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CONTENTS

VOLUME 8 – ISSUE 2 • MARCH-APRIL 2021

| March–April 2021

EXPERT'S NOTE

FROM THE EDITOR

10 NATIONAL NEWS 26 INTERNATIONAL NEWS EARTHDAY SPECIAL 74

41 The Global Climate Literacy Campaign 42 Introducing a syllabus for sustainability LEADERSHIP SPEAK 44 Kathleen Rogers, President – EARTHDAY.ORG 46 Dr. Reji Mathai, Director - ARAI

E-MOBILITY

48 The Big Shift: Volkswagen plans for e-mobility 52 Enhancing e-2W uptake in a sustainable way 58 E-4W drives eco-friendly transportation SAFETY 62 Li-ion Batteries: How safe is reuse? 63

53 82

STATE FOCUS 68 Rajasthan: An untapped potential ENERGY STORAGE 72 Setting deployment targets for green energy STARTUP 74 Pravaig Dynamics 78 LOHUM Cleantech INTERVIEW 80 Divya Sharma, Executive Director (India) – The Climate Group

HYDROGEN 69

82 Towards sustainable green hydrogen March–April 2021 |

EXPERT'S NOTE

Concrete steps towards sustainable future The world is witnessing unprecedented shifts in the energy and transportation sector. The global race for advanced battery manufacturing for electrification of transportation and increasing RE penetration in the grid has already begun. Over the years, we have witnessed China, Japan and Korea take the lead in terms of the development of battery technology; in terms of cell manufacturing, China and Korea continue to be the leaders. In more recent years, Europe and the US have also started prioritizing the development of advanced battery manufacturing – and hold a significant lead. In India, the government announced an ambitious target of setting up 50GWh capacity of advanced battery storage manufacturing three years back. But what is critical for India today is accelerating implementation and looking beyond 2025 targets. India, in the next few years, must undertake efforts to reach 500 GWh capacity by 2035 or at least 250 GWh by 2030, for it to emerge as a global hub for R&D, manufacturing, Dr Rahul Walawalkar and adoption of advanced energy storage and EV technoloPresident – IESA gies. As the Indian industry awaits the approval of the PLI, in Managing Director – CES India past six months 24 giga factories for Li-ion battery cells were announced with a total production capacity of over 600 GWh in Asian and European countries combined. The Indian industry also needs concrete steps for demand generation for both stationary energy storage and the e-mobility sector. We think there is no need to wait for price reduction to happen, as it will happen through the process of ‘learning-by-doing’. What India therefore needs is a structured program and scaling up of both demand and deployment in the sector. For corporates keen on starting their journey in green energy and clean transportation sector, I urge them to join IESA’s annual Energy Storage Solutions (ESS) meet and Electric Vehicle Adopters Circle (EVAC). Business support will remain crucial for driving climate action and meeting the country’s decarbonization efforts. Through these initiatives, IESA strives to handhold organizations in the initial process till they gain a foothold in the industry. Keeping with our continued efforts to promote sustainability and address climate change, this year too, ETN magazine has partnered with EARTHDAY.ORG for commemorating the 51st Earth Day to be held on April 22, 2021. ETN is honored to be a partner for the second consecutive year and release the Earth Day special issue of the ETN Magazine. Taking an inspiration from Earth Day and maintaining focus on energy storage technologies that will enable deeper decarbonization, IESA is gearing up to organize the World Energy Storage Day India needs a (WESD) on September 22. In its fourth year, the global event will bring into focus the significance of energy storage across different indusstructured program tries and use-cases. and scaling up of I urge all our ETN readers to join us for WESD-2021, and support IESA’s efforts as we take a leap into the next phase of the energy both demand and transition.

deployment in the sector.

March–April 2021 |

FROM THE EDITOR

Time to collaborate and coordinate Today, the world is on the move to bring about a change in the mindset of people by introducing climate literacy into our curriculum and bringing about awareness in the youth. Using climate information, people can be alert to vulnerabilities caused by climate change, and ensure that ethical methods are used to manufacture sustainable products. People should now become aware of what they are doing, why and how. Considering the almost desperate state of the Earth today, we now need a multi-pronged approach to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Decarbonization or allowing coal and petroleum to remain under the earth where they belong, is currently a global goal. Switching from carbon-intensive to renewable energy through an increased use of EVs, battery storage and recycling is the order of the day. The 100 richest companies, who have profited most through exploitative methods, now have the knowhow and means to reverse those actions through regenerating the natural environment, switching to less polluting production options and offering more sustainable products. Numerous companies are rec- Ashok Thakur Chief Editor – ETN ognizing the urgency of the situation and have committed to the athakur@ces-ltd.com Climate Pledge co-founded by Amazon and Global Optimism. It calls on signatories to take action to meet the Paris Agreement 10 years early. In our own circles IESA has put forward a green energy pledge to corporates, whereby they commit to increase use of EVs in fleets, contribute through setting up charging infrastructure or even lease space for it. Europe has set out to become the next powerhouse for energy storage and battery adoption. Green hydrogen is the hottest yet cleanest fuel to date and is fast becoming the byword in all power circles. In India, the PLI scheme has caused a stir, tough not much movement. This stems mainly from want of a comprehensive roadmap. Everyone is talking about the big shift…to a green and clean future. Countries around the world are in various stages of the movement. Some are way ahead, other are picking up the pace, some are in cruise control… so, how is India placed in the journey? Are we in the driver’s seat, all revved up and in gear? Then what is stopping us from accelerCompanies now have ating the movement? the means to regenerate Time and opportunity wait for no one; we might get another opportunity another time, but we would have lost ground. We need to the natural environment, fast-track our plans and make a go for it. Yes, we need to educate the people; yes, we need to calculate the risks; yes, we need stronswitch to less polluting ger policies… yes, I agree, the juggernaut we are trying to move is production options and weighed down by too many ifs and buts, but if we can join forces and give it the push it requires, I’m sure it will gather momentum. … offer more sustainable The need of the hour is to collaborate and coordinate. products. Let’s learn, share, grow, and together restore our Earth.

March–April 2021 |

NATIONAL NEWS

Energy Storage

IIT-Hyderabad innovates dual carbon substitute to Li-ion batteries

Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IITH) has announced that its electrochemical energy storage lab has developed a 5V Dual Carbon Battery utilizing self-standing carbon fibre mats as both electrodes - cathode and anode. The breakthrough model, developed by a team led by Dr Surendra Kumar Martha, reduces the requirement of toxic, costly, and heavy transitional metals. This more sustainable and low-cost dual carbon battery may find likely uses in high-voltage applications, sophisticated battery-run medical devices, regenerative braking systems in EVs, and stationary grids. While rechargeable Li-ion batteries (LIBs) are projected to meet future e-mobility, electric aviation, and stationary grid energy storage targets within 2030, they necessitate toxic and expensive metals like cobalt, nickel, and manganese, for functioning. The novel dual carbon battery developed by IITH consists of zero-transition metal that is environmentally benign. It may cut down the overall battery cost by 20-25 percent and is expected to

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curb the unpredictability in market price The use of ubiquitous carbon as electrode active material as well as current collector, replacing heavy metals, brings in the aspects of lightness and flexibility. The fabricated 5.0 voltage cell, with nominal voltage application of 4.6 V, provides an energy density of 100-watt hour per kilogram approximately and can be extended up to 150- watt-hour per kilogram with further modifications. The research team considers that developed cells may find possible uses

| March–April 2021

in high voltage applications, sophisticated battery-run medical devices, regenerative braking systems in electric vehicles, and stationary grids. The research for the unique dual carbon battery was carried out by Shuvajit Ghosh and Udita Bhattacharjee, Ph.D. students at IIT Hyderabad, under the supervision of Dr Martha, in association with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA, and Naval Materials Research Laboratory, Mumbai. Naval Research Board (DRDO) supported the project.

Tata Power-Nexcharge install India's first community energy storage project Nexcharge the joint venture between two battery majors, India's Exide and Switzerland's Leclanche inaugurated India's first grid-connected community energy storage system (CESS) in Delhi in March. The 150KW/528kWh CESS located at Tata Power, Rani Bagh Substation is expected to improve the supply reliability at the distribution level to mitigate peak load on Distribution Transformers. "A Community Energy Storage System like this will ensure consumers get to experience better levels of stability, reliability, quality, and control. Both customers and distributors will benefit from this service," said Stefan Louis, CEO and CTO of Nexcharge. "We are very happy to partner with Tata Power DDL to set up this new 0.52 MWh grid-connected system which will pave a new path for wider adoption of grid-scale energy storage technology across India. It’s another step towards all Indians accessing smart sources of energy,” he added. Dense population with vertical load growth and space constraints to put additional transformers are the key reasons behind the selection of Rani Bagh as the location for the installation. The setup will help in providing continuous and reliable power to key consumers during exigency, Tata Power DDL said in its official statement.

Satyendar Jain, Power Minister - Govt. of NCT of Delhi in the presence of Ganesh Srinivasan, CEO - Tata Power-DDL, and Stefan Loius, CEO & CTO - Nexcharge Source: Tata Power-DDL

“This project would be instrumental in changing the energy storage landscape of India," said Ketan Chitnis, V, Stationary BU at Exide Leclanche Energy Pvt Ltd. The energy storage project has been linked with the Rohini substation which was due for an upgradation, and it has been installed with the intention to serve community energy requirements. There is a deferral of CAPEX investment at least for the next five-six years for this substation. This is a positive development for Discoms as they don’t have to invest and yet get upfront recovery of CAPEX investment done, Mr Chitnis informed.

The key feature of CESS is to support the Distribution Transformers in managing the peak load, voltage regulation, power factor improvement, frequency regulation, and deviation settlement mechanism. Commenting on the launch, Ganesh Srinivasan, CEO - Tata Power-DDL said, "Instead of building humungous infrastructure of transformers and electric equipment CESS can be used to meet peak demand while storing surplus power. I believe wider adoption of such storage systems will help in balancing the load curve of Discoms and make them future-ready.”

P re se nts

Available Pod cas t in g

March–April 2021 |

NATIONAL NEWS

Electric Vehicles

Magenta installs charging solution for residential complexes

Magenta’s unique EV charging solution was launched for large residential complexes under their brand – ChargeGrid Prisma. This solution is developed specifically at solving the complex and multi-faceted problems for EV charging at residential societies where not everyone has dedicated parking slots. The EV charging hardware is amenable to multiuser profile. The user interfacing software integrates with the existing facility management software of residential societies and reduces the pain of the society in managing the EV charging process. While the pilots are in progress in multiple cities, one of the first to fully go live is at Gundecha Trillium, a large and modern housing complex in Mumbai. This pilot was supported by Adani Electricity, which is the utility supplier in the area.

