Exide to balance lead-acid strength with lithium-ion push

Business 17 Jun, 2026

Exide to balance lead-acid strength with lithium-ion push

Business To Business, Kolkata, 17^th June, 2026: Exide Industries is pursuing a dual strategy for India's evolving energy landscape: expanding into lithium-ion cell manufacturing while continuing to invest in its traditional lead-acid battery business.
In his message to shareholders, Chairman Sridhar Gorthi said the company's investment in its wholly owned subsidiary, Exide Energy Solutions Ltd (EESL), should be viewed as a long-term effort to build domestic lithium-ion manufacturing capabilityes.
Lithium-ion expansion

Exide is investing in local lithium-ion cell production through EESL.
The move aligns with India's push for self-reliance in advanced battery technologies.
Lithium-ion batteries are expected to see increasing adoption in:
- Electric vehicles (EVs)
- Grid-scale energy storage
- Renewable energy integration
- Advanced mobility applications

Gorthi emphasized that lead-acid technology remains relevant despite the rise of lithium-ion batteries.
According to the company, lead-acid batteries continue to be widely used in:

Automotive starter batteries
Industrial backup power systems
Telecom infrastructure
Uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems
Conventional energy storage applications

The company's view is that the battery market is not moving toward a complete replacement of one technology by another. Instead:
This suggests a complementary rather than competitive relationship between the two technologies in many segments.
Exide's investment reflects broader trends in India's energy transition:

Growing EV adoption.
Expansion of renewable energy capacity.
Increased demand for energy storage.
Efforts to develop domestic battery manufacturing ecosystems.
Reduction of dependence on imported battery cells.

By maintaining its lead-acid business while building lithium-ion capacity, Exide is positioning itself to participate in both traditional and emerging segments of the battery market as India's energy and mobility sectors evolve.