Log9 Material opens India's first cell manufacturing unit in Bengaluru, announces multiple partnerships

Log9 Materials, a battery technology startup on Friday inaugurated India's first commercial cell manufacturing unit in Jakkur, Bengaluru. The new battery plant will have an annual capacity to produce 50-megawatt hours of batteries, which can power about 8000 units of three-wheeler electric vehicles (EVs) per year.

This facility will cater to LTO (lithium-titanium-oxide) and LFP (lithium iron phosphate) cell manufacturing Going forward, the company will expand the capacity depending on the scalability and demand.

The plant underscores the Bengaluru-based startup's ambition to ramp up its presence in the electric vehicle market at home. The manufacturing line will support the production of large-form cylindrical cells ranging from 22 series to 66 series.

In the next five years, Log9 is committed to a carbon emission reduction of 90T per vehicle with a total CO2 reduction of 14kT per year.

Additionally, the startup has also launched its indigenous Battery Management System named Charvik with state-of-the-art Power control mechanisms and SoX algorithms, to ensure high safety and reliability for high-power applications. 

"Our cells are designed from the ground-up in India, for India; to suit Indian operating conditions, climate and customers," Akshay Singhal, Co-founder and CEO of Log9 said.

Founded in 2015, the battery technology startup is backed by leading capital firms Sequoia Capital and Exfinity Ventures, as well as strategic investors such as Amara Raja Batteries and Petronas (Malaysia). The startup has recently raised funding of US$ 40 million, as part of its Series B funding. 

In 2021, Log 9 raised US$ 8.5 million in its Series A funding round led by Amara Raja Batteries with an investment of US$ 5 million.  

The company also announced partnerships with another deep-tech startup Chara for EV powertrains. Bengaluru-based Chara manufactures cloud-controlled electric vehicle motors free of toxic rare-earth metals, thus cutting a massive dependency on imports to accelerate electric mobility in India.

Log9 also joined hands with another firm, the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), Thiruvananthapuram for power electronics. It has also partnered with Bosch to form a blockchain network to solve the hurdles in the electric vehicle ecosystem.

Log9 has an extensive product portfolio consisting of RapidX range of EV batteries, including RapidX 2000 for commercial electric two-wheelers, Rapid 6000 and 8000 for electric three-wheelers, and RapidX 12000 and 15000 for electric four-wheelers catering to last-mile deliveries. According to the startup, these LTO batteries are designed specifically for tropical climatic conditions, making them the safest in the world.