Hyderabad: Amara Raja Advanced Cell Technologies (ARACT), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Amara Raja Energy & Mobility Limited (ARE&M), one of India’s leading industrial and automotive battery majors, held a grand groundbreaking ceremony for their Customer Qualification Plant (CQP) for cell manufacturing and the foundation stone laying ceremony at Divitipally, Mahabubnagar district.
The event was attended by distinguished guests, including Steven Cai, Board member and President EMEA; Diego Graffi, CMD Piaggio Vehicles India, Ashish Jangale, VP and Head SSU Mahindra & Mahindra, Swapnil Jain, Co-founder Ather Energy, Jayadev Galla, Chairman and Managing Director, ARE&M; and Harshavardhana and Vikramadithya Gourineni, Executive Directors of ARE&M; along with other dignitaries from the government and industry.
Phase 1 of the battery pack plant was inaugurated with a current capacity of 1.5 GWh. The plant makes Li-ion battery packs specifically suited for Indian conditions and will be supplying to major EV OEMs along with being used for stationery energy storage requirements. The CQP, which is all set to be operational by Q1 of the next financial year, can produce various cell types for customer testing and validation. The project recently received a fillip after ARE&M’s collaboration with Gotion Inobat (GIB) for technology, manufacturing and customized solutions.
The Giga Corridor which is spread across 260 acres of land will entail an investment of Rs 9,500 crore till 2031 and will include the advanced cell manufacturing Gigafactory along with battery pack facility. In addition, the company is also building a first-of-its kind advanced energy research and innovation center in Hyderabad, dubbed the ePositive Energy Labs.
Along with the battery pack plant inauguration and foundation stone laying ceremony of the CQP, Amara Raja signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Piaggio. As part of this agreement, Amara Raja will collaborate with Piaggio Vehicles Private Limited to develop and supply LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) Lithium-Ion (Li-ion) cells and chargers for its EV 3 Wheelers along with developing cells and battery packs for their upcoming 2-Wheeler offerings, produced locally. It had recently signed a MoU with Ather Energy as well.
On the occasion, Mr. Jayadev Galla, Chaiman & Managing Director, Amara Raja Energy & Mobility said “At Amara Raja, our mission has always been to build institutions that provide better opportunities for more and more people. Today’s groundbreaking ceremony signifies the start of a transformative journey for this region. This is not just a ceremonial milestone but the beginning of our strategic initiative to create sustainable, non-migratory job opportunities for local youth through the Gigacorridor. We are profoundly grateful for the unwavering support of the Telangana Government in this venture.”
“We anticipate this initiative will play a crucial role in advancing India’s energy transition. Having always been pioneers in adopting new technologies, we take great pride in establishing world-class manufacturing units. The CQP is first of its kind in India and will help us develop the perfect cell chemistry for each customer’s requirement” added Vikramadithya Gourineni, Executive Director, ARE&M.
Amara Raja Energy & Mobility Limited (ARE&M) encompasses a diverse range of solutions and products, which includes energy storage solutions, Lithium-ion cell manufacturing, wide range of EV chargers, Li-ion battery pack assembly, automotive and industrial lubricants, and exploration of new chemistries, among others.
ARE&M is also one of the largest manufacturers of energy storage products for both industrial and automotive applications in India. Amara Raja is the preferred supplier to major telecom service providers, telecom equipment manufacturers, the UPS sector (OEM & Replacement), Indian Railways, and the Power, Oil & Gas industry segments. Amara Raja’s industrial battery brands comprise of PowerStack®, AmaronVolt® and Quanta®. The company also manufactures India’s leading automotive battery brands Amaron® and Powerzone, which are distributed through a large pan-India sales & service retail network. The company supplies automotive batteries under OE relationships to Ashok Leyland, Ford India, Honda, Hyundai, Mahindra & Mahindra, Maruti Suzuki, and Tata Motors amongst others. Amara Raja’s Industrial and Automotive Batteries are exported to over 50 countries around the world.
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Brijesh Menon, Head Corporate Communications,
Amara Raja Group
Email: bjm@amararaja.com
MSL Group, Bangalore
Email: arzoo.jain@mslgroup.com