Energetica India Magazine May-June 2021

Stefan Louis CEO, Nexcharge How the joint venture of Exide and Le- clanché came into existence to form Nexcharge? To date how much invest- ment has been made in setting up the manufacturing lines? S tefan L ouis : During the time of the col- laboration, Exide was active in lead-acid batteries and had some first experience with lithium-ion batteries; however, to take the brand a notch above, they de- cided to look for a technology partner - ship. At the same time, Leclanché, with almost 15 years of experience in the lithium-ion industry was interested to li- cense its superior technology to Exide, and that’s how the joint venture came into existence in 2018. With regards to the in - vestment that has been made in setting up the manufacturing lines, we’re north of about Rs 250 crore till date. India is a unique market with specific requirements. The composition of the Indian fleet is much dif - ferent than others. We havemore two-wheelers and three-wheelers in India as compared to other countries. The tropical climate and the road quality certainly have an impact on the shock, vibra - tion, and ruggedness of the vehicle. Furthermore, the market is cost-sensitive in India. We had to keepall thecriteria inmindbeforedeveloping theproduct. I believeonceyoudevelopandmarket a product in India, you can develop andmarket a product anywhere in theworld because India is amarket that demands thehighest quality at the lowest price, which is achallenge, believes Stefan Louis , Chief ExecutiveOfficer, Nexcharge, in an exclusive conversationwith Manu Tayal , Associate Editor, Energetica India. Louis also sharedabout his company’smanufacturingplans in India, export strategy, outlook for battery storagemarket etc. Here’re the edited excerpts from that interaction: 16 energetica INDIA- May-June_2021 INTERVIEW