Tesla Power India Launches Refurbished Battery Brand-‘Restore’

Tesla Power India today announced introducing ‘ReStore’, India’s first refurbished battery brand supporting self-reliance, skill development, and green technology. 

The initiative is led by Tesla Power India Private Limited, which is headquartered in Gurgaon and has global headquarters in Delaware, USA. Its Electro-Chemical Battery Enhancement Process (EBEP) is poised to transform the battery industry landscape, the firm said. 

The firm has planned to launch 5000 “ReStore Battery Refurbishing Centers” in India by 2025, with 500+ already operational, spread across the country. The proprietary EBEP technology extends the lifespan of all types of Lead acid batteries, including tall tubular inverter batteries and UPS VRLA batteries, offering a cost-effective solution that can extend the battery’s life by 1 to 2 years by refurbishing them. 

The refurbished batteries under the brand name of “ReStore” will be sold to the customer at almost half of the cost of a new inverter battery along with warranty.

The launch of this brand “ReStore” is in compliance with the “Battery Waste Management Rules 2022” wherein the CPCB has recognized Battery Refurbishing as an approved business activity. This change in the policy and rules will open up a new service industry and approximately 30,000 battery refurbishment centers are expected to open up in India giving employment opportunities to more than 1 Lac people. 

Approximately 10 crore lead acid batteries are scrapped and replaced every year in India, costing Rs.40,000 crore to the Indian economy, Tesla Power India said in a statement today. 

This move claims to address both economic strain from battery replacements and environmental hazards linked to improper disposal, and complying to the Indian government’s commitment to promote circular economy and sustainability through innovative battery waste management policy.

Kavinder Khurana, Managing Director of Tesla Power India said, “ReStore is not just a refurbished battery brand; it’s also a solution for employment generation in a new battery service industry, which will contribute to a sustainable environment. By offering affordable refurbished batteries with performance warranty, we aim to not only redefine the market but also to train the micro and small entrepreneurs on our Electro-chemical battery enhancement process (EBEP technology) which has been proven as a game-changer, as we have already refurbished more than 3 Lac batteries using our proprietary technology.”

While the focus on drawing in channel partners with an upfront investment has been in the limelight from the firm, there is also the question of whether there is a long term market for restoring lead acid batteries. Industry sources claim that not only is recycling ensuring over 90% recycling today, actual end user demand is also likely to slow down with more dependable power grids and other options like Lithium Ion batteries etc.