ChargeGrid Prisma EV Charger installed at Gundecha Trillium, Mumbai Source: Magenta Power

Tata Power-DDL, SUN Mobility join forces for Battery Swap Points Tata Power-DDL has entered into a partnership with SUN Mobility to set up a network of Battery Swap Points across North and North-West Delhi. The collaboration launched its first Swap Point with two Quick Interchange stations, to serve the growing demand of EVs in Azadpur area, which is one of the busiest marketplaces of the capital. The stations were inaugurated by Jasmine Shah, Vice Chairperson of Dialogue and Development Commission Delhi. Given the volume of e-2W and e-3W in the area, the partnership aims at setting up a broad network of battery swapping infrastructure that makes swapping accessible to customers at the same scale and ease as conventional refueling. The creation of the vast network of Swap Points across Delhi will support the capital’s ‘Switch Delhi’ campaign via affordable, low-cost e-2W and e-3W that can swap batteries within minutes, to get a limitless range for its drivers and support the growing ecofriendly economy. At the inauguration ceremony, Ms Shah said, “This initiative is perfectly in line with the CM’s vision to make Delhi the EV capital of India. We are

very clear that zero-emissions is the future, and it’s nice to see private players like SUN Mobility and Tata Power-DDL matching the government’s ambition, with such innovative models like battery swapping, to help make this a reality.” Speaking on the occasion, Ajay Goel, Co-Founder & Executive Director - SUN Mobility said, “Delhi

Government’s innovative EV policy and ‘Switch Delhi’ campaign is leading the country in its endeavor to accelerate mass EV adoption. We look forward to working with Tata Power-DDL, India’s leading power distribution utility, to set up our cutting-edge energy infrastructure platform that makes EV’s affordable, accessible, and range anxietyfree, for a pollution-free future.”

Ganesh Srinivasan – CEO of Tata Power-DDL, Jasmine Shah - Vice Chairperson of Dialogue and Development Commission Delhi, Ajay Goel - Co-Founder & Executive Director of SUN Mobility, and other dignitaries at the inauguration of Battery Swap Point in Azadpur, New Delhi. Source: Tata Power DDL

| March–April 2021

Goa introduces Olectra e-buses in its fleet Chief Minister of Goa, Dr Pramod Sawant, recently flagged off the 'Make in India' electric buses. In a first-of-its-kind move, Goans will be now able to travel in zero-emission and noiseless e-buses deployed by

Olectra Greentech Ltd. Olectra Electric Buses have covered more than 4 crore km on Indian roads, have reduced CO 2 emissions of around 37,000 tons, and saved burning of 13.5 million

Olectra e-buses flagged off by Pramod Sawant, CM of Goa Source: Olectra Greentech

litres of diesel as of now. It is important to acknowledge the efforts of Kadamba to bring these world-class e-buses for Goan citizens and tourists of Goa. These 12-meter long air-conditioned buses are of monocoque chassis and have a seating capacity of 48+driver with electronically controlled air suspension at front and rear, disc brakes with ABS at the front and back to ensure a comfortable and safe ride for the passengers. The buses are equipped with CCTV cameras to ensure safety of the commuters, emergency button, USB sockets for mobile charging, GPS tracking, etc. The Li-ion battery installed in the bus enables it to travel up to 200-250 kms on a single charge based on traffic conditions. The time required for the complete charge is 4-5 hours. The technologically advanced e-bus has a regenerative braking system that allows the bus to recover a significant part of the kinetic energy lost in braking.

Rapido, Zypp Electric to launch e-bike taxi service Bike taxi service Rapido has announced that it has partnered with Zypp Electric to launch a new electric bike taxi service in India. The newly launched service is called Rapido EV. It will be available in Delhi and the National Capital Region starting March 2021, as a part of a three-month-long pilot run. Rapido said that it will be onboarding over 100 riders and e-2Ws from Zypp as part of its Captain fleet. The company also mentioned that it is looking to onboard more such EV partners to further expand this business model across its Tier-1 market in the country. In terms of accessibility, the new service will be available under the Ride section in the Rapido app. It will be priced at the Rapido Ride rate with a minimal convenience fee. Customers will have to download the app, log in to their account, and book a Rapido Ride, through their iOS or Android smartphones to use this service.

“The recent World Air Quality report by Swiss technology company IQAir ranked Delhi as the world’s most polluted Capital among 106 countries and we hope that this move helps contribute to the betterment of the air quality in the city,” Aravind Sanka, Co-Founder - Rapido said at the unveiling.

“With our robust battery-swapping network, which will be tested with the Rapido bike taxi services, we’re here to bolster the EV proposition together with this partnership and would love to scale this nationally making people get pollution free taxi rides too,” Akash Gupta, Co-Founder - Zypp Electric said about the partnership.

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Detel launches economical e-2W, Easy Plus Electric two-wheeler manufacturer, Detel has announced the price, specifications, and pre-booking date

Source: Detel

of its recently introduced e-2W Detel Easy Plus, at Ride Asia Expo. Priced at `39,999, Easy Plus is the most affordable EV in the country. Detel Bike has a high ground clearance of 170 mm, designed to tackle Indian roads. This low-speed vehicle is powered by a 20AH Li-ion battery. The lightweight vehicle can be charged entirely in 4-5 hours and runs up to 60 km on a single charge. Easy Plus is designed with metal alloy, powder-coated, and tubeless tires that further assist the vehicle to handle any kind of terrain.

The e-bike comes with a loadbearing capacity of 170 kg and powers a 250 Watts electric motor which can propel it to a top speed of 25kmph. Dr Yogesh Bhatia, founder of Detel said, “Detel is a homegrown brand for the masses, our vision is to be the most trusted low-speed two-wheelers manufacturer in India. We are offering a sustainable mobility solution to the daily commuting needs of an average user. We are poised to create a benchmark in India’s transportation space at the most economical price range. We are driven by our motto #DetelDecarboniseIndia and aim to deliver eco-friendly products to all our stakeholders that add to their lifestyle”.

Sun Mobility, Zyngo join forces for last-mile delivery Bangalore-based Sun Mobility announced that it has partnered with third-party logistics start-up Zyngo, which offers last-mile delivery services to e-commerce players in Delhi-NCR. As part of this association, Zyngo’s fleet of e-loaders and e-carriers will leverage Sun Mobility’s battery swap technology through its network of 18 'swap points’ installed at Indian Oil Corporation fuel stations in the national capital region. The start-up is looking to

advantage from Sun Mobility’s battery-swap technology, which permits for the lesser upfront cost of procuring the vehicle (sans battery pack) as well as considerably reduces charging time with a swapping solution that is claimed to get executed in 120 seconds. While Zyngo has already positioned 120 electric delivery vehicles primarily comprising e-3W in Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, and Ghaziabad, the company aims to expand to 500 vehicles by end-2021.

Source: Zyngo | March–April 2021

The partnership with Zyngo also marks Sun Mobility’s venture into the last-mile delivery space as the company was so far majorly focused on offering its technology and usecase agnostic services to shared passenger mobility services like SmartE and MetroRide in DelhiNCR and Bangalore, respectively. Chetan Maini, Chairman and Co-founder - Sun Mobility, said: “The e-commerce boom in the last 9 to 12 months has caused a surge in the last-mile delivery segment. Players such as Amazon, Flipkart and BigBasket have expressed strong commitment to shift their delivery fleets to electric in the near future. Hence, our partnership with Zyngo will allow us to accelerate clean last-mile delivery operations, using vehicles powered by our open architecture energy platform.” According to Prateek Rao, Founder and CEO - Zyngo, “The idea behind introducing Zyngo emerged from the deep-rooted passion for logistics and technology. By creating an ecosystem controlled by our mobile application, we will ensure ownership of EVs to the drivers and fleet operators.”

JLR launches all-electric Jaguar I-PACE Jaguar Land Rover India has announced the launch of the allelectric Jaguar I-PACE in India with a starting price of ฀105.9 lakh (exshowroom India). The Jaguar I-PACE is powered by a 90kWh battery that delivers 294kW power and 696Nm torque, allowing the car to accelerate from 0-100 km/h in just 4.8 secs. Since its launch, the Jaguar I-PACE has won over 80 global awards, including the prestigious World Car of the Year, World Car

Source: Jaguar Land Rover India

Design of the Year, and World Green Car in 2019. Jaguar has ensured that every step of the customer journey delivers peace of mind and makes owning an electric car as easy as possible: 22 retail outlets across 19 cities are now EV ready with over 35 EV chargers installed and more underway. These chargers are a combination of 7.4 kW AC chargers and 25 kW DC (fast) chargers. To charge the Jaguar I-PACE,

customers may either use a home charging cable or use a 7.4 kW AC wall-mounted charger that are provided as standard with the vehicle. The installation of this charger at the customer’s house will be done by Tata Power Ltd and will be coordinated via Jaguar retailers. Customers may also access Tata Power’s fast-expanding EZ Charge network of around 200 I-PACE compatible charging points on use and pay basis. The Jaguar I-PACE is provided with a complimentary 5-year service package, 5-year roadside assistance package, 8 years or 160 000 km battery warranty, and a 7.4 kW wallmounted AC charger. The I-PACE is equipped with Software over the Air (SOTA) functionality. This means Systems including infotainment, battery management, and charging can be updated remotely. Using the vehicle’s built-in data connection, the latest software can be downloaded automatically.

WE CAN STOP CORONA HELP PREVENT THE SPREAD OF RESPIRATORY DISEASES LIKE COVID-19

March–April 2021 |

Varroc partners with Delta-Q for EV chargers Auto component manufacturer Varroc Engineering has announced that it has signed a contract manufacturing agreement with Vancouver-based Delta-Q Technologies Corp. As per the co-operation agreement, Varroc will manufacture Delta-Q's chargers in India to support the expansion of the e-2W and e-3W market. Delta-Q is a leader in the design and supply of high-reliability onboard chargers for original equipment manufacturers in a variety of industrial and consumer markets in the US, Europe, and Asia. "Post the implementation of BS-VI, the transition to EV is the most significant opportunity in the Automotive Electronics industry. With this partnership with Delta-Q, we aim to enhance our EV component portfolio," Varroc President - Electrical Business Unit, Arjun Jain said in a statement. "This contract manufacturing agreement with Varroc is a first for Delta-Q in India. The company has the capability and resources to support Delta-Q's manufacturing processes," Delta-Q Co-CEO and CFO, Sarah MacKinnon said.

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Bharat Forge to undertake EV biz through Kalyani Powertrain Bharat Forge, one of India’s leading component manufacturer for automotive, power, aerospace, and other industries has announced to undertake EV business initiatives through Kalyani Powertrain. On March 16, the Strategic Business Investment committee of the company approved the acquisition of 100 percent stake in Kalyani Powertrain Pvt Ltd (KPPL), which will serve as the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for conducting Bharat Forge’s EV business. The newly formed company will explore both organic and inorganic opportunities in the EV space. All EV business of Bharat Forge will be consolidated under KPPL, the company stated.

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Shuchi Anant Virya, HPCL to install charging points at fuel outlets Shuchi Anant Virya has announced that it has partnered with Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) to set up a pan-India network of public EV charging points at its retail outlets. Shuchi Anant Virya, which presently owns and operates EV charging hubs in Gurugram and Pune, is a joint venture between EV-based urban mobility company, Lithium Urban Technologies, and renewable energy solutions firm, Fourth Partner Energy. The installation of these charging points will be done in a phased manner across the country and the network will comprise both fast and slow chargers for all vehicular segments – 2W, 3W, cars, and

buses, the company said in an announcement. Shuchi has developed in-house cloud-based technology for easy deployment, operation, and maintenance of these charging units, it said, adding that this partnership will further enable HPCLs efforts towards growing its EV charging infrastructure footprint across the country and improving access to sustainable

| March–April 2021

mobility solutions for both commercial and passenger vehicle segments.

