Li-ion

The electronics manufacturer says it will switch focus to solar panels and lithium battery storage as it launches an inverter series for rooftop PV.

Researchers have sounded the alarm. If no serious efforts are made on second-life battery use, recycling and vehicle-to-grid applications, decarbonization efforts may hit the buffers a lot sooner than expected.

The state-owned engineering firm will supply and set up a cumulative 410 kWh of battery energy storage systems in Delhi under UI-ASSIST (US-India Collaborative for Smart Distribution System with Storage) initiative of TERI.

Delinking the battery (which accounts for 30-40% of the total vehicle cost) will bring the upfront cost of the electric 2-wheelers (2W) and 3-wheelers (3W) to be lower than internal combustion engine counterparts. The battery could be provided separately by the original equipment manufacturer or the energy service provider. 

The government is acquiring lithium mines abroad to ensure raw material availability for electric vehicle battery production. Among other technology alternatives for EVs, it is looking at developing indigenous hydrogen fuel cells with hydrogen derived from biomass.

Cost savings associated with switching to least-cost energy solutions like wind and solar can be redeployed for economic recovery. At the same time, building resilience on fronts like energy system design and supply-chain management is crucial to deal with unexpected shocks and crises.

The industry needs to cut a dependence on electric vehicle battery imports from China, according to the road transport minister, who said the government is looking to support research into alternatives to lithium-ion technology.

The near-term outlook for electric vehicles (EVs) remains bleak owing to supply and demand headwinds coupled with the expectation of sluggish investment to scale up the support ecosystem.

Industry body FICCI has recommended an extension of the FAME II Scheme by at least one year to 2023 as it feels change in the consumer behavior can impact the demand for electric vehicles (EVs) in the short term.

A German-Israeli research group has gathered for three days to discuss which storage technologies may outperform lithium-ion batteries in the future. They concluded that there is no such a thing as a “post Li‐ion” era in sight. They recommended a “side‐by‐side” approach for multiple technologies in different applications, as well as the hybridization of technologies. The group highlighted the strong potential of redox flow storage, which in their view may outperform Li‐ion, although only for stationary applications.