Log9 Materials Unveils India’s First Indigenous Cell Manufacturing Facility

Dr Akshay Singhal, Co-Founder & CEO, Log9 Materials; Kartik Hajela, Co-Founder & COO, Log9 Materials and Pankaj Sharma

Bengaluru, India – Log9 Materials, a Bengaluru-based advanced battery-technology and deep-technology startup, recently unveiled India’s first indigenously-developed cell manufacturing facility at the Log9 campus in Jakkuru, Bengaluru, effectively taking the first step toward making India self-reliant (thus enabling #AatmanirbharBharat) in meeting the nation’s future electric mobility goals. Log9’s state-of-the-art cell manufacturing facility will be South East Asia’s largest cell production line. At a time when the majority of the cells and batteries used in India’s electric vehicles are imported from other countries, this development gives the country’s mobility vision a new lease on life, with the goal of transitioning to electric vehicles significantly by 2030. Furthermore, this milestone places India on the global map of deep-tech organizations, paving the way for new-generation Indian startups to rise and shine in the deep-technology arena in the coming years.

The company proudly dubbed the first day of the country’s first cell manufacturing line ‘Day Zero’; this day also marked the company’s 7th anniversary since the startup’s inception in 2015. Day Zero refers to the starting point for reimagining electric mobility in India and redefining innovation for the years ahead, as well as commemorating a special day marking the auspicious start of an everlasting transformation in India’s EV sector. The event was held not only to commemorate the company’s historic achievement, but also to address some of the most pressing and important questions and concerns facing India’s EV transformation ecosystem today. Notably, the company intends to achieve at least 50MWh of peak cell production capacity in the next year, with the goal of scaling to more than 5GWh in the next 3-5 years with the newly launched facility.

Day Zero catalyzed and provided impetus to the company’s foundation of the Responsible Delivery Movement, an initiative aimed at reducing the carbon footprint generated by India’s last mile logistics sector. Dr K Sivan, Ex-Chairperson, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), was the Chief Guest at Log9’s Day Zero observance, and Gunjan Krishna, IAS, Commissioner, Department of Industries & Commerce, Government of Karnataka, was the Guest of Honour. Among the other notable dignitaries and guests in attendance were the company’s investors, advisors, business partners, and ecosystem partners, including senior leaders and representatives from companies such as Amara Raja Batteries Limited (ARBL), Umicore, CBC, and BluSmart.

At the event, the company’s founders spoke at length about the unique cell chemistry that the company has been working with for its RapidX battery packs powered by InstaCharge technology, which offers 9x faster charging, 9x better performance, and 9x longer battery life for the company’s batteries when compared to conventional Lithium-Ion EV batteries.

The event also highlighted the company’s cell-to-pack competency, as well as the various cell form factors that the Log9 team has been developing, and simultaneously laid out its future plans in relation to the company's technology, R&D, and business scaling roadmap. The startup’s ambitious goals to scale up charging infrastructure, EV and clean energy enablement, particularly for commercial B2B transportation and logistics, and its plans for large-scale deployments of their RapidX batteries nationwide, among other strategic aspects that the company is targeting to achieve over the next couple of years, are detailed in the plans and roadmap.

Notably, India’s EV industry is currently heavily reliant on imports to meet its demand for electric vehicle batteries. This has primarily two negative consequences. One, it makes India reliant on other countries to achieve its EV transformation goals, and two, it causes India’s trade deficits with those countries to grow, which is bad for the economy in the long run. Second, these batteries, particularly the cells used in them, are never designed for Indian operating conditions, as evidenced by the growing number of mishaps across all types of EV platforms.