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Nitin Gadkari announces Vehicle Scrappage Policy Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari announced the much-awaited Vehicle Scrappage Policy in the Loksabha on March 18. Old, end-of-life-vehicles (ELV) cause an estimated 10-12 times more pollution compared with the new ones. The overarching goal of the policy is to reduce vehicular particulate matter pollution, achieve better fuel efficiency, and boost the availability of low-cost raw materials for the automotive, steel, and electronics industry – while helping the country meet its climate commitments. In February, Gadkari stated the policy would cover an estimated 51 lakh light motor vehicles (LMV) above 20 years of age, 34 lakh LMVs above 15 years, and 17 lakh medium and heavy motor vehicles above 15 years, and currently without valid fitness certificates. The policy proposes: • All vehicles of the Central Government, State Government, Municipal Corporation, Panchayats, State Transport Undertakings, Public Sector Undertakings, and autonomous bodies with the Union and State Governments may be de-registered and scrapped after 15 years from the date of registration. • Commercial vehicles be de-registered after 15 years in case of failure to get the fitness certificate.

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As a disincentive measure, increased fees for fitness certificates and fitness tests may be applicable for commercial vehicles 15 years onwards from the date of initial registration. • Private vehicles be de-registered after 20 years if found unfit or in case of a failure to renew registration certificate. As a disincentive measure, increased re-registration fees will be applicable for private vehicles 15 years onwards from the date of initial registration. The scheme has also sought to provide strong incentives to owners of old vehicles to scrap their old and unfit vehicles through registered scrapping centers. These centers would be authorized to provide scrapping certificates. Some of these incentives include: • Scrap value for the old vehicle given by the scrapping center, which is approximately 4-6 percent of the ex-showroom price of a new vehicle. • The State governments may be advised to offer a road- tax rebate of up to 25 percent for personal vehicles and up to 15 percent for commercial vehicles • The vehicle manufacturers are also advised for providing a discount of 5 percent on the purchase of a new vehicle against the scrapping certificate.

• Registration fees may also be waived for the purchase of a new vehicle against the scrapping certificate. The minister confirmed that efforts are underway for setting up Integrated Scrapping Facilities across India. Some of the identified places include Alang in Gujarat, where it is being planned to develop a highly specialized center for scrapping, among many other potential centers, where different scrapping technologies can be synergized together. While the Scrappage Policy would be instrumental in eliminating high CO2 emitting old vehicles, studies indicate it would also help significantly to reuse a good chunk of the heaps of auto waste. For instance, auto parts including steel, plastic, and other metals and materials, can be recovered and brought back in use after a vehicle is scrapped. The Vehicle Scrappage Policy can build this circularity. According to an estimate by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce (FICCI), ELVs have the potential to generate 8 million tons of steel that can be extracted in India by 2025. This can be a significant opportunity for India as a major consumer of steel -- a good percent of which is used by the automobile sector – thereby substituting imports and improving the country's balance of payment. In addition to the Integrated Scrapping Facilities, the government is looking at the promotion and setting up of Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facility (RVSF) across India and has encouraged public and private participation for opening up of such centers. Similarly, the Ministry has said it will promote the setting up of Automated Fitness Centres on a PPP model by the State government, private sector, automobile companies, etc. At first glance, the Vehicle Scrappage Policy has not provided any incentive for replacing old vehicles with electric ones – a move that was highly anticipated by climate experts and electric vehicle stakeholders.

March–April 2021 |

Solar powered EV charging station a reality GreenEnco Ltd has announced another milestone towards the journey against climate change – with a custom-made off-grid system comprising a solar photovoltaic (PV) module, a hybrid inverter, battery storage, and an EV charger. This can also be implemented as an on-grid system application. GreenEnco has designed and implemented this innovative solution of a zero-emission EV charging station under the Innovating for Clean Air (IfCA) program by Energy System

Catapult, UK. The IfCA program aims to support UK and Indian firms to tackle air pollution, by introducing innovations that improve air quality monitoring, addressing challenges related to EV charging infrastructure, power grid management, and integration of RE. Dr Jyotirmoy Roy, Founder and CEO of GreenEnco said: “We have committed with our integrated green energy solution to help develop the fast EV charging infrastructure for electric vehicles in India. Our

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innovative solution will not only make an environmental impact but locally procured system components will also help to develop a sustainable socioeconomical ecosystem in India” IISc Bengaluru has played a pivotal role in the implementation of this initiative under an India-UK collaboration to fight against climate change. The charging facility is available behind the JRD Tata Memorial Library and the solar PV system has been installed on the roof of the library. IISc Sustainable Transportation Lab (IST Lab) and GreenEnco will conduct the impact assessment of this charging facility under convenor Ashish Verma's supervision. The expected outcome of this project is technical data analysis of solar PV performance and EV charging mechanism, commercial charging fees mechanism, customer behaviour of EV users, and support policy framework of e-mobility in India and its challenges and opportunities. This charging facility was inaugurated by Prof. Govindan Rangrajan, Director of IISc, and Jeremy PilmoreBedford, the British Deputy High Commissioner in Bangalore.

MG Motor India, IIT-Delhi partner for R&D in EV MG Motor India has announced that it has partnered with IIT Delhi’s Centre for Automotive Research and Tribology (CART) for research in the field of electric and autonomous vehicles.

The partnership through Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer (FITT), IIT Delhi, targets at advancing the automaker's focus on CASE mobility

Source: MG Motors India | March–April 2021

(Connected Autonomous Shared Electric); through facilitating supporting research for the deployment of electric and autonomous vehicles in the urban landscape in the country, MG Motor India stated. The company has already worked previously with IIT Delhi on a year-long project to boost in-car child safety seat projects through geofencing. It had also steered a grand innovation challenge – Hackathons, in partnership with IIT Delhi amongst students and startups to make automobiles and transportation services safer and greener. MG, which has introduced an electric SUV – the ZS EV and the first autonomous Level 1 premium SUV – Gloster, targets to use the research for developing its future autonomous vehicles.

University of Birmingham, ARAI to conduct transport research The University of Birmingham and the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) based in Pune, India, have announced that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreeing to identify joint research interests in the fields of air quality management, alternative fuels, power train, and electric vehicle technology. The Vehicle and Engine Technology Research Centre in the University’s School of Mechanical Engineering has a world-leading research profile in combustion engines and low carbon vehicle technology. The University works closely with the UK industry in engine architecture and advanced

engine technologies, helping to design the engines and fuels for the future; including hybrid powertrains. ARAI is India’s premier automotive research and development institute set up by the automotive industry with the Government of India. ARAI is an autonomous body affiliated to the Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Government of India, and is recognized by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Government of India. University of Birmingham’s engineering experts will work with ARAI to develop and deliver hi-tech and environment-friendly vehicle systems that

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will improve transport for people across India. The partnership will also see British and Indian air pollution experts working together to create a blueprint to tackle the challenge of particulate emissions in India – looking to develop and deliver solutions identified in the plan.The partners also plan to support the development of education programmes that will help produce future transport leaders and world-leading research. The British Deputy High Commission Mumbai was instrumental in bringing together ARAI and the University of Birmingham to draw up the agreement. Alan Gemmell, Her Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for South Asia and British Deputy High Commissioner for Western India, commented: “The UK wants to be at the cutting edge of green and EV-transport systems and we see a real opportunity to partner with India on this critical agenda - including through this new agreement between the University of Birmingham and ARAI. Last month COP26 President Rt Hon Alok Sharma MP visited India to strengthen our partnership on climate change in advance of the summit in Glasgow this year. The UK was the first major economy to commit to cut emissions to net-zero by 2050.”

Report price: $3,500 March–April 2021 |

Hero Electric to invest in enhancing manufacturing Expecting exponential growth in e-2W, Hero Electric announced it plans to invest `700 crore over the next threefour years to increase its plant capacity from 75,000 units to 10 lakh units. In the first phase, the capacity will be ramped up to 3 lakh units.

Source: Hero Electric Vehicles Pvt Ltd.

Naveen Munjal, Managing Director - Hero Electric, said the industry was observing a doubling of market share each year and would corner at least 10 percent of the motorcycle and scooter market in five years. Hero Electric, which commands 40 percent of the market, will continue to keep pace with the growth. “At the current growth rate, the e-2W market will touch 20 lakh units in five years. With a little bit of a push and more favorable policies, this number could expand to 20 percent to around 40 lakh units a year,” Mr Munjal said.

While the current Hero Electric portfolio comprises 13 offerings in six platforms across two segments — city speed and comfort speed, the company plans to develop the range within these two categories. It will, however, endure to monitor the demand in the high-speed segment for the time being and enter only when it develops beyond the niche market. “While competition is focused solely on high-speed scooters, we at Hero understand that what the consumer at large desires is a true value for money product and this is where we stand,” Mr Munjal added.

Ather Energy installs its fast-charging network in Mumbai Bengaluru-based EV manufacturer Ather Energy has announced the setting up of Ather Grid, its fastcharging network in collaboration with

Ather Grid, EV fast charging station outlet Source: Ather Energy

startup Park+ in Mumbai. As many as 10 charging points are already live at numerous key locations across the financial capital and the firm is also planning to have at least 30 such points by next year, the company said in a release. Delhi-based Park+ offers a smart parking solution that permits users to locate parking, book slots, and pay digitally. Ather said it has set up 128 public fast charging points across 18 cities in the country as part of the network, which can be used by all-electric 2Ws and 4Ws. This facility is being

offered free of charge to everyone till September this year, it added. The charging network is reinforced by the Grid app, which permits all EV owners to locate and check the availability of the nearest charging stations in real-time. Ather Energy in its accelerated expansion phase targets to set up fivesix points before delivery across the 27 markets that it will be present in, by Q3 2021, the firm said. The company has already installed 20 chargers across cities and will expand this number to 30 by April.

Flipkart, Mahindra Logistics collaborate for green last-mile delivery E-commerce major, Flipkart has announced that it has partnered with

Mahindra Logistics e-3W out on delivery of goods Source: Mahindra Logistics Limited

Mahindra Logistics Limited (MLL), to help fast-track deployment of EVs across its logistics fleet in the country. In the past, Flipkart had dedicated to 100 percent e-mobility in its logistics fleet and said it will position more than 25,000 EV by 2030. Towards the end of 2020, Mahindra Logistics had launched its own electric delivery brand EDEL, partnering with companies in the consumer and e-commerce segment to deliver sustainable last-mile delivery across six cities in India Through the association with Flipkart, Mahindra Logistics will

| March–April 2021

also look at generating a conducive environment for EV deployment and operations across the country. This comprises building supporting infrastructure and technology such as charging stations and parking lots, training workforce, route planning, and even battery swapping stations in the near future. EDEL, which at present operates in key metro cities including Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Pune, Kolkata, and Hyderabad, will scale its operations to cover 20 cities by year-end while enabling Flipkart’s transition towards EVs.

