IIT Hyderabad-incubated Startup PURE EV is collaborating with CSIR - Central Electro Chemical Research Institute (CECRI) on indigenizing Lithium-Ion Battery (LIB) technology for electric vehicles. This initiative will support the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives of the Government of India.
PURE EV has signed an MoU with CSIR- CECRI to undertake joint research on the production of battery packs, validation of LIB cells, and addressing the specific requirements to ensure the suitability of developed LIBs for critical performance at the Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) conditions.
Significance of Developing Lithium Battery
Lithium-ion battery is the most reliable and commercially-viable choice for electric vehicles across the world. Currently, in India, Lithium cells are mainly imported from China, which is a very critical dependence necessary for final battery packs required for electric vehicles.
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How Relevant is PURE EV Project in Today’s Market?
To address this market monopoly, CSIR has launched a project titled, ‘CSIR Innovation Centre for Next Generation Energy Storage Solutions (ICeNGESS)’ with an aim to produce LIBs on a 100 MW scale. IIT Hyderabad’s PURE EV is an electric vehicle vertical of the startup PuREnergy that is engaged in design and development of advanced LIBs manufacturing with core focus on battery thermal management system, hence making it one of the top picks in this mission.
Speaking about this mission, Dr. V.K. Saraswat, Member of NITI Aayog, Government of India, said, "Achieving self-reliance and developing core competence in the production of lithium cells is critical to the emergence of electric vehicles as a predominant mode of transport in India. Since we are starting from a low base, it is crucial that eminent institutions working in the field of cell production also cooperate with industry partners who can carry out accelerated testing to provide the necessary feedback for further improvement.”
Highlighting the impact of this collaboration between PURE and CSIR-CECRI, Dr. V.K. Saraswat said This collaboration between PURE EV and CECRI will lead to significant results in areas such as Battery Thermal Management System (BTMS) and Safety that are critical to the mass commercialization of these cells. NITI Aayog strongly encourages such partnerships that can lead to a more flexible supply chain for the development of an important industry such as electric vehicles."
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IIT Hyderabad Takes One Step Towards Energy Efficient India!
Speaking about the collaboration between CSIR-CECRI and PURE EV, Dr. Shekhar C. Mande, Secretary, DSIR & DG, CSIR said: "Towards India's production of Aatmanirbhar in the energy sector, CSIR-CECRI, with its expertise in the field of electrochemical energy storage systems, is working towards the indigenization of lithium battery technology and the strengthening of the indigenous supply chain and infrastructure requirements.
This collaboration with PURE EV is an appreciable initiative and is expected to boost the commercialization of electric vehicles in the country."
IIT Hyderabad’s PURE EV Project Carries Loads of Benefits
Speaking about the collaboration with PURE EV, Dr. N. Kalaiselvi, Director of CSIR-CECRI, said, "CECRI is working on mission mode under the CSIR Innovation Center for Next Generation Energy Storage Solutions (ICeNGESS) project, which would enable indigenous Lithium-Ion technology to help the country meet the requirements of its mission to electrify two/three/four wheelers.
The focus of this programme is on Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat's GoI initiatives. We look forward to a very successful collaboration with PURE EV, who will be our industry partner in the assembly, testing and benchmarking of battery packs. We intend to open the door to further collaboration opportunities for such partnerships."
To reduce the dependency on imports of battery components, India needs to achieve a similar level of performance at the battery pack level, apart from just manufacture the battery cells. Under this MoU, Pure EV will also provide critical feedback to CSIR- CECRi in understanding the technical limits of the manufactured cells and the additional improvements which will be required to achieve mass scale commercialization.