The company is confident that by introducing its superlative, future-facing batteries that last 9 times longer than conventional batteries and recharge in a fraction of the time, they are well on their way to changing India’s EV industry forever for the better while also nurturing sustainability without any caveats. The company has joined hands with a startup that has a patented technology in lithium recycling, which will enable it to offer economically viable batteries to customers, as a further step toward reducing the carbon footprint of the batteries they manufacture and to stand taller in their pursuit of Pioneering Responsible Energy. By 2030, the company’s long-term vision is to be the most respected and responsible brand in the clean mobility and energy sectors in all tropical countries. Day Zero marked the inception of manufacturing India’s first indigenous cells, which the company believes will not only help India become self-reliant in the EV space, but also bring the best battery and cell technologies to Indian customers, allowing the company to realize its noble vision.

Dr Sivan spoke at the event and drew a parallel between ISRO founder Dr Vikram Sarabhai’s vision and Log9’s vision for India’s future advancement, saying, “Just as Dr Sarabhai many years back understood and laid emphasis on indigenous innovation to advance and reap large scale benefits of space-tech, similarly, Log9’s pathbreaking indigenous research and infrastructure development shall bring India closer to self-reliance in energy storage and EV sectors in the near future.”

He further added, “Today, materials science and tech competency is the need of the hour for India’s advancement, and Log9 is already doing wonderful work in this area. I am confident that indigenously produced cells and batteries in India, pioneered by Log9 and backed by innovative technology, cell chemistry, and high energy density, will not only make India proud and self-reliant, but also, in the long run, create history for India and the entire world. I believe that with Indian companies like Log9 taking the lead and showing the way forward for disruption and innovation in our country, the day is not very far when even foreign giant companies like Tesla would be procuring cells from us!”

Congratulating Log9 on its unique achievement, Krishna said, “It is inspiring and exciting to see the work done by Indian startups like Log9 helping the nation’s climate action goals as well as advancing the cause of bettering our planet. It is imperative today to build climate-friendly technologies and products as the country increasingly moves from conventional fuel sources to alternate clean or renewable energy sources. And in enabling that, building innovative and future-ready energy storage solutions in India, for India will be the key. I am delighted to see Log9 taking a step forward to that with its extraordinary batteries and cell manufacturing capabilities.”

Dr Akshay Singhal, Co-Founder & CEO, Log9 Materials, commented, “We at Log9 are extremely proud and happy to launch India’s first cell manufacturing line, which reflects a giant leap forward in empowering India with all the flexibility and scale that would be required to give the country the right impetus for ushering its EV-led future. Thus, for Log9, Day Zero marks the day that will usher a new era of India-made cells for India. This special Day also marks our 7th anniversary and is therefore presented as a culmination of the groundbreaking efforts by LogNiners throughout our seven-year-long journey so far. Our cells have been designed grounds-up in India, for India; and this means that Log9’s cells and batteries are the best suited for Indian operating conditions, climate, and customers, and hence they are going to play a crucial role in making India self-reliant while helping the nation realize its ambitious electric mobility vision. With the momentum garnered from Log9’s Day Zero event, we will be going onwards and upwards and pledge to do everything possible to enable our country to accelerate and lead within the intersectional areas of e-mobility, EV-tech, clean energy and clean tech, sustainability, and deep technologies.”

Stating that it is ironic but true that India, despite being a talent-dense economy, still lacks ground-up innovation in the fields of deep-tech and EV-tech, Kartik Hajela, Co-Founder & COO, Log9 Materials, elaborated, “When we at Log9 started our journey, we could have either borrowed from what was present in the market and further built on it, but we instead chose to work on a blank canvas, and over the years, with multiple trials, errors, and failures, we have been able to better our product and technologies. And today, with utmost pride, we can announce that we have finally made our mark by bringing to India the best of the battery and cell technology available. India as a market demands products designed bespoke for the country and not carried forward from some other market. In that respect, we have been able to understand the pulse of the market and our customers well and hence bring to them the best that the world has to offer. Be it designing products or the impact they have on the ecosystem to enable our stakeholders to bring about a positive difference to the larger world, it is Responsibility that drives Log9, and shall carry forward our transformative legacy in the times to come.”

Image Source: Log9 Materials