India’s electric vehicle drive: Challenges and opportunities


Need to industrialize and commercially available very soon..

Chinese battery packs are giving them advantage..

MG Windsor is going to kill Tata Nexon & Mahindra XUV.. If they could clear crash tests.

Even without that, they forced them to reduce price. Windsor Specs are high. Even without crash test, ev sales with shift to MG.
 
Exide to commercialize Li-ion cell manufacturing with 6GWh capacity by FY26 end

The battery maker expects to complete the construction of the main cell, admin and warehouse buildings of the lithium-ion cell manufacturing project and start production by the middle of next year.

By Kiran Murali
14 Nov 2024
1731767693124.png
The construction works of Exide's Li-ion cell manufacturing plant in Bangalore are in advanced stages.

Battery major Exide Industries, which is nearing the completion of its lithium-ion cell battery manufacturing facility, expects to commercialize the plant with a capacity of 6 GWh under the first phase towards the end of the financial year 2026.

“The construction work, including the main cell, admin, and warehouse buildings is closer to completion. Equipment placement and installation are ongoing at the site. We have also started the relocation of teams to support project activities,” Avik Roy, MD and CEO, Exide Industries told investors.

Through its subsidiary Exide Energy Solutions Ltd, Exide Industries is setting up a gigafactory in Bengaluru to manufacture lithium-ion cells. The facility will have a capacity of 6 GWh in its first phase, which will eventually be ramped up to 12 GWh.

The investment for the first phase of the project, which also includes battery packs and module facility, is pegged at around Rs 5,000 crore. The capacity in the first phase is likely to be equally shared between Nickel Manganese Cobalt and Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) chemistry-based cells.

“In the middle of 2025, we will have our installation commissioning as well as initial run off complete. We will start the production and will take time to stabilize on complete homologation. So, by FY26 end, we should be able to commercialize it,” Roy said.

The lithium-ion cells manufactured from the factory will cater to both mobility and stationary applications. The management noted that some of the cells manufactured will be common for both applications.

Exide has a partnership with China-based SVOLT Energy Technology Co Ltd, which develops and manufactures lithium-ion batteries and storage solutions for multiple applications. Exide has secured the rights to use and commercialize SVOLT’s technology and know-how for lithium-ion cell manufacturing.

Recently, South Korean automakers Hyundai Motor Co and Kia Corp tied up with Exide to equip future electric vehicles in the Indian market with locally produced lithium-ion batteries based on lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry.

Meanwhile, Exide did not specify the exact timeline and investment for the second phase of the gigafactory project, which will expand the capacity to 12 GWh. “The phase two investment outlay is expected to be lower because we will be investing in a common facility and land. We will decide those in the due course of time, depending on the demand and market scenario,” Roy added.

Exide’s major competitor, Amara Raja is also setting up a lithium-ion cell plant, which will have a manufacturing capacity of 16 GWh and 5 GWh battery pack capacity over the next 10 years. The first phase of the battery pack plant was inaugurated recently, and the facility is expected to initially start commercial production of cells based on NMC by the end of 2026.

Currently, India's lithium-ion cell requirements are largely met by imports from China, Japan, and South Korea. The demand for lithium-ion batteries from electric vehicles and storage applications in India is estimated at 102 GWh by the end of this decade and will expand further to 244 GWh by 2035.

Localisation of cell manufacturing is something that is being looked at keenly as made-in-India lithium-ion batteries hold immense potential to drive the adoption of electric vehicles in the country. Apart from traditional lead-acid makers Exide and Amara Raja, companies such as Ola Electric, Reliance Industries, JSW Group and GODI India are also establishing their facilities for lithium-ion battery manufacturing.

Audi India begins bookings for New Q7 SUV ahead of November launch | Autocar Professional
 
Ultraviolette F99 prototype is about to be officially unveiled:
Snapinsta.app_469004848_18262127395248454_6564329988404729334_n_1080.jpg
Snapinsta.app_468733210_18261900979248454_6963167021826282739_n_1080.jpg
Snapinsta.app_468702152_18261900988248454_8846131991119574353_n_1080.jpg

View attachment 8uL-6FckuxFWF1DN.mp4

View attachment Snapinsta.app_video_AE47470D38BB4D625D5CB09FAE72099B_video_dashinit.mp4

