A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between CSIR’s Central Electro Chemical Research Institute (CECRI) (Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu) and RAASI Solar Power Pvt Ltd to set up a lithium-ion battery manufacturing plant in India.
This will be India’s first attempt at making the highly in-demand batteries that power our phones, laptops and some of our cars. A new method of Lithium-ion battery, or Li-ion, battery production has been devised by a team of scientists collaborating with other government departments.
The scientific team is headed by Dr. Gopu Kumar, and the ultimate aim of the manufacturer undersigning the agreement – RAASI Solar Power – is to bring down the cost of producing Li-ion batteries to under INR 15,000/kW (~$221/kW) in order to allow it to compete with its contemporary, lead-acid batteries.
At this point, it is unclear whether this project will help India compete in the global EV battery market. India is the largest economy to still enter that segment, with the U.S. and China being the global leaders.
No, they’re not going to be contending suppliers for Model 3 EV batteries just yet, but baby steps are better than no steps at all.
