Saar: It started accepting applications in the month of June this year.

In the month of June this year, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced that it has developed an indigenous lithium-ion cell technology which can be used in various industries. It went on to mention that it is willing to transfer the technology on a non-exclusive basis to companies that apply for the mass-production of lithium-ion batteries. The cost of transfer of technology was Rs 1 crore. Well, in less than two months, ISRO has received 141 applications for the same. That is an encouraging sign.

However, applying for the transfer of technology is just the first step. The applications will now enter the approval stage. Once approved, ISRO’s Thiruvananthapuram-based VSSC (Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre) will come into action. It will help the approved firms in establishing production facilities which can use the homegrown technology of lithium-ion cells and make batteries of varied sizes, capacities, energy densities and power densities.

The same lithium-ion cell technology can also be used to produce 100Ah cells which, as confirmed by ISRO and ARAI (Automotive Research Association of India), can be used to power four-wheeler EVs (electric vehicles). What remains to be seen, however, is that how many of those applications will get the required nod from the screening authorities. Needless to say, ISRO can expect a lot more applications in the coming months.

The need for locally producing vital components that go into making an EV is a must to bring the cost of the finished vehicle down. Only then the zero-emission vehicles can come within the reach of a common man. One of the most important components is the battery pack that powers the electric engine. Currently, only two automakers in the country offer pure-electric vehicles – Mahindra and Tata Motors. More than 50 per cent of the components are currently sourced from outside India. That’s one of the major reasons why basic EVs like the Mahindra e2oplus costs way more than they should.