Li-ion

Australia based Neometals and India’s Manikaran Power—which announced their collaboration on India’s first lithium refinery last year—have also doubled the proposed refinery capacity to 20,000 tonnes per annum of lithium hydroxide.

The European Li-ion battery manufacturer has partnered with the Mumbai based battery management system provider on the design and deployment of an electric excavator that would operate in subzero temperatures (below -20°C).

Based in Gurugram, the factory is spread over 30,000 sq.ft and can produce 240 MWh of high-temperature battery storage solutions annually. These batteries can charge to 80% capacity within two hours and operate in excess of 55ºC, which makes them suitable for hot, humid tropical climates.

Scientists at Germany’s Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin have made a discovery they say could greatly increase the energy storage capacity of titanium-based ‘MXene’ pseudocapacitors, ultimately leading to faster-charging batteries. The group found adding urea molecules between MXene layers increased the material’s storage capacity by up to 56%.

The OneBox, from Indian manufacturer Vision Mechatronics, consists of a lithium battery, hybrid inverter and solar charge controller to give a hassle-free solution for electricity back-up during power outages. Solar rooftop owners are offered a grid feed feature to maximize net metering income from any excess power generated.

Establishment of an R&D cell for battery recycling and online tracking of the collection and re-processing of used batteries are highlights of the draft rules which seek to ensure safe disposal and organized recycling of batteries at the end of their life.

By offering 410 KWh of cumulative battery capacity for a total cost of Rs2.51 crore, the state-owned engineer and manufacturer emerged winner in the auction which saw overwhelming response from both Lithium-ion and advanced lead-acid storage providers.

Panellists including a government representative and a member of the chief policy thinktank used by Narendra Modi agreed coal will continue as the staple source of Indian power into the mid century and technology should be employed to ‘clean’ it.

China, Hong Kong and Vietnam are the top three nations exporting batteries to India. Chinese imports were worth $773 million in the last fiscal year with Hong Kong shipping $267 million worth and Vietnam $114 million, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

A 50% fall in the price of Lithium-ion battery packs—to $76/KWh from $156/KWh today—will make the capital cost of electric vehicles lower than combustion vehicles. However, to realise the full benefits of EVs, it is important to charge them with clean power and not fossil power.