Epsilon to partner with firms seeking ex-China EV battery supply: MD

Business Standard

6 days ago

Battery materials manufacturer Epsilon Advanced Materials is prepared to enter into long-term strategic partnerships with the companies looking to source high-quality graphite anode and cathode materials outside China, a company official said.
EV batteries are made of components like anode, cathode, electrolyte and separator. As of now China commands over 90 per cent of this graphite anode and cathode processing capacity which is used in electric vehicles.
The recent curbs by China on the export of key battery-grade materials and technologies for both graphite anode and cathode (lithium iron phosphate-based) has intensified global concerns over supply chain vulnerabilities in the electric vehicle (EV) sector including in India.
This development comes as India ramps up efforts to build a resilient, localised battery supply chain in the wake of China's tightening export restrictions on critical battery technologies.
"Epsilon is ready to partner with cell manufacturers and Auto OEMs who are eyeing ex-China sourcing to secure long-term supply chain of high-quality anode materials and LFP (lithium iron phosphate) cathode while supporting their localization and sustainability objectives," company's Managing Director Vikram Handa said in an interview.
China has a good early mover advantage and hence has been dominating the global battery materials supply chain for decades, but the recent export restrictions has shown how critical it is for battery manufacturers and auto OEMs to diversify their sourcing, outside of China, he explained.
"To begin with, our integrated and proprietary synthetic and natural graphite anode materials allow us to provide a secure and consistent supply chain to our customers across geographies. We have strategically invested in R&D facility and commercial plant to ensure customer qualification samples to our customers for sample testing and qualifying them," he said.
The company has its own proprietary technology for manufacturing lithium iron phosphate cathode with an R&D facility in Germany which makes them unaffected from the recent Chinese curbs.
Many companies who were dependent on the Chinese LFP cathode technology to manufacture in India are stuck as they will have to now invest in their own R&D which takes 5-6 years to mature.
"We have manufacturing plants in India, USA, and Finland with total capacity of 60,000 tonne by 2027 and 220,000 tonne by 2030 which make us the largest anode material producer outside China and will strengthen the resilience of our supply network.
"The cathode material plant of 100,000 tonne by 2030 in India will make us Atmanirbhar in electric vehicle battery material supply chain. This multi-continent presence gives our international clients more flexibility, localised supply options, and a reduced risk of disruption," he explained.
The company is investing Rs 15,350 crore in Karnataka to develop state-of-the-art manufacturing and research facility for electric vehicle battery materials, battery testing and advanced materials R&D.