PUNE: Substantial progress was made in battery technologies and infrastructure such as electric vehicles (EVs) in the last couple of decades, Rahul Walawalkar, founder and executive director of the India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA), stated.

Within a discussion using TOI, Walawalkar explained more must be carried out concerning funding and raw materials.

IESA has worked together with the Union government and other stakeholders, for example NITI Aayog, including its Rs 18,100 crore product-linked incentive strategy declared by the Centre a week.
The strategy intends to make 50GWh of electricity storage in advanced chemistry mobile (ACC) batteries during the subsequent five decades.
The coverage includes both static and mobile batteries for EVs and electric grid distribution.

“That process began in 2016, when giga factories to manufacture batteries and EVs were only going to be constructed.
This incentive strategy will hasten the procedure to produce more energy storage, both static and mobile.
We’re an integral stakeholder,” Walawalkar stated.

He added that electrical vehicles were gradually gaining traction in India, despite the relatively greater unit costs, total economies were many occasions a lot of vehicles operating on fossil fuels, particularly for fleet owners.
“The transition into electric vehicles may save yourself a whole lot of cash for fleet owners.
The sole issue with purchasing electric automobiles in India is sufficient funding.
Some folks in India will buy electrical vehicles if producers create aspirational vehicles with great features, such as Tesla failed in the USA,” he explained.

Walawalkar added that many PSUs and private businesses have established a significant variety of charging channels in India, whereas problems like energy ratings, and slow and fast charging have been viewed from the Bureau of Indian Standards and other associations.
He included that even raw materials were not an issue for Indian producers, but processing could be.

“Even though India doesn’t have a lot of commercial-grade lithiumion, many nations in Asia and Latin America do, and they’re more than happy to furnish Indian businesses.
Processing of raw materials, however, is a problem.
India can also use its recycling infrastructure and also fulfill its own lithium prerequisites by recycling,” he further added.