April 9, 2020: As the world comes to terms with living in the grip of the Chinese Covid-19 pandemic, some businesses in the battery world have been doing their bit to help.
As reported in this bulletin on March 19, Chinese lithium battery giant BYD opened a plant to produce five million face masks a day, and on March 31 Amara Raja, one of India’s largest lead battery manufacturers, announced it had donated a total of Rs6 crore ($790,000) to two Indian relief funds, which grant help “to deserving families and individuals affected by natural calamities or loss of life of relatives due to accidents or for medical treatment for major diseases”.
It has given Rs5 crore to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund in Andhra Pradesh, and the remaining Rs1 crore to the Telangana Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, it said, adding that employees had given up a day’s pay to contribute.
Luminous Power Technologies, India’s third largest battery firm, has tackled the country’s lock down in a variety of ways.
Many of its contract employees are unable to return home because of the travel restrictions and the firm has been providing those workers with food and essentials for the interim — with management staff in Tamil Nadu and Himachal even packing up the parcels to give to employees.
The firm has continued to pay basic salaries so that families can stay solvent.
It has also provided medical support such as intensive care unit beds and other equipment for the Hosur Government Hospital in Tamil Nadu.
“We’ve also been working with local governments in providing inverters and batteries for emergency back-up systems in hospitals in different states like Uttar Pradesh, Odhisa etc,” says Amlan Kanti Das, senior vice president for battery operations and R&D.
“We’re deeply connected to society and we will do whatever it takes to cross over this pandemic. The Luminous team is geared up to help the community in a big way through our CSR wing, we are also participating in a big way in raising money for Prime Minister Modi’s Covid-19 Fund for the country.
“We are even looking into the possibility of manufacturing masks to supply to the community.”
US lead battery recycling firm Aqua Metals has donated hundreds of N95 masks to the ‘saints, angels, soldiers at the Tahoe-Reno area emergency rooms’, a tweet from president and CEO Steve Cotton said on March 30.
N95 masks are protective respiratory devices designed to filter airborne particles. “Thank you to all of the healthcare professionals out there from the entire team at Aqua for your courage and strength!” Cotton said.
Lead battery manufacturer and recycler Exide Technologies also donated N95 masks to the local urgent care centre from its plant in Salina, Kansas, it said.
Recylex Group, the lead, zinc and plastics recycler, has donated the rest of its stock of safety equipment — protective gowns and masks — to the Villefranche Hospital in Gleizé, eastern France.
Electric car maker Tesla reportedly donated 40 ventilators to the New York City hospital Elmhurst, and Elon Musk was quoted as saying he would provide more if needed, after British technology firm Dyson produced a portable ventilator that can be run on battery power.
Once approved, 10,000 of them will go to UK hospitals and the firm will donate a further 5,000 to ‘the international effort’, 1,000 of which will go to the UK.
