International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI), an Autonomous R&D Centre of Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Bangalore based Nsure Reliable Power Solutions on Saturday signed an agreement for technical know-how transfer and training of personnel to set up the Li-ion battery fabrication lab.

The agreement seeks to support the Indigenisation of the International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARC Lithium-Ion Battery Technology fabrication. A fabrication lab for Li-ion batteries will soon be set up in Bangalore in an attempt to boost up-scaling and commercialisation of the technology.

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The transfer of know-how will be based on the expertise developed in establishing the Li-ion battery process and its successful demonstration in electric scooters and solar street lamps by the Centre for Automotive Energy Materials, ARCI under the Technical Research Centre on Alternative Energy Materials and Systems, in line with the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ or ‘Self-Reliant India Mission’.

Anil Kakodkar, Chairman, Governing Council, ARCI, said that the partnership between ARCI and Nsure Reliable Power Solutions is an important milestone to address challenges associated with climate change and carbon footprints. He emphasised the need for indigenous technology development for sustenance and highlighted the importance of partnership between R&D labs and Industries to take technologies to higher TRLs.

Kakodkar stressed the need for competent human resources, multiple formats to leverage complementary resources of stakeholders in the innovation ecosystem and government support for technology upscaling and commercialisation. He said that the ARCI-Nsure agreement can be a role model for how such an ecosystem can evolve in the country.

G Sundararajan, former Director ARCI said,” R&D labs like ARCI should look beyond lithium-ion battery technology and develop technologies involving other alternative energy materials.”

Tata Narasinga Rao, Director, ARCI pointed out, “Cost of electrode materials contributes significantly towards the overall cost of LiBs, and as India is heavily dependent on import of these materials, it has become essential to indigenously develop a technology and support industrial organisations in LIB technology,”

R Gopalan, Regional Director, ARCI-Chennai., briefed about the efforts of DST and ARCI in setting up a technical research centre on alternative energy materials and systems, especially the Li-ion battery technology for electric vehicles and energy storage solutions and said that this technical know-how transfer is a major milestone at ARCI towards “Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan”.

R Prakash, Head, Centre for Automotive Energy Materials, gave an overview of the Lithium-ion battery technology and work accomplished by ARCI at its Chennai Centre. John Albert, CTO of Nsure Reliable Power Solutions, highlighted the need for industry-academia relations for bridging the wide gap between the international and Indian scenario in the Li-ion cell manufacturing technology and said that in this context, ARCI-Nsure partnership shall play a crucial role.

S K Varshney and R K Joshi from DST, Sanjay Bhardwaj, Head, Technology Transfer, ARCI, and Chandrakanth and Suryakanth, Directors, Ramachandra, Business advisor Nsure Reliable Power Solutions were also present at the event.