Mahindra, LG Chem Tie Up For Li-ion Battery Technology

Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. and LG Chem, Korea’s leading manufacturer of advanced batteries, announced today a collaboration in the field of advanced Li-ion battery technology, especially a unique cell exclusively for use in India. The Korean company also said that it will supply Li-ion cells based on NMC (nickel-manganese-cobalt) chemistry with high energy density to be deployed in Mahindra and SsangYong’s range of electric vehicles (EVs).

Apart from this, LG Chem will also design Li-ion battery modules for Mahindra Electric, which will then create battery packs to be used in products from the Mahindra Group. Last year, Mahindra announced that it was developing a battery module plant with a capacity of half a million units a year. This plant will also house a line for battery pack modules. The facility is set to go into production in the last quarter of FY’ 2020, said the manufacturer in a release.

Currently, Mahindra sells four electric vehicles in India - the eVerito sedan, e2o Plus hatchback, the eSupro cargo van and the eAlfa rickshaw. The company showcased its upcoming EVs, the eKUV100 and the e2o Plus NXT, at the Auto Expo 2018. The latter is likely to be launched in the later half of this year.

Earlier this month, the homegrown carmaker also announced an additional investment of Rs 500 crore in its Chakan plant for the enhancements of EVs and related components. Read more about it here.