Big hit coming up for exide and amaron this year. Maruti to remove lead acid batteries for C segment cars and SUV. A 12V converter added to shvs. It may be gradual with 1 or 2 models added per quarter but eventually they may not need a lead acid battery.
48V-12V (DC/DC) converter to power components requiring lower voltage including lights, audio and air conditioning.
This seems to be a progression from the existing SHVS system. Practically one observes that an SHVS gives a gain of about 1 km/ per litre. But what people are missing out is it puts a heavier load on the battery and the battery life is reduced compared to a car without SHVS. These are my personal observations and i have put off SHVS in my car. The battery is quite expensive for an SHVS car.
Regarding the 48V lithium ion pack, it sure is going to be quite expensive and add on to the initial cost of the car along with the cost of the motor and additional electrical.The replacement battery is also going to be expensive and will need replacement at close to 3 years. I feel these are not going to be mass market options . Maruti will continue with its bread and butter models. The new 48V batteries is going to be manufactured by Maruti for sure at its joint venture plant. So it is some time before lead acid batteries are eliminated.
I can vouch for exide products for its quality in Industrial applications. They have good products for all applications. The only issue is the dealer does not keep inventory at his place. According to him, there is no credit and he has to pay upfront for the product, while the customer expects credit from him. My impressions of Exide is a company making great products, but operating like a PSU. Iam not sure if they are fleet footed to adapt to changes in the field of batteries, but capabilities are there.
Invested in Exide.
Lithium batteries will last more than 8 years and may see some performance loss after that (but still can be used).
How often do we change batteries for our mobile phones? Tesla batteries last over 8 years. They even have the performance data published online.
I don’t know if you replaced the lithium battery in your car but I have not heard anyone replace it. I assume you use the old SHVS using exide lead acid battery and that can be replaced by any 74 DIN battery and they are not expensive. You don’t need to use special batteries. I have replaced it with Amaron 74 DIN.
The cost of lithium battery is 49k but will come down when we start localising it. It should be good for the life of the car as SHVS uses a ISG which will reduce the load on alternator based system.
I am using the exide lead acid 74 DIN battery, what i was pointing was the overall cost of ownership, the battery needs an earlier replacement. The same engine without an SHVS would require only a 50 AH battery as in the Fiat Linea diesel.
Regarding the life of the 48V lithium battery , made a mistake. But still costs have to come down to bring down ownership costs. Exide has a partnership with Leclanche, but not sure how far they are in the development of lithium batteries.
The battery lasts over 4 years and that is the typical life for a lead acid. However it also depends on your usage and how long your car was in dealer yard. The ISG actually increases the life of battery as the charging Amps are much higher than a typical alternator.
The cost difference between a 50 Ah and 74 Ah is not much. Paying 8k instead of 5k is not a big cost considering slightly better life for the 74 DIN.
The cost of lithium battery is coming down. We no longer use the 500 mAh battery we used in Nokia feature phones and we now see even 6000 mAh battery in mobile phones. Please search and look for a good presentation from Tony Seba.
Lithium battery will be significant % of cost of car and it will no longer be a small cost like lead acid battery. Hence exide is not going to be preferred by OEM. Replacement demand may not be there as we often don’t replace battery from 3rd party for our mobile phones. The life of battery is much longer and if at all needed, we may reach out to the OEM.
If Exide, which is in the same space and a Zero debt company with a longer history of existing in the battery space… itself is bleeding beyond repair and with stark reality of the Corona virus quoted by their mgmt
in its latest letter, is Amara Raja Batteries untouched by Covidh or bleeding more?YoY Results look good. Can anyone please help with the summary.
Disclosure: Invested, looking to add more.
Latest press release from Amaraja indicates that the management too is taking the much needed pay cut.
Blockquote
Promoters holding Managerial positions have voluntarily agreed for up to 50%
reduction from their total remuneration for FY2020-21
10%–25% graded temporary compensation reduction for staff and management
team; amount kept aside as ‘Business Performance-linked Pay’, to be rewarded
back in the event of satisfactory business recovery and performance
No salary reduction for workmen and trainees
Measures meant to manage the impact of COVID-19
Blockquote
This was essential as the promotor compensation is way too high and hardly justified.
Any clue as to how much Amara Raja will be affected by Maruti setting up its own battery manufacturing plant ?
I think this will be beneficial for battery makers, as the end user can choose.
Disclosure: Invested
Do Indian battery manufacturers viz. Amaron and Exide, have the capability to manufacture Lithium ion batteries that are compatible in EV?
The answer is contained in the Annual reports. 
APPCB orders Amara Raja Batteries to close its units in Chittoor district
Seems very very bad news for AmarajaBatteries
In last june, some negative news came against company.
This time it seems to damage the company reputation and restoration might see a long time
Andhra Pradesh govt retrieves land from Amara Raja, TDP cries harassment - The Economic Times https://m.economictimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/andhra-pradesh-govt-retrieves-land-from-amara-raja-tdp-cries-harassment/articleshow/76712881.cms
How long do you feel the shut down might continue…
Amara Raja’s plants power is also OFF. The plants are completely shut down.
This will hugely effect the company outlook as company may take several months to reopen the plant???
There are several allegations that this is a political issue as Galla Jayadev belongs to opposition party MP.
Let’s see what will happen???
What’s your view…
Can you provide the source??
You can google it…
Allegations are very severe and seems closure orders may not restore immediately???
According to the notice, “The lead values in the blood samples of the people residing in the surrounding villages are high. The lead value is around 35%. Excess lead values in blood samples of the people indicate that the operation of these units is endangering public health."
The inspection team had collected blood samples from 3,533 employees working in the company. According to the reports, the percentage of lead in the blood samples was revealed to be high. On April 6, AP PCB officials issued show cause notices to Amar Raja Batteries. On April 20, the company replied that, "The External Advisory Committee (EAC) met on April 22 to discuss the issue in detail."
The AP government directed the PCB to shut down Amar Raja Batteries as it has been flouting norms. Also, the AP Southern Power Distribution Company Limited was directed to cut power supply to the two units.
After this Amara Raja saga, which all good companies we need to exit before such mishap occurs?
It seems to be political issue… Not just Amara Raja, it is always risky to invest in politician promoter companies in the long run.
High Court has stayed the PCB order
[https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/hc-stays-appcb-notice-to-close-amara-raja-batteries-plants/article34497109.ece]