Firefly Batteries - India

[MurrayM]

Anybody know the full story behind the Firefly carbon foam battery manufacturing facilities in India? https://fireflybattery.in/contact-us/

Seems they go by a different product name: https://fireflybattery.in/firefly-mcf/mcf-vigor/

...but look like the same batteries available here in North America: http://fireflybattery.in/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/12VG31-brochure-SPI-LV.pdf

Will lower cost/higher volume manufacturing bring the consumer price down soon?

 

[MurrayM]

Apparently, the whole shebang was sold in 2010:

The promoters of furnace maker Electrotherm acquired the US battery maker, Firefly Energy, in October 2010 along with its patented technology. Firefly Energy India will start production of carbon foam batteries, which are environment-friendly and have longer discharge cycles, by June.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.co...t-comes-up-in-gujarat/articleshow/7643944.cms

So...the price is still high because demand is high (when sellers run out of stock there are long waits for new batteries) and availability is low (most of the batteries are going into the Indian market).

A quick survey of prices here in Canada did show a price drop, but I was hoping things would improve a bit more...

 

[DDW]

Not really news, an Indian entrepreneur purchased the rights to them some time ago and at least parts of the production (cases I think) have been made there for some time.

It's true that the supply has been spotty in N.A. The also make a 2V/4V high capacity battery.

 

[stevemitchell]

I have 3 of the original US-made Firefly batteries, purchased in 2016. They were still making them in the US at that time, and into 2017 from what I've been told.

Somewhere in late 2017/early 2018 the supply ran dry in the US, and the price went from ~$400 to $500+ and are on permanent backorder in many places.

So even though they may have purchased the rights in 2011, the full swap doesn't sound like it happened until the last calendar year....