There are five main raw materials in Li-ion batteries:
•Lithium: India does not have enough lithium reserves for producing batteries and almost all EVs in the country run on batteries imported from China. Last year 1600 tonnes of lithium reserves were found in Karnataka, apart from that, Geological Survey of India (GSI) is exploring projects in Arunachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Jammu & Kashmir and Rajasthan.
•Cobalt: India is trying to acquire lithium and cobalt mines abroad. China has already taken a lead in this race. Lithium and cobalt are critical elements in batteries that power electric vehicles. The global race for these minerals is intensifying in the wake of the growing use of such vehicles. In India, occurrences of cobalt are reported from Jharkhand, Odisha, Rajasthan, Nagaland and Madhya Pradesh.
•Nickel: India imports its nickel from China, UAE, US, Saudi, Switzerland, Iraq, Australia etc. In India, Odisha has the largest share of nickel ore followed by Jharkhand and Nagaland.
•Manganese: India imports most of its Manganese Ore from South Africa, Australia, Gabon, Singapore, Hong Kong and Brazil. The main reserves in India are found in Karnataka, followed by Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Goa. Minor occurrences of manganese ore in Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Rajasthan and West Bengal are also found.
•Graphite: India imports its Graphite from China, Madagascar, Mozambique, Vietnam, Germany, USA, Brazil, Austria and Tanzania. In India, it’s found in Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. Some of these fields are yet to be exploited.