Li-ion

Bengaluru-based Metastable Materials has developed a 100% chemical-free process for extracting metals out of scrap Li-ion batteries. It has set up an ‘Urban Mining Unit’ on the outskirts of Bengaluru, which is capable of processing up to 1,500 tonnes of dead batteries per annum. This unit will start production early next year. Shubham Vishvakarma, founder and chief of process engineering at Metastable Materials, speaks to pv magazine about the role of urban mining in meeting India’s electric mobility ambitions and the advantages of the process developed by them. 

US-based Mango Power has developed a 3.5 kWh battery system that can be expanded up to 14 kWh. The product features LFP battery cells from CATL and can be charged through AC wall outlets, with solar panels, or via electric-vehicle chargers.

Cobalt is key for boosting energy density and battery life, but it comes with caveats: expensive, scarce, and linked to unethical mining practices, wild price fluctuations, and a tenuous supply chain. In recent years, battery manufacturers and automakers have intensified efforts to reduce or eliminate cobalt in lithium-ion cathodes. But sometimes, old habits die hard, as pv magazine’s Marija Maisch explains.

Kelwon has introduced Lithium battery inverters as a compact and safe alternative to conventional lead-acid battery inverters. These inverters have an inbuilt lithium battery, which can be charged with solar as well as grid electricity.

The Indian startup has opened a lithium battery recycling unit in Bengaluru that deploys a chemical-free process for metal extraction. The facility has the capacity to process 1,500 tonnes of dead batteries per year.

The Indian startup plans to expand its lithium battery manufacturing capacity to 1 GWh by December next year, from the currently under-construction 100 MWh.  

The New Delhi-based solar and EV charger manufacturer has formed a new arm, Techbec Industries, to manufacture lithium batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) and solar energy storage applications. 

Renon India, an energy storage startup, has announced a new full-year revenue target, as well as plans to ramp up its annual lithium battery manufacturing capacity from 200 MWh to more than 500 MWh.

India’s Mecwin has unveiled compact, wall-mountable lithium battery inverters with 1,100 VA and 2,100 VA ratings. The 1,100 VA devices measure 455 mm x 530 mm x 235 mm and weigh 23 kg. The built-in battery can be charged with grid power and solar electricity. 

As sales of Li-ion batteries accelerate, both governments and the largest battery manufacturers are beginning to grapple with the question of whether local manufacturing facilities are desirable or even necessary. Although this appears to buck the trend of technological development over the last few decades, there are a number of technical as well as geopolitical reasons that make this a major issue for all Li-ion battery manufacturing stakeholders. Everoze partner Jamie Shaw-Stewart explores some of these issues.