HYDROGEN

NHPC partners with BHU for hydrogen energy development The National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC), New Delhi and the Hydrogen Energy Centre at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) have joined forces

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to conduct research on carbon-neutral green energy and pilot project of hydrogen energy development. The Union Budget for 2021-22 had announced a National Hydrogen Energy Mission (NHM) that will draw up a road map for using hydrogen as an energy source. The NHM initiative will capitalize on one of the most abundant elements on earth for a cleaner alternative fuel option. BHU Spokesperson noted that the GM of the national hydropower project Dr Prashant Atre consulted the scientists of Hydrogen Energy Centre of the

BHU’s Physics department, and both the institutions planned for research and a pilot project in this direction. Besides, the research conducted by the chemistry and botany departments was also discussed to neutralize the impact of climate change by the carbon emission, he said adding that special emphasis was given on the research based on the storage of hydrogen by making hydride to run auto-rickshaws. Since hydride is the safest and most efficient for hydrogen storage, it was agreed to do further research at the level of the pilot plant of hydride.

Adani Group, Maire Tecnimont to collaborate on developing green hydrogen Maire Tecnimont Group and Adani Enterprises (AEL) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate in the effort of developing green hydrogen projects in India. The agreement, signed through Maire Tecnimont’s subsidiaries NextChem, Stamicarbon, and MET Development (MET DEV), will help explore the development of numerous industrial projects using NextChem and Stamicarbon’s technologies and

Image for representation purpose only.

MET DEV’s project development capabilities. As part of the agreement, AEL and Maire Tecnimont’s subsidiaries will mutually explore the integrated opportunities for the valorization of the renewable feedstock by exploiting NextChem’s and Stamicarbon’s technologies for chemicals, ammonia, and green hydrogen applied to the chemicals value chain. Pierroberto Folgiero, Maire Tecnimont and NextChem CEO said, “India, our second home, is playing an increasingly strategic role in the green acceleration roadmap which Maire Tecnimont has been implementing so far. Today we take another crucial step in the green economy arena partnering with a prominent and innovative player such as AEL. We firmly see green chemistry as the

future chemistry, and we are perfectly equipped to be its technology-driven enabler worldwide, also thanks to the synergies within the group.” It is believed that the agreement will facilitate the group to industrialize green chemistry and circular economy sectors in India with projects concentrating on producing chemicals, ammonia, and hydrogen from renewable feedstock. Jayant Parima, Advisor to Chairman - Adani Group stated, “Adani Group is at the forefront of India’s energy transition, and green hydrogen is a natural extension of our globally leading renewable portfolio. We are entering a new phase whereby global synergies will play a vital role in optimally harnessing renewable energy for powering future energy and industrial needs”.

March–April 2021 |

NATIONAL NEWS

Renewable Energy

India, U.S set collaborate for clean energy development

India’s petroleum and natural gas minister Dharmendra Pradhan and the US energy secretary Jennifer Granholm reviewed the India-US Strategic Energy Cooperation in their first meeting, according to a declaration from the petroleum and natural gas ministry. “Both leaders agreed to revamp the India-US SEP to reflect the new priorities of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden with focus on promoting clean energy with low-carbon pathways and accelerating green energy cooperation," the Indian statement said. India had elevated the India-US energy dialogue to a strategic energy partnership (SEP) in February 2018 after the first ministerial meeting held in New Delhi on 17 April 2018 between Pradhan and then US energy secretary Rick Perry.

The two countries have agreed to prioritize greater collaboration in the cleaner energy sector- biofuels, CCUS, hydrogen production, and carbon sequestration through technology exchange, joint R&D through Partnership to Advance Clean Energy Research (PACE-R), among other initiatives.

Energy security is at the center of the India-US strategic energy partnership. With the US pitching itself as a favoured energy partner, India has been recalibrating its crude sourcing strategy in the backdrop of developing hesitations to mitigate its consumers from the effect of a surge in global prices.

Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas & Steel Dharmendra Pradhan and the US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm during the virtual meeting Source: MoPNGS, India

Adani Green to buy Sterling & Wilson’s solar projects Adani Green Energy Ltd. (AGEL), one of the leading renewables companies in India announced that it has signed an agreement for acquisition of two special purpose vehicles (SPVs) holding 75MW operating solar projects of Sterling & Wilson. The enterprise valuation of the two SPVs is approximately `446 crore. The signed share purchase agreement for the acquisition of 100 percent stake in two SPVs include projects commissioned in 2017 in Telangana, and have a long-term Power Purchase Agreement with Southern Power Distribution Company of Telangana. As per AGEL, the latest acquisition will increase its operating renewable capacity to 3,470 MW with a total renewable portfolio of 15,240 MW. Image for representation only | March–April 2021

Tata Cleantech Capital, JICA partner for green loans Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) announced that it has signed a loan agreement for a maximum amount of JYP10 billion with Indian nonbanking financial company, Tata Cleantech Capital Ltd (TCCL) to support the company in offering loans to Image for representation only businesses across India that focus on renewable energy generation, e-mobility solutions as well as energy efficiency, to help mitigate the effects of climate change by reducing the emission of greenhouse gas (GHG) in India following the Green Loan Principles. This loan will be provided through the Private Sector Investment Finance scheme of JICA and co-financed with the Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC). JICA’s loan will support TCCL to mitigate the impact of climate change by offering green finance, which will contribute to decreasing the emission of GHG in India. It will also contribute to SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) goals 7 and 13. JICA will continue its support for climate change initiatives in the world and continue to mobilize private finance for this sector

India to impose duty on solar modules, cells India is set to impose a customs duty of 40 percent on solar modules and 25 percent on solar cells from April 2022, as per a government announcement, as it looks to cut imports and enhanced local manufacturing. "Proposal of Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) to impose Basic Customs Duty on solar cells and modules (without grandfathering of the bid out projects) has been agreed to by the Ministry of Finance," MNRE said in a memo dated March 9. The ministry specified the following on imposing a duty on solar imports: “At present, India’s solar sector, just like in any other country of the world, is comprehensively dependent on imports of solar equipment. The government has also noted cases of certain countries dumping solar cells and modules to kill the promising domestic industry, because of which the Government had to impose safeguard duties. The ministry also accentuated that the central government’s Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative has been planned to gear up the country towards scaling up domestic manufacturing. And thus, scaling up domestic solar manufacturing would also facilitate India to export solar cells/modules. This would also provide other countries an alternative avenue for procuring solar cells/modules. India aims to ramp up its renewable capacity to 175 GW by 2022 and 450 GW by 2030, from about 93 GW currently, as part of its commitment under the Paris climate agreement. Image for representation only

Dr Vibha Dhawan, Senior Programme Director takes over as Director-General, TERI Source: The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)

Dr Vibha Dhawan new DG of TERI The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) has announced the appointment of Dr Vibha Dhawan, Senior Programme Director, as the new DirectorGeneral w.e.f from March 1, 2021 She took over from Dr Ajay Mathur, subsequent to his appointment as the new Director-General of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), at the first special assembly held lately. Dr Dhawan has been associated with the policy and research think-tank TERI since 1985, and also served as the Vice-Chancellor of TERI School of Advanced Studies from 2005 to 2007. She is a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India. She also has been actively involved in research as well as policy development, both at the national and international levels. She has been a task force member of various committees of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), Biotech Consortium India Ltd (BCIL), etc. She has been serving as Adjunct Professor, Consul General South Asia Partnership, Michigan State University.

Cabinet sanctions PLI worth `4,500 Cr. for solar modules manufacturing The Union Cabinet approved `4,500 crore production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme to boost domestic manufacturing capacity of solar PV modules in April. The PLI scheme is intended at adding 10,000 MW manufacturing capacity of integrated solar PV modules entailing a direct investment of `17,200 crore. The PLI scheme is likely to create direct employment of around 30,000 and indirect employment of 1.2 lakh, as per government estimates. Solar energy capacity addition at present depends largely upon imported solar

PV cells and modules as the domestic manufacturing industry has limited operational capacities of solar PV cells and modules, it added. The National Programme on high-efficiency solar PV modules will ease import dependence in a strategic sector like electricity, the statement said adding it will also support the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative. Solar PV manufacturers will be nominated through a transparent competitive bidding process. The PLI will be disbursed for five years post commissioning of solar

PV manufacturing plants, on sales of high-efficiency solar PV modules. Manufacturers will be compensated for higher efficiencies of solar PV modules and also for sourcing their material from the domestic market. Thus, the PLI amount will increase with increased module efficiency and increased local value addition. Besides, the scheme will also help in import substitution of around Rs. 17,500 crore every year and will boost R&D to achieve higher efficiency in solar PV modules, the government said.

March–April 2021 |

India added RE capacity worth 92.97 GW India has accomplished 92.97 GW of renewable energy capacity till February 2021, while 50.15 GW is under several stages of implementation. The country has set an ambitious target of achieving 175 GW of installed RE capacity (excluding large hydropower) by 2022. "Projects of 50.15 GW capacity are under various stages of implementation and 27.02 GW are under various stages of bidding," stated R K Singh, Power and New & Renewable Energy Minister. Renewable energy projects are being implemented throughout the country based on various factors such as renewable potential, av a i la b il it y o f l a n d a nd transmission, etc., the minister added. India has the potential of 10,97,465 MW of RE comprising 7,48,990 MW of solar, 3,02,251 MW of wind energy, and 21,133.62 of small hydro (with the capacity of up Image for representation only to 25 MW each).

Thermax, SBE partner for waste-to-energy technology Thermax Babcock & Wilcox Energy Solutions (TBWES) have signed a ‘KnowHow Transfer and License’ agreement with Steinmüller Babcock Environment GmbH (SBE), Germany, for waste-to-energy technology. The agreement was signed Image for representation only by Pravin Karve, CEO - TBWES, and Thomas Feilenreiter, Managing Director - SBE. As a part of the agreement, TBWES will design, engineer, manufacture, and sell Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) fired wasteto-energy solutions incorporating SBE’s well-established grate and boiler technology. “Thermax has always brought proven global technologies to India and this collaboration is one more step in that direction. We are proud to be closely associated with a global leader having the most advanced and reliable technology. This partnership will provide us with a technology edge and help us deliver on our brand promise of ‘Conserving Resources, Preserving the Future’. It will accelerate our involvement in the waste-to-energy application, much needed for solving the dual challenge of urbanization and the deteriorating environment.” said Mr Karve. “SBE technology is backed by more than 150 years of experience, and we have designed and supplied some of the largest and most efficient grate and boiler systems for waste-to-energy plants in the world,” said Mr Feilenreiter. | March–April 2021

Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and Italian Ambassador to India Vincenzo De Luca Source: Ministry of External Affairs, India

Italy joins ISA, amends framework agreement Ministry of External Affairs announced that Italy has signed the Framework Agreement of the International Solar Alliance (ISA). The European country signed the ISA framework agreement after amendments to the agreement entered into force on January 8, 2021, opening its membership to all member States of the United Nations. Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla met Italian Ambassador to India Vincenzo De Luca and welcomed Italy's accession to the ISA. They also discussed Italy’s G20 presidency and Vaccine Maitri. "The energy transition towards clean sources and low-emission energy systems is a priority on which we record fundamental convergences with our partners also in the main multilateral fora such as the G20, the IEA, and the Irena. We hope that ISA will be able to maximize synergies with the main international energy organizations," said Vincenzo de Luca.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Electric Vehicles

Eaton acquires Green Motion SA to deliver EV charging infrastructure

Eaton, the global power management company in March announced the acquisition of Green Motion, SA, a Switzerland-based company that designs and manufactures electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Ta p p i n g i n t o t h e g r o w i n g demand for a well-established network of electric vehicle charging stations as major auto companies around the globe pivot to electric vehicles, Eaton’s main objective for the partnership with Green Motion is to deliver EV charging infrastructure (EVCI) solutions for all types of buildings in Europe and North America by 2030. Through the acquisition, Eaton intends to integrate Green Motion’s proven charger designs and its advanced power and billing management software to its existing

energy storage and power distribution offerings. By combining Green Motion SA's EVCI solutions with our leading energy storage and power distribution offerings, we will be able to deliver even stronger

results for our customers commented Uday Yadav, President and COO - Electrical Sector, Eaton. Delivering EVCI for buildingslinked deployments is expected to enable Eaton to build a $0.7 billion to $1.2 billion business by 2030.

