India Will Soon Start Making Lithium-Ion Batteries — EVs Could Be Cheaper Soon

Updated: Thursday, July 26, 2018, 15:52 [IST]

The Central Electro Chemical Research Institute (CECRI) signed a memorandum of agreement (MOU) under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Raasi Solar Power. It was done for the transfer of technology for the first lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery project in our country.

India Soon Will Start Making Lithium-Ion Batteries

This MOU is the very first of its kind for the country, according to Science and Technology Minister, Harsh Vardhan. The MOU was signed in Bangalore on June 9, 2018 by Dr Vijayamohan K. Pillai, Director, CECRI and C Narasimhan, Chairman and MD of Raasi Group.

This homegrown technology of lithium-ion cells has been developed by a group of scientists at the Council for Scientific Industrial Research at CECRI. The batteries are being developed in partnership with CSIR-National Physical Laboratory, CSIR-Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute, Kolkata and CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad.

Till now, we have been importing lithium-ion batteries from China, Japan and South Korea. This is the main reason why they cost so much. In 2017, our country imported nearly $150 million or Rs 947 crore worth of lithium-ion batteries.

Science and Technology Minister, Harsh Vardhan stated, "Today's development is a validation of the capabilities of CSIR and its laboratories to meet technology in critical areas to support our industry, besides other sectors."

"It will give a tremendous boost to two flagship programmes - generating 175 gigawatts (GW) by 2022, of which 100 GW will be solar and the second, the National Electric Mobility Mission, to switch completely to electric vehicles by 2030", he further added.

The manufacturing facility will be set up in Tamil Nadu's Krishnagiri district, which is located close to Bengaluru. In doing so, the cost of manufacturing of these cells will come down to almost Rs 15,000 per KW to replace lead-acid batteries.

Manufacturing these cells in India will bring down the cost of various cell-powered system. Along with this, the cost of production of EVs will also drop. This will be a boon for the country and the environment.

Thoughts On The Indigenous Lithium-Ion Battery

Currently, we import li-ion cells from outside countries such as China and Japan. That is the reason why the cost of production is very high for systems that use these cells. Developing these cells in India will help reduce the cost, drastically.

So what are your thoughts about the Desi lithium-ion batteries?