Lok Sabha Question No. 3625 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-22
Subject: Battery Operated Vehicles
Ministry: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Ramesh Chand Bind

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 3625 TO BE ANSWERED ON 22.3.2023

BATTERY OPERATED VEHICLES

3625.   SHRI RAMESH CHAND BIND:

Will the Minister of SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ͪव£ान और Ĥौɮयोͬगकȧ मंğी be pleased to state:

- (a) whether it is a fact that, battery operated vehicles pose a major demand in inventions in battery storage technology and battery recycling technology and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the details of the steps taken by the Government in this regard along with the current research projects being conducted and its outcome; and
- (c)  the  details  of  the  challenges  being  faced  by  the  Government  in  this research?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) FOR THE MINISTRY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AND EARTH SCIENCES (DR. JITENDRA SINGH)

ͪव£ान और Ĥौɮयोͬगकȧ तथा पृ Øवी ͪव£ान मंğालय क े राÏय मंğी ( èवतंğ Ĥभार) (डॉ . िजतɅġ ͧसंह)

- (a) Yes Sir, Battery operated vehicles pose a major demand in inventions in both storage  and  recycling  technologies.  All  Electric  Vehicles  (EVs)  have  energy storage  systems,  typically  batteries  to  power  the  vehicle,  which  requires advancement in storage technologies to make it affordable and attractive in market adoption. Inorder to balance the supply of raw materials for batteries and keeping in view the thrust on sustainability & circular economy, inventions in battery recycling technologies are also important.

- (b) The Ministry of Science and Technology is supporting research to develop indigenous  capabilities  in  the  area  of  Lithium-ion  (Li-ion)  battery  electrode materials,  cells  and  battery  packs  for  EVs.  Several  research  projects  with significant funding are in progress with an aim to enable indigenous development  ofbattery  technologies.  Department  of  Science  &  Technology (DST)  &  Science  &  Engineering  Research  Board  (SERB)  have  supported approximately seventy-five R&D-related projects in the area of battery storage, which resulted in several publications and lab level prototypes. In addition, two battery recycling technology research projects are also being supported.

Central Electro Chemical Research Institute, (CECRI), a lab under Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has established a small scale (1000 cells per day) Lithium- ion cell manufacturing line at its Chennai unit. This unit has  been  already  given  to  an  Indian  Start-up  company  to  enable  local manufacturing of lithium ion battery.

- (c) The key challenge faced by the Ministry of Science and Technology in the research  of  battery  storage  technologies  is  primarily  in  sourcing  of  raw materials. Though country's Lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery requirement is huge, there  is  no  domestic  manufacturing  of  Li-ion  batteries  at  present  and  the majority of the demand is catered through imports. Further, the important raw material resources required such as Lithium, Cobalt are scarce and needs to be imported.  There  is  no  established  supply  chain  for  electrode  materials  and components yet in our country.

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