Eaton’s plan for EVCI for all types of building. Source: Eaton Financial Report 2021.

Battery startup QuantumScape clears technical hurdle; to get $100M from Volkswagen QuantumScape, the developer of next-generation solid-state lithium-metal batteries announced in April that it has successfully met the technical milestone set forth to close investment of an additional $100 million by Volkswagen Group of America Investments, LLC (VW). “We are pleased to report that the QuantumScape cells met the technical milestones in our labs in Germany that we had previously agreed upon,” said Frank Blome, Head of the Volkswagen Group’s Center of Excellence Battery Cell. “Achievement of this milestone is an important step for QuantumScape and we look forward to receiving and testing subsequent generations of cells, with the goal of getting solid-state technology into series production.”

This will be the second and final closing under May 14, 2020, stock purchase agreement between VW and QuantumScape that provided for a total $200 million investment.

In the next phase, QuantumScape will jointly work with Volkswagen AG to bring solid-state lithium-metal battery technology into industrialized mass-production.

A Volkswagen Golf GTE being charged at a charging station in Germany Source: Shutterstock.

| March–April 2021

Six major utilities in the U.S. join hands to establish EV charging network In an unprecedented effort, six major utilities in the United States have announced a plan to ensure electric vehicle users have access to seamless charging network across major highways-- spanning the Atlantic Coast, through the Midwest and South, and into the Gulf and Central Plains regions. The Electric Highway Coalition – made up of American Electric Power (AEP), Dominion Energy, Duke Energy, Entergy Corporation, Southern Co., and the Tennessee Valley Authority in March announced a plan that will enable EV users a seamless travel experience across major regions in the US, through a network of DC fast chargers for EVs. “Sites along major highway routes with easy highway access and amenities for travelers are being considered as coalition members work to determine final charging station locations. Charging stations will provide DC fast chargers that are capable of getting drivers back on the road in approximately 20-30 minutes,” AEP confirmed in an official statement. The announcement has come after Edison Institute released data stating that an estimated 18 million EVs will on the US roads by 2030. While the

benefits of EV are widely known to the public, concerns over the availability of charging stations for medium- and long-haul trips remain a major roadblock to EV adoption. “The path to cleaner transportation is a robust charging infrastructure along the nation’s major highways,” said Lang Reynolds, Director of Electrification Strategy for Duke Energy, a coalition member. “Range anxiety is a barrier to more EV adoption. This coalition can erase those obstacles and help deliver the benefits of EV ownership to consumers.”

The new charging station will be equipped to provide high-power fast charging as the newly launched EV models are capable of charging at a fast speed. Reports confirm, that each company will be taking steps to provide EV fast charging options within their service territories to facilitate interstate travel. The Coalition has also welcomed interested utilities to join, so the network of EV charging stations can be further extended. It is also looking to work with other regional utility for transportation corridor electrification initiatives.

EV Charging Station. Source: Duke Energy.

Tritium partners with Renault’s EV charging arm for fast-charging stations across Europe Australia-based Tritium has announced that it has signed an agreement with Renault’s electric vehicle arm Elexent to supply DC fast-charging stations across Europe. The brand new partnership will see Tritium RT50 and RTM75 DC speedy chargers deployed in 10 European international locations as Renault pursues to help speed up firm fleet electrification in key markets. Electrification of fleets has vital significance to cleansing up personal transport as fleet turnover feeds a second-hand market that in flip makes EVs an extra reasonably priced choice to a wider variety of drivers. Tritium’s chargers are deployed

in more than 33 international locations globally and are recognized for their small footprint and revolutionary strategy to electrical car charging. The RT50 50kW charger simply grew to become the first unit to enable “plug and charge” functionality utilizing the ISO 15118 customary (noting that

this additionally requires automobiles and networks to combine the expertise to make it work). The primary RTM75, which is a scalable answer that permits installers to future-proof charging websites, went on-line in Broadbeach on Australia’s Gold Coast in January. The DC quick charging items will allow fleets so as to add between 150 to 250 kilometres of driving vary in a half-hour of charging. Renault is the number one vendor of electrical autos in Europe. It usually lands within the prime three of EV gross sales with residence market France and Germany.

March–April 2021 |

Xiaomi expands into smart electric vehicle business Beijing-headquartered Xiaomi Corporation (Xiaomi) has announced that it will commence its smart electric vehicle business with an initial investment of RMB 10 billion. As per the official notice to Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX), Xiaomi will set up a wholly-owned subsidiary to operate the smart electric vehicle business. The total investment amount over the course of next 10 years estimated to be USD 10 billion. In an internal letter to employees, Lei Jun, the Founder, Chairman & CEO of Xiaomi who is also expected to serve as the CEO of the smart electric vehicle business stated that Xiaomi has distinct and unique advantages in manufacturing cars: • Smart electric vehicles have fundamentally transformed the business model of the traditional automotive industry, and Xiaomi has the deepest understanding of the hardware-based internet service business model; • Xiaomi has a smart ecosystem that is the largest in terms of scale, the

most diversified in terms of product category, and the most active in terms of user connections; According to Xiaomi’s latest financial results, Xiaomi’s global smartphone shipments reached 146 million, upholding the company’s position in the top 3 globally. The sales of premium smartphones have

| March–April 2021

exceeded 10 million units. TV sales have topped the Mainland China market for 8 consecutive quarters. And, with over 324.8 million connected devices on Xiaomi’s AIoT platform and monthly active users for XiaoAi AI Assistant reaching 86.7 million, Xiaomi continues to lead the smart home industry.

HYDROGEN

Snam, Mubadala join forces for hydrogen development in the UAE Mubadala Investment Company (Mubadala) and Snam announced in March that they have entered into a partnership to nurture and encourage hydrogen development in the UAE. The companies have signed

an MoU for the efforts that will comprise several assessment activities, comprising technical and economic feasibility studies to explore prospective projects and solutions. Snam is reportedly further strengthening its presence in the

Musabbeh Al Kaabi, CEO of UAE Investments at Mubadala and Marco Alvera, CEO Snam, signing the MoU Source: Mubadala.com

UAE and in the Gulf area, which the company believes to be crucial in the energy transition. “We will work closely with Mubadala leveraging our mutual know-how and investment capabilities to identify projects of common interest in the UAE and contribute to the development of a hydrogen-fuelled economy,” said Marco Alvera, CEO at Snam. Musabbeh Al Kaabi, CEO of UAE Investments, Mubadala added, “As a responsible investor and an active player in the global energy transition, Mubadala has long pioneered and championed a balanced energy mix through our investments in portfolio companies that are contributing to clean, affordable and resilient energy solutions in the UAE and abroad.” “This signing with Snam is an extension of our joint efforts to develop a hydrogen economy for the UAE, and we are committed to advancing the role hydrogen will play to meet future energy demand globally.”

BP to set up Britain’s largest hydrogen plant by 2030 Energy group, BP announced in March that it targets to build Britain's largest hydrogen plant by 2030, as part of the country's drive to boost the use of the fuel and cut greenhouse gas emissions. The Teesside plant in northern England will have a capacity of up

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to 1 gigawatt (GW) of supposed blue hydrogen, about a fifth of Britain's target of 5 GW of hydrogen capacity by the end of the decade. Blue hydrogen is produced by transforming natural gas into hydrogen and storing the CO2 emissions from its production. BP has commenced a feasibility study on the project to explore technologies that could capture up to 98 percent of carbon emissions from the hydrogen production process. The Teesside project, labeled H2Teesside, is projected to capture up to two million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) a year and pipe it into storage below the North Sea, BP stated. H2Teesside will be linked with Net Zero Teesside (NZT), a planned industrial zone that will also be linked

to a carbon capture and storage project. The hydrogen could also be used for heating residential homes in the region or transportation, BP added. Governments and energy companies are placing large bets on clean hydrogen playing a leading role in efforts to lower greenhouse gas emissions, but its future uses and costs are exceedingly uncertain. Recently, Britain announced an industrial decarbonization strategy targeting to cut emissions from industry by two-thirds in 15 years through projects comprising carbon capture and hydrogen. The company will make a final investment decision on the H2Teeside project in early 2024 and production could begin in 2027 or earlier, it said.

March–April 2021 |

EDP gives impetus to energy storage and green hydrogen Global energy company, EDP Group has launched two business units for exploiting the potential of green hydrogen and energy storage systems. The H2 Business Unit (H2BU) will serve as the Group’s new arm for the development of green hydrogen projects, and the dedicated storage unit built-in EDPR NA (EDP Renewables North America), will aim to achieve a storage capacity of 1 GW within five years. The objective of the latest move is to strengthen the integration of green hydrogen into EDP Group’s portfolio in a strategic and cross-cutting way and boost investments in renewables. The unit will focus its efforts on green hydrogen in sectors such as

the steel industry, chemistry, refineries, and cement as well as long-haul heavy transport with the United States and Europe being its priority markets. This will enable the Group to use the already existing renewable and complement the decarbonization solutions that it offers to its customers. The H2BU unit will be led by Ana Quelhas, Director of Energy Planning of the EDP Group. The business unit dedicated to the development of energy storage technologies, will be associated with EDPR’s operations in the United States and focus on the analysis of storage technology. The new unit has been created to give shape to EDP’s plan in the

US called “Re-charge” which aims to achieve 1 GW in energy storage projects by 2026. Energy storage and hydrogen initiatives already underway The Group already has several initiatives underway to explore and test the potential of both green hydrogen and energy storage systems. In 2018, EDP opened a pioneering facility for the storage of wind power in batteries of the Cobadin wind farm in Romania. It also launched a battery energy storage system with a solar park in Romania in 2019. In the United States, it announced the development of solar project Sonrisa in California, corresponding to a PPA of 200MW and an energy storage capacity of 40 MW. As for hydrogen, at the international level, EDP is developing the Behyond project -- a partnership between Portugal and Norway to study the feasibility of offshore hydrogen production, and is also involved in creating a European hydrogen market with European Alliance Clean. It currently has a pilot hydrogen production project in Central do Ribatejo, Portugal, with the support of the European Union.

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Fusion Fuel Green set to develop Spain’s first hydrogen refueling stations Fusion Fuel Green in March announced that it has taken another step into accomplishing Spain’s ambitious National Hydrogen Strategy by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Grupo Zoilio Rios to develop the country’s first hydrogen refuelling stations. Image for representation only

This partnership is also important as it will represent the first hydrogen purchase agreement signed by a gas station operator in Spain. With this agreement, Fusion Fuel will use its popular HEVO-SOLAR solution to supply green hydrogen to the El Cisne service station in Zaragoza. This is remarkable as this particular site is situated next to the A2 Highway which is one of Spain’s main trunk roads connecting Madrid and Barcelona. Fusion Fuel’s technology not only produces emissions-free green hydrogen but does so through utilizing solar

| March–April 2021

radiation. This is designed to be completely modular making it an ideal solution to support the expansion of the Spanish fuel cell vehicle market in the coming years. With Grupo Zoilo Rios committed to leading the transition to sustainable mobility, this deal will not only surge the rate of expansion but the acknowledgment for hydrogen power too. Both companies will develop the first green hydrogen plant co-located with existing conventional refuelling infrastructure and will expand the first green hydrogen production footprint to the other Zoilo Rios service stations as the market develops.