Spec sheet is pretty impressive:
Max power: 90 kW (~120 hp)
Max speed: 265 kmph (0 to 100 kmph in ~3 seconds)
Kerb weight: 178 kg
Expected price: Rs 8L (ex-showroom)

I don't know if the price quoted is correct. We will know more soon. It seems despite being an EV the F99's price isn't over the top. Similar IC engine bikes include:
1. Kawasaki Z900 (121.95 hp): Rs 9.38 L (ex-showroom)
2. Kawasaki Z900 (120.36 hp): Rs 11.20 L (ex-showroom)

@Parthu
 
@Gautam @Parthu
@ ev users

I bought punch ev long range, driving 100km per day.. It takes up 40% charge.
So i charge every alternate day from 15 % to 94 % .

I ve been reading best practice of charging..

1. Reduce number of charging cycle
2. Not to charge upto 100℅ except for once a month for calibration of range .
3. Not to let the charge go less than 10 % but atleast once to less than 20 ℅ so that all the battery pack is working..
4. Punch ev has 5 battery in its pack, can be replaced individually.
5. Using say 80 to 40 % of charge everyday will accelerate wearing of certain battery in it pack.
6. Not to discharge more than 50 ℅ before recharge..

With so many concepts around, which of these points hold more importance to me?

Everyday 40 % recharge Or alternate day 80 % charging is better for me?
 
I don't own an EV, but I know someone who does. Here is what they told me:
1. Reduce number of charging cycle
True. All battery packs are rated for a fixed number of charge/discharge cycles. Beyond that number battery performance drops significantly.
2. Not to charge upto 100℅ except for once a month for calibration of range.
Don't know about once a month, but yes, most battery management software uses the 100% levels for calibration. After every 100% charge the range prediction of your vehicle will become more accurate.

Also make sure you don't keep charging after reaching 100% for too long.
3. Not to let the charge go less than 10 % but atleast once to less than 20 ℅ so that all the battery pack is working..
Much like charging to 100%, discharging to a lower percent level allows the software to run calibrations.
5. Using say 80 to 40 % of charge everyday will accelerate wearing of certain battery in it pack.
This depends on the battery architecture. No manufacturer will mention this sort of thing in their brochures. It is better to listen to experienced owners on this matter. TeamBHP forum can be a great place for this sort of info.

Also, every time you clean your car or go for a servicing be sure to look for any physical damages to the battery. Physical damage like scraping or dents can cause the battery to behave erratically.
 
  • Informative
Reactions: Sathya
I don't own an EV, but I know someone who does. Here is what they told me:

True. All battery packs are rated for a fixed number of charge/discharge cycles. Beyond that number battery performance drops significantly.

Don't know about once a month, but yes, most battery management software uses the 100% levels for calibration. After every 100% charge the range prediction of your vehicle will become more accurate.

Also make sure you don't keep charging after reaching 100% for too long.

Much like charging to 100%, discharging to a lower percent level allows the software to run calibrations.

This depends on the battery architecture. No manufacturer will mention this sort of thing in their brochures. It is better to listen to experienced owners on this matter. TeamBHP forum can be a great place for this sort of info.

Also, every time you clean your car or go for a servicing be sure to look for any physical damages to the battery. Physical damage like scraping or dents can cause the battery to behave erratically.

I am silent reader of team BHP since long.

Think I have to become member to post my query.

Already faced an issue.. Charged to 94 % then drove 2 km, shocked to see charge is at 13 % , I was going right in front of tata service centre.. Went in directly.

More shock there were No EV technicians, experienced guy went to Pune training for 3 days.. Other were not present..
They just charged it.. And have to go next week for check up with EV techie.

Even the accessories were installed in very careless manner.. Even I could have done better job.

Great car but lot of careless people creating difficulties for customer. Some are good some are not.. Depends on our luck on that day.

Btw... Read few things in Reddit seems acceptable to me..

Where he says daily charging of smaller ℅ like 25 will give higher cycle like 5000 times
But charging 50 ℅ alternate day gives like 3500 cycles equivalent to 6000 days of use.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Gautam
Ultraviolette EV have launched 2 new products in India:

Tesseract EV scooter:
1741192862702.png
1741192875841.png
1741192895522.png
1741192844666.png

Shockwave EV ADV:
1741192950975.png
1741193004796.png
1741193020230.png
1741193029858.png

Eventually their product map looks like this:
1741193183946.png