Green Cell, a Polish specialist in batteries and charging technologies for mobile devices and electric vehicles, has opened up its first e-bike battery plant in Balice near Krakow, expecting to assemble 50,000 e-bike batteries per-year by the end of 2022.
Green Cell is investing €2.5 million in the plant, which was made possible by what it claimed was “dynamically growing revenues” that reached €60 million in 2021.
The batteries will be mainly sold in Western Europe where e-bike usage has gained momentum, but usage is also increasing in Poland where the share of e-bikes in the market will reach 28% in 2026 at a value of €5.3 million.
According to a survey conducted in February by Difference Agency for Polish bicycle company KROSS, 86% of people agreed that uptake of e-bikes in Poland has increased, with 84% agreeing that e-bikes can be a more convenient way of getting around.
Paweł Ochyński, Green Cell CEO, said: “We want to ensure the highest quality, develop solutions from scratch, strengthen supply chains, build know-how and further increase our presence in foreign markets. Our battery factory is an important element of our strategy. We initially focused on selling mobile phone batteries and accessories but moved to independent development and production a few years ago.”
The first e-bike batteries made in the plant are already available, with the company wanting to offer eight different types of electric bike batteries that fit most common motors. Each battery has its own Battery Management System that monitors and controls the individual cells during charging and discharging.
Green Cell says each battery model goes through a series of demanding tests to ensure the safe use and highest quality. The first battery model, the GC PowerMove, has a capacity of 14.5Ah (522Wh) and a voltage of 36V depending on the choice of operating mode.
It offers a range of 60 to 130km on a single charge and can still retain capacity after 700 charge cycles due to the use of “high quality cells from proven suppliers.” The retail price of the first GC PowerMove model is €329.95.
