BASE batteries to supply HRT
HRT have today announced that they will team up with BASE batteries during the Indian GP. At an event with the team's Indian driver Narain Karthikeyan, BASE was official titled "official battery supplier".
The partnership appears to be mostly a commercial deal as batteries in F1 cars are really no big deal. The logo of the company will also be displayed on the HRT cars during the Indian GP.
However, the company's heads are targeting a longer term relationship with HRT, aiming to join the team in developing their KERS system for next year. The deal currently signed is for 3 years.
"In the next three years, we plan to spend Rs 40 crore each annually for building the brand," Base Batteries COO Aditya Arora told reporters.
He also mentioned that his company believe it would be easier to target Indians by supporting an Indian driver, rather than Force India, who have 2 non-Indian drivers.
About BASE itself, Arora said the company has a share of 2.1 per cent in the Rs 28,000 crore battery market in India.
The target is to increase it to around 8 per cent in the next two-and-a-half years, he added,
Base Batteries produces 50,000 batteries per month from its Solan plant. It is looking to touch 4 lakh mark by 2013 and is in the process of investing nearly Rs 430 crore to set up a manufacturing plant at Hosur in Tamil Nadu.
The firm is also developing batteries for electric vehicles, which are likely to be launched by the first quarter of the next fiscal. It was mentioned that Arora said the company was aiming to diversify its portfolio by producing batteries for the telecommunication sector and defence applications such as submarines and tanks.