Galileo Technologies launches compact hydrogen fueling station Galileo Technologies has announced that it has introduced the H-Patagonia Station, a compact hydrogen fueling station equipped to swiftly fuel vehicles in only three minutes. The module offers hydrogen compression, storage, and fueling for

Rendition of H-Patagonia Station, a compact hydrogen fueling station

light-duty vehicles or fleets of buses, trucks, boats, or other fuel cell propelled vehicles (FCVs). The new product will have public and private applications as it advances net-zero emissions goals in transportation and drives innovation around FCV technology. Equipped with two dispensing nozzles for H2 compressed at 35 and 70 MPa, H-Patagonia’s three-minute refueling speed puts hydrogen ahead of other zero-emission options such as electric cars. “We have seen how fuel cell costs have more than halved in recent years and are now close to three percent of 2005 values, while their durability and

performance extend to new record levels,” said Osvaldo del Campo, CEO of Galileo Technologies. “While there is still much to be developed in the automotive industry to optimize costs, one of the main gaps between consumers and FCVs is the absence of infrastructure for hydrogen refueling. At Galileo, we have always sought to overcome the chicken or the egg dilemmas by betting on technology. Only by removing barriers for consumers will we be able to develop the critical mass that will put FCVs on the streets and which, in turn, will justify increased production of green and blue hydrogen” he added.

British Airways capitalizes $24.3 million in hydrogen aviation startup ZeroAvia Driving their mission towards delivering airlines zero-carbon, hydrogen-fueled flight, ZeroAvia has announced that it is launching the development program for a 2MW hydrogen-electric powertrain for fullsize regional aircraft. The program kick-off is supported by new fundraising of $24.3 million, led by Horizons Ventures, joined by a new investor British Airways. Prevailing investors Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Ecosystem Integrity Fund, Summa Equity, Shell

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Ventures, and SYSTEMIQ also participated in the financing. This new round fast-tracks the larger hydrogen-electric engine development for the 50+ seat aircraft and supports additional commercial airlines initiatives to adopt hydrogen in aviation. The announcement brings the company's total private investment to over $53 million and the total funding raised since inception to nearly $74 million. ZeroAvia's most recent round of funding will drive the development

of its zero-emission hydrogen-electric engine for a 50+ seat commercial aircraft segment by 2026. This latest funding trails include the announcement in December 2020, that the UK Government – through the Department for Business Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI), and Innovate UK – had awarded a £12.3million grant ($16.3 million) to deliver a breakthrough 19-seat hydrogen-electric powered aircraft that is market-ready by 2023. The company announced its $21.4 million Series A funding round at the same time, accelerating its 600kW development program scheduled for commercial entry in 2024. ZeroAvia anticipates accomplishing commercialization for its hydrogen-electric powertrain as early as 2024. Its hydrogen aviation solutions will address various markets by initially targeting a 500-mile range in 10-20 seat aircraft used for commercial passenger transport, package delivery, agriculture, and beyond. Accelerated by this new capital infusion, ZeroAvia will also target entering the 50+ seat commercial aircraft segment by 2026.

March–April 2021 |

Toyota innovates packaged fuel cell system to encourage hydrogen usage Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) has announced that it has developed a product that packages a fuel cell (FC) system into a compact module and plans to commence selling it in the spring of 2021 or later. The new module will be effortlessly utilized by companies that are developing and manufacturing fuel cell products for a wide variety of applications, comprising mobility such as trucks, buses, trains, and ships, as well as stationary generators.

As various policies for utilizing hydrogen have been embraced in recent years in each country and several companies have been entering the market. As a result, the need for hydrogen and FC technologies has been increasing in a variety of applications. In addition to its effort to popularize FCEVs, Toyota will endure strengthening its initiatives as an FC system supplier to encourage hydrogen utilization through the popularization of

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| March–April 2021

FC products together with various FC product companies to reduce CO2 emissions to curtail global warming and to contribute to the achievement of carbon neutrality. Toyota has been taking several initiatives toward the creation of a hydrogen society, such as retailing the Mirai FCEV and the SORA FCEV bus, selling fuel cell systems to fuel cell product companies, as well as allowing royalty-free use of its FCEVrelated patent licenses. Through these experiences, the company has learned that many companies involved in fuel cell products in a variety of industries are looking for FC systems that can be easily adapted to their own products. Therefore, to address these requirements, Toyota has developed a product that packages individual fuel cell system-related products of second-generation Toyota Mirai with enhanced performance, such as the fuel cell stack, as well as components that handle air supply, hydrogen supply, cooling, and power control, into a single compact module. The new module is available in four models―a vertical type (Type I) and a horizontal type (Type II), with a rated output of either 60 kW or 80 kW.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Energy Storage

Energy Australia to build 350MW utility-scale battery; retire coal-fired Yallourn Plant

Energy Australia, Australia’s leading electricity generation, gas and electricity retailing private company has announced to retire its coal-fired Yallourn plant by mid-2028 instead of 2032 – and build a 350MW capacity utility-scale battery. The Yallourn power station located in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley produces a fifth of the state’s electricity or eight percent of the National Electricity Market and is one of the oldest power stations in Victoria. The new battery will be Australia’s first four-hour utility-scale battery of 350MW capacity by 2026 in the Latrobe Valley – larger than any battery operating in the world today.

This company intends this transition will help secure Victoria’s energy supply and enable more renewables to enter the system. Energy Australia's broader objective is to go carbon neutral by 2050,

Yallourn plant’s retirement will help reduce the CO 2 emissions by over 60 percent (relative to current emissions) helping the company speed up its carbon-neutral ambition.

Yallourn power station located in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley, Australia. Source: Wikimedia.

Wartsila's energy storage systems to provide grid support in Texas With the objective to enable grid support during extreme weather conditions, Wartsila Energy in March announced to provide its advanced energy storage systems for two major projects in southern Texas, with a combined rated capacity of 200 MW. Wartsila will supply and maintain the two major interconnected, standalone, energy storage systems

for Texas grid services. The order was placed by Able Grid Energy Solutions, Inc., a utility-scale energy storage project development arm of MAP RE/ES, one of North America’s leading investors in modern energy projects. The order was booked by Wärtsilä in February 2021. “The Madero and Ignacio projects will participate in the existing ERCOT wholesale electricity market,

A rendition of Wartsila energy storage service in ERCOT market. Source: Wartsila. | March–April 2021

delivering key ancillary services required for grid stability, including frequency regulation," said Aaron Zubaty, CEO of MAP RE/ES. The Madero and Ignacio energy storage plants are expected to improve electricity grid reliability and deliver valuable grid support to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the body responsible for managing the electric supply to more than 25 million customers. Wartsila has stated that it will supply its next-generation, fully integrated GridSolv Quantum energy storage solution for the projects. The energy storage systems will also feature Wärtsilä’s GEMS smart energy management platform to monitor and control the flow of energy, enabling these projects to provide grid support for critical periods during extreme weather or grid instability conditions, such as those that Texas has recently experienced. The energy storage systems are expected to become fully operational starting January 2022.

DOE launches $75 million grid energy storage research facility The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in March announced the beginning of the design and construction of a $75 million Grid Storage Launchpad (GSL) to accelerate energy storage innovation, boost clean energy adaptation and resilience in the country’s grid. GSL will be located at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland, Washington, and will include 30 research laboratories, a few of which will be testing centers capable of assessing prototypes and new grid energy storage technologies under real-world grid operating conditions. “The Grid Storage Launchpad facility will bring together researchers and industry from around the country to modernize and add flexibility to the power grid, advance storage technologies, and

A rendition of GSL Facility. Source: PNNL

boost the use of clean energy,” said Jennifer M. Granholm, Secretary of Energy. “Deploying new grid technologies means we can get more renewable power on the system, support a growing fleet of electric vehicles, make our grid more reliable and resilient, and secure our clean energy future.” The GSL facility will include a collaborative space with flexible workstations including Fellowship Labs which aim to provide dedicated space for researchers to incubate storage technologies originating from the US research and development community. According to DOE, GSL will focus on three outcomes to advance grid energy storage development: Collaboration: Bringing DOE, multidisciplinary researchers, and

industry together at the facility will lower the barriers to innovation and deployment of grid-scale energy storage. Validation: The facility will enable independent testing of nextgeneration grid energy storage materials and systems under realistic grid operating conditions. Acceleration: From benchtop to systems, the facility will de-risk and speed the development of new technologies by propagating rigorous performance requirements. PNNL has been authorized to select a design and construction contractor for the facility and the construction is expected to start by the end of this year. The facility is expected to be operational and ready for occupancy by 2025. “It took 40 years to get to the current state of today’s lithium-ion battery technology, but we need to move much faster to develop the long-duration, low-cost batteries needed to meet the significant challenges of decarbonizing the energy system,” said Steven Ashby, Director of PNNL. “The GSL will speed up the process considerably by doing the work needed to develop and deploy new grid storage technologies,” he added. In addition to federal funding, the Washington State Department of Commerce has committed $8.3 million for advanced research equipment and specialized instrumentation that will provide insights into the behavior of battery materials.

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March–April 2021 |

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Gridtential Energy, Electric Applications push boundaries for next-gen batteries To meet the boom in demand for household solar energy, the Consortium for Battery Innovation (CBI) has awarded Gridtential Energy Inc. and Electric Applications Inc (EAI) a research project to generate sophisticated plug-and-play solarpowered energy storage systems for US homes. The new research project will combine Gridtential’s pioneering Silicon Joule technology with the testing expertise of EAI to develop high voltage reference batteries specifically for the behind-the-meter (BTM) energy storage applications. Gridtential Energy is the pioneer of Silicon Joule, a first-of-its-kind bipolar battery technology, which uses silicon wafers in traditional lead

batteries. The design-driven batteries reduce weight and are performance competitive with lithium-ion at a lower cost. BTM energy storage is critical for the decarbonization efforts and increased demand for renewable energy in US homes. This has led to the need for safe, lowcost, high-performing batteries in

easy-to-connect packages which integrate renewable energy for the residential market. According to the Consortium, the collaboration will involve constructing mini-systems using Silicon Joule bipolar batteries for testing, with EAI developing an optimized charge scheme to replicate real-life energy storage systems. This builds on CBI’s technical roadmap goals, to maximize cycle life and energy throughout --two key technical parameters for renewable energy storage. The innovation research project is building on CBI's 2021 technical program aimed at enhancing the performance of lead batteries for energy storage.

