Hong Kong Earthshot Prize winner GRST targets golf carts, boats and motorcycles for its eco-friendly lithium-ion batteries
- GRST is in talks with many potential clients to deploy its eco-friendly batteries in a range of electrical applications, COO Karen Ng says
- The start-up is expected to complete doubling its annual production capacity to 1 gigawatt hour in March
GRST, the Hong Kong green technology start-up which won Prince William’s Earthshot Prize, is in talks to deploy its eco-friendly batteries in a range of electrical applications before taking a crack at the electric-vehicle (EV) market, according to a top executive.
It is seeking to deploy lithium-ion batteries made with its patented water-based technology to replace lead-acid batteries in golf carts and boats, and even conventional lithium batteries in electric motorcycles and power banks, said chief operating officer Karen Ng.
“The EV battery industry’s inertia to change is high and the audit process is very long, making the barrier to entry very high,” she said ahead of the inaugural Hong Kong GreenTech Summit held on Monday.
For a new supplier like GRST to convince an EV maker to change to a new type of battery is challenging. It will not only have to undergo a thorough and vigorous process to demonstrate the performance and safety of its batteries but also have to be cost effective compared with mainstream products.
The EV industry typically requires batteries to last for at least 5,000 charge and discharge cycles, which takes 10 years to demonstrate.