Huge demand for CECRI’s lithium-ion cells

Indian Railways and the Defence have shown interest in buying the cells. “We have enquiries worth ₹3,000 crore, including ₹1,000 crore from the Railways alone,” says S Gopukumar, a Chief Scientist with CECRI, who has been involved with the development of Lithium-ion cells for over fifteen years.

Some private sector companies, including Tata Chemicals and Carborundum Universal of the Chennai-based Murugappa group, are in talks with CECRI for licensing technology for producing the cells.

Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu-headquartered CECRI is one of the 38 labs under the control of the government of India owned Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

Li-ion cells have become the first choice for energy storage and are used everywhere from mobile phones to electric vehicles to large energy storage batteries meant to soak up surplus power from (say) wind and solar plants. India today imports between 8 and 10 million cells every month and the import-dependence is a cause of worry for policy makers.

Indigenisation

Against this backdrop, there is a quest for indigenously produced Li-ion cells, so that India does not miss the bus in local manufacture — as it happened in the case of solar cells, where the country’s needs are almost entirely met by imports.

Though the science behind any electro-chemical cell is nothing new, the chemical composition of key elements such as cathode, anode and electrolyte is proprietary, as is the manufacturing process. While many are working towards developing Li-ion cells, by far only two Indian entities have the technology — CECRI and ISRO.

CECRI has a small production unit at its Chennai unit, which is more a demonstration facility. At present, under a recent agreement with the Raasi group of companies, CECRI is making the cells for Raasi. However, Raasi has said it would set up a cell making factory at Krishnagiri.

Competitive pricing

If mass-produced, cells made with CECRI’s technology can be sold cheaper than those imported from China, Gopukumar told this correspondent at Karaikudi on Thursday. Today the cells sell in the market for $250 a kWhr; CECRI can make cells for $200. Sixty per cent of the cost of the cell is the cathode material, he said. Roughly, a plant that can produce 3 million cells a month can be set up with an investment of ₹1,000 crore. The investment can be paid back in three years, said Gopukumar, who is also the National Co-ordinator for Lithium-ion cell related work done by all the CSIR labs. (While the technology has been developed by CECRI, different labs make components for the cell. The cathode, which is the heart of the technology, is produced by CECRI, the anode is made by the National Physical Laboratory, electrolyte by the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad and the ‘separator’ by the Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute, Kolkata.)

CECRI has technologies for Li-ion cells of two “chemistries”. One, Lithium Cobalt Oxide double-doped with Copper and Magnesium. Basically, this means that the cathode is made with this special alloy, so that it can pack more current — 225 milli ampere per gram. This voltage of this cell can go up to 4.6V. The other cell is ‘Lithium Manganese Phosphate’, with energy density of 150 ma/gm, of potential of 4.4V. This is type of cell that can be used in EVs, and the one that Raasi intends to produce. (Voltage multiplied by current gives Watt, a measure of power. Therefore, higher the voltage (V) and/or the current (amp), the higher the power.)

Gopukumar said that India has Lithium availability in India is not as big a problem as is thought to be because there are deposits in Rajasthan and the metal could also be extracted from sea water.

Sodium ion

Meanwhile, CECRI scientists, AS Prakash and K Ramesha, have developed a Sodium-ion cell. This cell is yet to be perfected but when it is done, it would be a lot cheaper than Lithium-ion cell because Sodium is far more abundantly available. On the flipside Sodium is difficult to handle. Likewise, CECRI scientists are also working on Lithium-air, Lithium Titanium Oxide and Sodium-air cells, all of which are cutting edge technology.

Source: thehindubusinessline