India Plans Domesticate Alternate Battery Technology For EV Segment

Last updated on February 6th, 2021 at 08:58 am

India is looking at itself to become a leading name in battery development and is urging the electronic vehicular segment to take this seriously. The self-reliance movement in India has taken serious proportions and there is going to be no turning back on this momentum.

India is wishing to explore more indigenous technology that can be used in leading batteries and power train mechanisms. The main reason for this is the fact that India is limited on its lithium reserves and would not like to keep all its eggs in the same basket. 

Lithium reserves are concentrated in Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, United States, Australia, and China to name a few.  On its part, India has unearthed its first-ever lithium reserves in Karnataka’s Mandya recently.  According to official estimates, the number of lithium-ion　batteries imported by India has quadrupled to 713 million in the last fiscal year, from 175 million in 2016-17.  

The numbers will only go higher, something that the Centre would like to reduce and create domestic avenues instead. According to a recent statement made by the Road, Transport & Highways Minister, Nitin Gadkari, it is imperative that India emerges as a pioneer in developing leading battery and power-train technologies.

There are therefore plans to shift to alternate technology like, metal-air, metal-ion, and other potential technologies. The Indian R&D pipeline is filling in fast with innovative ideas and the Centre is all for such innovations that can help India come in the forefront of Electric Vehicle battery development. 

As of February 2020, India has been the world’s largest importer of lithium. Its trade partners include Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile. Indian manufacturers sourced Li-ion batteries from China, Japan, and South Korea. After repeated showdowns with Beijing, India intends to pull itself out of trade negotiations and lithium is not going to be the place to shake hands with China anymore.