Wartsila to deploy South East Asia’s first floating energy storage system Global leader in smart technology solutions, Wartsila will deploy a floating barge-mounted 54 MW / 32 MWh energy storage system in the Philippines – claimed to be the firstever deployment of floating energy storage solutions in South East Asia. The company contracted the order in September 2020 from Therma

Marine Inc. (TMI), a subsidiary of Aboitiz Power Corporation, one of the Philippines’ leading companies involved in power generation, distribution, and retail electricity services. “It will involve placing ten Wärtsilä GridSolv Max systems, supported by the company’s advanced GEMS

A rendition of Wartsila's floating energy storage solution. Source: Wartsila Corporation.

| March–April 2021

energy management platform, aboard a floating barge,” Wartsila confirmed in an official statement. “The solution will provide flexibility for TMI in their ancillary service contract with the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines.” The barge-mounted energy storage system will be placed next to TMI’s existing thermal power barge of a total of 100 MW in the municipality of Maco in the province of Davao de Oro and is expected to be delivered by Wärtsilä by Q4, 2021. Wartsila is the sole engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) provider for this project. A key advantage of a floating power barge is that it enables a fast supply of electricity to areas with limited infrastructure and is a mobile asset, enabling relocation or trade.

Apple Inc. to set up batterybased solar energy project in California Apple Inc. has announced that it will build a battery-based renewable energy storage facility in Central California near a solar energy installation that at present delivers energy for all of its facilities in the state. The company said the project will store 240 megawatt-hours (MWh) of energy, or enough to power more than 7,000 homes for one day. It is situated next to the California Flats solar installation in south-eastern Monterey County, near Apple's Cupertino, California headquarters. The site sends 130-megawatts of electricity directly to Apple's California facilities during daylight hours but does not provide power during dark hours. Lisa Jackson, Apple's vice president of environment, policy, and social initiatives said the company plans to develop what it believes will be one of the largest battery-based storage systems in the United States. Apple mentioned that 110 of its suppliers are now moving to use clean energy for the work they do for Apple, with about 8GW of clean energy production planned as a result, or what Apple said was the equivalent of removing 3.4 million cars from the road. The figure is an increase from last year when Apple said 70 of its suppliers had made the transition to clean energy for Apple work when it set a goal to eliminate carbon emissions from its supply chain by 2030.

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March–April 2021 |

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Renewable Energy

USAID, DFC to finance Indian RE development

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) has announced a $41 million loan guarantee program to finance investment in renewable energy solutions by Indian small and medium enterprises (SMEs). "USAID and DFC are jointly sponsoring a $41 million loan portfolio guarantee to help finance investments by Indian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in renewable energy solutions, including rooftop solar installations. These loans will enable SMEs to access reliable power and cut costs," a declaration said. USAID/India's Acting Mission Director Karen Klimowski stated that investments in solar solutions, secured by these credit guarantees, will improve access to clean, steady, and affordable energy as well

as further progress towards India's clean energy transition and climate change mitigation. India's commercial and industrial sectors pay high fees for their electricity, making rooftop solar a sustainable, cost-saving investment, but SMEs and residential consumers face hindrances in securing the financing installations of rooftop panels. SMEs account for 48 percent of the total energy consumed in India's industrial sector. Rooftop solar power generation offers a win-win, it said, adding that lower monthly energy costs drive important social benefits, including job creation and economic growth, while reducing carbon emissions and improving air quality. USAID and DFC partnered with the New York-based Encourage Capital, an environmentally focused investment firm, and two Indian non-banking financial companies, cKers Financial and women-owned Electronica Finance Limited (EFL), to address this challenge.

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Encourage Capital has invested $15 million in EFL, which will use the USAID-DFC loan portfolio guarantee to stimulate the rooftop solar market - representing a USD 9 billion market opportunity - for SMEs. USAID will continue its support by providing technical assistance to address quality and safety concerns in the rooftop solar market. Once these credit guarantees lower the financial hurdle for installing rooftop solar, India will realize numerous benefits ensuing from the transition to this green technology.

NGK to install batteries for Mongolia’s first solarplus-storage plant Japan-based NGK Insulator (NGK) announced that it has won an order for the installation of its sodium-sulfur (NAS) batteries for the first solar power plant project in Mongolia. NGK won the order for the Ministry of Energy in Mongolia. The construction of the solar power plant

NGK NAS batteries. Source: NGK Insulators.

alongside the BESS will be carried out as a part of Mongolia’s ‘Upscaling Renewable Energy Sector Project’ which seeks to expand renewable energy in coal-dependent Mongolia. “The introduction of large-capacity NAS batteries alongside the solar power generation facilities will enable solar powergenerated electricity to be used day or night. This capability will help to improve Mongolia’s energy security and reduce the amount of its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions,” NGK said in a statement. The project will be funded by the Japan Fund for the

| March–April 2021

Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM), in addition to a loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), as the project has adopted advanced low carbon technologies. The Japan Fund for the JCM was established at the ADB by the Ministry of the Environment, Government of Japan. NAS batteries are recognized for their large capacity and can discharge for a long time therefore can be used for a wide range of applications. Notably, they are used for balancing electric power load, adjust supply/demand balances, stabilize renewable energy sources, and as emergency power backup. To date, NGK has installed NAS batteries with a total output of over 600MW and a total storage capacity of over 4,200 MWh globally.

*Artistic image for representation only

EARTH DAY SPECIAL

EARTHDAY.ORG’s Global Climate Literacy Campaign Working to revolutionize education systems across the globe, Tracey Ritchie, Director Education - EARTHDAY.ORG, outlines details of the literacy drive.

he world and its people are facing full-scale emergencies across multiple fronts from climate change. In order to catalyze the urgent climate action needed and to make the best choices in their daily lives, people everywhere need to be properly educated: that starts with climate education. Governments have recognized this for decades and many have introduced some level of climate and environmental education into their education systems. But the reality is that despite the existence of climate education policy in some countries, the quality of its implementation varies extremely, and it is still non-existent in too many others. Any education that does not provide all students with opportunities to develop the knowledge, skills, and motivations to be considered climate literate — that is, to be able to make informed and responsible decisions based on a knowledge of climate and environmental systems— is no longer suitable for today’s youth. Today, high-quality environmental and climate education is commonly a privilege afforded to select schools with additional resources for afterschool clubs, outdoor learning labs, transportation for field trips or teachers who have extensive professional development. Lessons and content that should be taught through the formal education system are often substituted for costprohibitive informal education experiences, such as summer camps or nature expeditions. These experiences present a barrier for those who don’t have the means to afford or access them. What’s more, when environmental and climate education are offered as electives in school, they often lack local relevance for students to build skills to address these issues. Launched in September of 2020, EARTHDAY.ORG is leading a global Climate and Environmental Literacy Campaign to advocate for compulsory, assessed climate and environmental education with a strong civic engagement component. Climate literacy enables students to move along

Tracey Ritchie

the learning spectrum from awareness to action, preparing them to shape the growing sustainability workforce and participate in the green consumer market. Climate literacy will also provide students with the know-how to advocate for policies and practices that will keep them healthy, safe and prosperous. It will reduce disparities in equity for the communities most vulnerable to climate change by providing accessible, inclusive and relevant climate education. The goal of this campaign is to secure international commitments in support of compulsory and assessed climate and environmental education and to bring this to the forefront at COP26 in Glasgow. This campaign, supported by nearly 500 global partners, representing hundreds of millions of professionals from across the environment, education, faith, justice, youth action and civic engagement sectors, is working to convey the urgent need to include education as an action step in achieving our climate commitments set out in the Paris Agreement. Specifically noted in Article 12, Action for Climate Empowerment or ACE, aims to 'empower all members of society to engage in climate action, through education, training, public awareness, public participation, public access to information, and international cooperation on these issues.' While ACE covers all aspects of education and outreach for all ages, our Climate

and Environmental Literacy Campaign focuses on the education of youth aged 5 to 18 in formal school systems. It is critical that students receive high quality climate and environmental education across grade levels and more importantly, across the disciplines. Climate science cannot be relegated to just one academic silo, it is imperative that students understand the interconnectedness of our ecological and social systems and demonstrate the practical application of the content knowledge. Every system on Earth is connected, and actions taken in one impact the others. Decisions made about economics or politics can have rippling impacts on society, communities and our natural environments. Climate change is a great example of how human behavior can dramatically impact our natural world, and have serious consequences to our social, physical and economic health. Climate change impacts every part of the world differently, but disproportionately threatens the most vulnerable communities — who are already bearing the brunt of environmental degradation. Fifty years ago, the first Earth Day started an environmental revolution. Now, we are igniting an education revolution to save the planet. This formal campaign is combining grassroots support and on-the-ground efforts by students, educators, and nonprofits with national level commitments from Ministries of Education and Environment. Through our Climate and Environmental Literacy Campaign, we will ensure that all students across the world benefit from high-quality education to develop into informed and engaged environmental stewards. The time is now — indeed it is long overdue — for a massive climate literacy campaign that can create a generation of citizens, workers and leaders who understand how to combat climate change and environmental degradation. We are determined to work with others to make this happen and equip the world’s youth with that knowledge and skills needed to build a better future.

March–April 2021 |

EARTH DAY SPECIAL

Introducing a syllabus for sustainability The drive for climate action has taken global proportions and has been brought right out in the open through the Literacy Campaign. It is there now for all to see, learn and act to save the planet.

n the 21 to 23 April, EARTHDAY. ORG’s Global Climate Literacy Campaign supported by nearly 500 global partners, representing hundreds of millions of professionals from across the environment, education, faith, justice, youth action and civic engagement sectors is working on the urgent need to include education as an action step in achieving commitments set out in the Paris Agreement, especially Article 12, Action for Climate Empowerment or ACE. It aims to ‘empower all members of society to engage in climate action, through education, training, public awareness, public participation, public access to information, and international cooperation on these issues.’ While ACE covers education for all ages, the Climate and Environmental Literacy Campaign focuses on the education of youth aged five to 18 in formal school systems. Climate education, which is

currently included in curricula does not provide all students with opportunities to develop the knowledge, skills, and motivations to be considered climate literate for tomorrow’s youth. EARTHDAY.ORG’s theme for Earth Day 2021 is ‘Restore Our Earth’, which will focus on natural processes, emerging green technologies, and innovative thinking that can restore the world’s ecosystems such as reforestation efforts and regenerative agriculture. In this way, the theme rejects the notion that mitigation or adaptation is the only ways to address climate change. It is up to each and every one of us to Restore Our Earth not just because we care about the natural world, but because we live on it. We all need a healthy Earth to support our jobs, livelihoods, health, survival and happiness. A healthy planet is not an option — it is a necessity EARTH.ORG’s Literacy campaign

Image for representation only Source: Dreamstime

| March–April 2021

overlaps Joe Biden’s ‘Leaders Summit on Climate’ and has the goal to secure international commitments in support of compulsory environmental education. The Summit to be held on April 22-23, will also underscore the urgency for major countries to set their carbon reduction plans. It will be a key

Fifty years ago, the first Earth Day started an environmental revolution. Now, we are igniting an education revolution to save the planet. EARTHDAY.ORG

IESA PLEDGE

The time is now — indeed it is long overdue — for a massive climate literacy campaign that can create a generation of citizens, workers and leaders who understand how to combat climate change and environmental degradation. EARTHDAY.ORG milestone on the road to the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) this November in Glasgow. One thing is clear: climate action and climate leadership are being increasingly measured against a need to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2050. Last year, Amazon and Global Optimism co-founded The Climate Pledge, a commitment to reach the Paris Agreement 10 years early and be net-zero carbon by 2040. Amazon was the first signatory and 13 organizations have now signed in for the Climate Pledge including Coca-Cola European Partners, ERM, Groupe SEB France, Harbour Air, ITV, Microsoft, Neste, Rubicon, Unilever, Vaude and others. Signatories to The Climate Pledge agree to:

With its MOVE (Moving Onwards with Vehicle Electrification) initiative, IESA has been actively engaged in e-mobility adoption through training sessions, webinars and advancing stake holder consensus on EV charging and swapping infrastructure. IESA has actively engaged with 12+ states and union territories which are now leading the way to increase adoption of EVs in India. The alliance has introduced an EV Adopter’s circle to help corporates transition to xEV fleets and set up EV charging infrastructure for their employees, customers, logistics services. Corporates can commit to the following: - Adding EVs to the fleet; hiring electric 2W and 4W fleet services - Engaging e-3 Ws and e-2Ws for logistics services - Installing EV charging stations on the premises for employees, customers, for captive EV fleet, leasing space for public charging - Corporates can electrify fleets by10 percent by 2022 as an initial step and gradually increase.

