Indian battery maker Amara Raja Batteries has announced a partnership with Gridtential Energy to collaborate on bipolar lead-acid batteries.
The two companies have entered into a formal technology evaluation agreement, with Amara and Gridtential assembling and testing the US-based firm’s Silicon Joule bipolar reference batteries.
The batteries will use Amara’s active material in order to determine improvements in multiple performance aspects of the battery including cycle life, energy density, battery efficiency, charging rates and manufacturability.
Gridtential’s patented silicon wafer plates replace the lead grids used in monoblocs. The company says their technology can reach 55-60Wh/kg in 12V start-stop applications.
Speaking of partnership, S. Vijayanand, CEO, Amara Raja Batteries, said the company was very positive about the economic value of lead-based batteries in the Indian market and he believed Gridtential’s technology could bridge the gap between lead-based batteries and increasing demand for new energy storage applications.
Gridtential and its licensing partners are planning beta and then commercial production of the Silicon Joule enabled batteries within the next two years
Gridential’s licensing partners include the biggest names in the lead battery industry:
- East Penn Manufacturing, a private company and the world’s largest single-site, lead-acid battery facility.
- Crown Battery Manufacturing, a leader in deep-cycle applications
- Leoch International, the largest lead-acid battery exporter in China
- Hammond Group, a leading pioneer in hybrid automotive battery industry and a trusted chemical supplier
