The Indian Government in its effort to reduce the menacing problem of air pollution across the country has asked ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) to share its indigenous high-power automobile Lithium-ion battery manufacturing technology with several public and private sector companies for mass production.
ISRO developed similar Li-ion batteries for its satellites and launch vehicles and a recent development at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre has resulted in high-power, low weight and smaller batteries which have successfully passed feasibility tests for use in e-vehicles.
Now, several public and private sector companies like BHEL, Indian Oil, High Energy Batteries, Hyundai, Nissan, Mahindra, Tata Motors have approached ISRO to get access to the technology for mass production of high power Lithium-ion battery to be used in their electric vehicles. ISRO has responded to their requests and has promised to come up with a framework to make this technology transfer process a smooth one.
As of now, almost all lithium-ion batteries are imported in the country and hence it is very expensive. Sources indicate that the cost of the batteries is high also because of the small volume of procurement. Mass production by multiple manufacturers in large volume can reduce the cost by 80% which is the key to encouraging demand. It will also help in realizing the India Government’s ambitious target of introducing more electric vehicles in the country for reducing air pollution caused by vehicular exhaust, which has become a major health concern.
By Baishakhi Dutta
