As much as 72 to 81 GWh in used batteries will be recycled till 2030, a Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) report stated last week.

The report on battery manufacturing and its ecosystem, which is a part of the CII series, 'Roadmap for future mobility 2030', stated that consumer electronics are expected to be the dominant source of battery waste, whereas electric vehicles would be the dominant source thereafter.

Here are some of the recommendations of the report:

The government can consider providing incentives for research and development programmes focused on advanced technology research in the central research agencies and academic institutions across the country, the report stated. The incentives can be from a dedicated fund that has been earmarked especially for the battery technology ecosystem development.

Government incentivisation should bridge the cost differential between advanced battery technology vehicles as well as conventional vehicles. These can help reduce the cost of ownership of high-performance advanced vehicles and can give the required push to the segment. State governments should include the same in their industrial policies.

National-level battery collection schemes should be developed on a public-private partnership (PPP) model to ensure batteries are channelised from all jurisdictions to certified refurbishing and recycling facilities, the report recommended.

If black mass and used batteries are assigned HSN codes, it will enable the movement of black mass and spent batteries to be tracked. The report said this will ensure the black mass is not exported outside the country and the latter doesn't end up becoming a dumping ground for harmful battery material

Consumer awareness programmes with regard to the disposal of battery waste should be conducted to educate and sensitise people. Inventions at local municipal events will ensure the public authorities instil safe battery disposal habits among consumers, it added.

Close coordination between industry and academia is of paramount importance to identify the skills requirement in the ecosystem, which may be catered to by the academia. Industry-specific programmes or courses, digital diploma courses should be available for professionals interested in switching to the battery industry.

"Stakeholders in the entire battery value chain are working to come up with innovations to offer longer driving range, faster charging and improving the safety of the vehicle and at the same time reducing the acquisition cost of an EV," said Vipin Sondhi, Chairperson – CII National Committee on Future Mobility, and former CEO & MD, Ashok Leyland and JCB.

S Vijayanand, Chairman, CII Core Group on Battery Manufacturing and President – New Energy, Amara Raja Group, said the report delves deep into the technological trends in advanced chemistry cell manufacturing and emphasises the need to focus on creating a circular economy framework for long-term sustainability. Additionally, it highlights the crucial skill gaps in the battery ecosystem and the importance of addressing these gaps while executing giga factories in India," he said.

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