Ashok Leyland to Invest Rs 5,000 Cr in Battery Manufacturing with CALB

• Ashok Leyland partners with CALB, investing Rs 5,000 crore in next-gen batteries
• Global Centre of Excellence to drive innovation in battery tech and manufacturing
• Batteries for Ashok Leyland EVs and wider automotive and energy storage markets

Ashok Leyland has announced a long-term, exclusive strategic alliance with CALB Group based in China, to develop and manufacture next-generation batteries.

The flagship company of the Hinduja Group expects to invest Rs 5000 crores over the next 7-10 years to facilitate the development of next generation batteries for automotive and non-automotive applications including energy storage systems.

The agreements were signed in Mumbai by Shenu Agarwal, MD & CEO Ashok Leyland and Jacky Liu, CEO, CALB (HK) Co., Ltd, in the presence of Shom Hinduja, President, Hinduja Group.

Dheeraj Hinduja, Chairman, Ashok Leyland stated, "Our strategic partnership with CALB is a significant step towards creating a localised battery supply chain in India to accelerate adoption of electric vehicles in India and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels".

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The companies agreed that Ashok Leyland will set up a Global Centre of Excellence that will focus on research and development to drive development of next generation battery materials, battery recycling systems, battery management systems, and advanced manufacturing innovation.

The batteries that will be produced in the future plant will supply Ashok Leyland and Switch’s electric vehicle products and will also be used for non-captive demand in the wider automotive and energy storage markets.

He added, "In the initial phase, the new battery business shall focus on the automotive sector, and then move to non-automotive areas as well, including energy storage systems".

Ashok Leyland offers a full range of trucks sizes (2T to 55T GTW), and buses from 9 to 80 passengers, strengthening its position in the commercial vehicle space and moving into electric mobility with strategic investments.