lucas TVS.  “We are confident that their innovative SemiSolid platform technology will enable us to provide our customers affordable e-mobility, lead acid battery replacement and storage solutions with improved quality and best-in-class safety.”

 “We are delighted to partner with a market leader like Lucas TVS with a 60+ year track record of performance as a leading provider of electromagnetic solutions to the mobility market,” commented Naoki Ota, Chief Executive Officer of 24M.  “Our innovative SemiSolid technology and ongoing R&D investments will support Lucas TVS’s ambition to become a leader in the energy storage space for mobility, lead acid battery replacement, storage and grid scale markets in India.”