Lithium-Ion batteries may be manufactured in India soon

• A MOU has been signed for the transfer of technology.
• A demo plant is to be set up in the Southern state of Tamil Nadu under the agreement.
  
• The technology has been developed by scientists from the Central Electro Chemical Research Institute.

On Sunday, the government-run Central Electro Chemical Research Institute (CECRI) and the RAASI Solar Power Pvt Ltd have signed an agreement for the transfer of technology for the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries. This is a first of its kind memorandum of understanding (MOU) that has been signed in the country, according to the official statement that was issued.

The technology, originally, was developed in a collaboration between CECRI and multiple institutes under the the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). They also set up a demo manufacturing plant in Chennai, which has the potential to reduce the manufacturing cost.

“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,” said Dr Harsh Vardhan according to the press release.

Currently, India imports lithium-ion batteries from many countries, including China, Japan and South Korea. In 2017 alone the country imported batteries worth around $150 million. This manufacturing, if done in India, won't just save on imports but would significantly contribute to the country's GDP.

“It will give tremendous boost to two flagship programmes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi – increasing the share of Clean Energy in the energy basket by generating 175 Gigawatts by 2022, of which 100 Gigawatts will be Solar and the second, National Electric Mobility Mission, to switch completely to electric vehicles by 2030,” Vardhan added.

The RASSI group will be setting up a battery manufacturing unit in Tamil Nadu in the Krishnagiri district. One of the major focuses of this project is to mass produce cheap lithium-ion batteries in order to replace lead-acid batteries. These batteries have many applications ranging from solar energy to phones to electric cars.

(Representative image)