• Measure and report greenhouse gas emissions on a regular basis • Implement decarbonization strategies in line with the Paris Agreement through real business changes and innovations, including efficiency improvements, renewable energy, materials reductions, and other carbon emission elimination strategies • Neutralize any remaining emissions with additional, quantifiable, real, permanent, and socially-beneficial offsets to achieve net-zero annual carbon emissions by 2040 India needs the carbon space to develop and lift its people out of poverty; at the same time, it is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change. So what is the equitable way to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions for the planet? India needs to have a long term goal with short term milestones along the route. Ambitious renewable energy

targets, improvements in energy efficiency and fast penetration of EVs, are among India’s critical low carbon objectives in the next decade falling within the ambit of climate restoration technologies. India has made three commitments under which its greenhouse gas emission intensity of its GDP will be reduced by 33-35 percent, below 2005 levels, by 2030. Alongside, 40 percent of India’s power capacity would be based on non-fossil fuel sources. At the same time, India will create an additional ‘carbon sink’ of 2.5 to 3 billion tons of CO2 equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030. The Restore the Earth syllabus will cover all aspects of life and most prominent is the energy that drives our lives. The shift to renewables and their storage is the major focal point today, with eye on curtailing vehicular and industrial emissions; second life of Li-ion batteries and reuse of rare materials to avoid mining and environmental degradation; study of how green the new energy vehicles actually work towards carbon abatement are all aspects that need to be studied and understood to prevent further damage to Earth. These then will be the syllabus and subjects for the youth - the restorers of the Earth.

Kathy Priyo Contributing Editor ETN Image instagrammed by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos March–April 2021 |

LEADERSHIP SPEAK

Addressing ecosystem restoration through climate literacy As the world marches out to tackle climate change through literacy, ETN discusses issues at the heart of the campaign with Kathleen Rogers, President - EARTHDAY.ORG. The global youth is coming together on April 20 to demand climate action in collaboration with My Future My Voice as well as OneMillionOfUs. What is the kind of action that the youth will take on this day? This event is coordinated solely by youth climate activists. They are intentionally making it a youth-led event, exclusively with youth speakers. EARTHDAY.ORG will be amplifying this event by streaming it on our social media and website.

Earth Day Live is holding a digital event with focus on Restore Our Earth. What are the events being planned and what issues are being addressed? Will there be any follow up to measure success in the efforts put in? This Earth Day, EARTHDAY.ORG will bring together activists, educators, researchers, musicians, artists, influencers and more, for its second-annual ‘Earth Day Live: Restore Our Earth digital’ livestream event.

Kathleen Rogers, President, EARTHDAY.ORG

Parallel to the Biden Administration’s global climate summit, the event will feature panel discussions, films, and special musical performances that explore the natural processes, emerging green technologies, and innovative thinking that can restore the world’s ecosystems. Topics will include climate and environmental literacy, climate restoration technologies, reforestation efforts, regenerative agriculture, equity and environmental justice, citizen science, cleanups, and beyond. Additionally, clean-ups will be taking place around the world through our ‘The Great Global Cleanup’ campaign with the goal of removing a billion pieces of trash from our parks, beaches, cities, and waterways. We will measure success by tracking actions taken and events hosted through our website registration, social media and analytics from our citizen science app. Long term success will be demonstrated by widespread policy implementation to address ecosystem restoration, climate action, and formally embedding climate literacy into school systems across the globe. EARTHDAY.ORG brings together all types of communities to talk about environmental issues. Could you elaborate on the agenda and how you carry out a plan of action? Throughout Earth Week, we will engage with individuals, communities, partners, and organizations from around the world. Each brings a unique perspective to the climate change discussion. Our digital event features participants from different generations, professions, and ethnicities to discuss the innovative technologies and solutions to combat our global climate issues. With our mission to diversify the environmental movement, we work to embed diversity, equity, inclusion

| March–April 2021

45 and justice across all of our campaigns. By working with leaders from the environment, education, justice, faith, labor, government, advocacy, and youth sectors, we welcome all voices to make a stronger and more inclusive movement. What will be the themes on Earth Day Live digital event? What steps do you expect from the Biden administration on April 22? Earth Day’s 2021 theme, Restore Our Earth, examines natural processes, emerging green technologies, and innovative thinking that can restore the world’s ecosystems. This Earth Day, our digital event will feature experts, public officials, activists, and more discussing climate and environmental literacy, regenerative agriculture, reforestation, environmental justice, and ending plastic pollution. We hope that President Biden’s Global Leaders summit on Earth Day will spur a wave of legislation around the world to address all aspects of our theme. What is the strongest stand the youth can take up for their cause of a sustainable future in this time of extreme deprivation due to the pandemic? In what way can these drops in the ocean create a tidal wave of action? Collective impact is what turns drops in the ocean to a tidal wave of action. It all adds up if we can each do our part. The most important thing youth can do is to understand their local environmental circumstances before addressing the global climate crisis as a whole. Students need to develop local climate literacy to understand how the ecological systems in their community are impacted by human behavior and how in turn the ecological systems impact our behavior. Climate change is a variable crisis that manifests in different ways across the globe. Some places may experience more rain and severe storms while others are experiencing devastating droughts. Students must learn what climate impacts are most relative to their communities and livelihoods and take action to address those while learning how their communities are connected to the global climate system.

How does Earth Day quantify and evaluate cost and effort put into say a Climate Literacy effort leading to Stewardship? What criteria are used to assess the creation of green jobs and sustainable agriculture? Through our Climate Literacy Campaign, EARTHDAY.ORG and our partners are working to catalyze international support for strong outcomes on climate and environmental literacy at the UN climate conference (COP26) in Glasgow. One that ensures all nations are firmly committed to requiring that all students experience compulsory and high-quality climate and environmental education, coupled with civic education that meets the challenges and opportunities unfolding in the 21st century. The first benchmark will be to understand the outcomes of President Biden’s Climate Summit on Earth Day this April. We believe that developing climate-literate students will lead to a massive increase in environmentally minded and innovative young professionals entering the workforce who can bring sustainable practices into any career field. While it is critical to have professionals working toward green, renewable energy and lowemission industries, it is also equally important to have doctors, teachers, accountants, janitors, farmers and government officials who are climateliterate and doing what they can to protect the planet in their professions. Part of our climate literacy initiative is to have individuals understand their local food systems as well. The global agriculture and food industries need massive, systemic changes. This will come from both the top down and the bottom up. We can work within education to help people understand the impacts of their food choices and how to have less impact on the planet through different decisions. We also need sweeping global and national policies to encourage and incentivize sustainable agricultural systems that can safely and efficiently feed a growing population.

will create a mass movement? It is critical that climate literacy is not the sole responsibility of science teachers worldwide. EARTHDAY.ORG envisions that climate-literate students will come from a primary education system that universally embeds climate and environmental education across grade levels and disciplines. By breaking down academic silos, we can demonstrate to students the realworld application of the content and how they can be active participants in finding sustainable solutions that are community-based as well as equitable. We believe that climate and environmental education must also be balanced with a strong civic education component that prepares students to be active participants in their communities. Is there a specific syllabus that the organizers of Earth Week will put forth to the Biden Administration and the world in general, as important content to build literacy regarding climate science and the skills to change course and think green? Our first barrier to overcome and goal to strive for is that global leaders discuss climate education as a solution to the climate crisis. At this point, we do not see environmental education as a topic to be discussed among world leaders. EARTHDAY.ORG is working with domestic and global partners and leaders to ensure that it is discussed as a critical piece of the puzzle that has been missing for many years. During these crucial conversations at the Biden Administration’s climate summit, we hope that leaders from other countries will mention their commitments to climate literacy. It is also important that they discuss how we can work together to support each other and also nations of the global south with less resources to revolutionize the education system to better prepare students to be effective stewards of our planet.

Teach for the Planet: Global Education Summit is aptly focused on educating with a view to save Mother Earth. What are the small steps that will be taught, which can be implemented at every level and March–April 2021 |

Ashok Thakur Chief Editor ETN

LEADERSHIP SPEAK

Leveraging R&D for sustainable e-mobility solutions Dr. Reji Mathai, Director- The Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), speaks on his new role, developments in automotive research, future fuel technologies for sustainable transport, and much more in an exclusive interview with Ashok Thakur, Chief Editor - ETN. Congratulations on your new role as Director of ARAI. What are your plans for ARAI for 2021, specifically for e-mobility adoption in India? ARAI is the leading testing and research Institute for the automotive industry in India and hence setting up state-of-the-art test facilities and trained manpower in different technology streams is the priority. The Centre of Excellence (CoE) for e-mobility (established at ARAI – HTC, Chakan) is fully operational to extend its support to EV manufacturers, Tier 1,2 suppliers, etc., for testing different EV components and systems, besides full vehicle Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) performance. The centre has motor test beds, battery pack level test system, cell and module

level battery performance test system, battery emulators, environmental chambers, chassis dyno for EV-HCV, battery test rig, etc. Also, our passive safety lab is fully geared up to undertake EV crash tests. Developing indigenous competencies is another focus area wherein we have developed technology for EV chargers, E-axle powertrain kit for e-3W, etc. which are at various stages of commercialization. Identifying key components for import substitution and providing support for setting up manufacturing eco-system through collaborative developmental work will be one of the plans for coming years. Support from Department of Heavy Industries, Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises (DHI) for fostering the development

Dr. Reji Mathai

| March–April 2021

of indigenous solutions through our TechNovuus platform will enable us to provide cost-effective technologies to the mobility fraternity. What are the new developments in automotive research you aim to accomplish? We are working in various domains of automotive technologies, including e-mobility. Facilitating usage of alternative fuels, light-weighting materials, batteries, and Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) are some of the developmental areas. Reducing carbon footprint is the main driver which can be achieved through multifaceted research. So, steps to improve vehicle efficiency (light-weight) or adopting low carbon-intensive fuel, improving battery

47 efficiency through thermal management, etc., will continue to be the major plans. Framing a long-term regulatory roadmap to address safety and related research work will also figure in the task to be done. With an array of industry experience, what are the key areas that you aim to accelerate innovative developments? Light-weight battery and ADAS technologies are the primary areas, which I believe will add tremendous value to the industry and so, we at ARAI are very keen to pursue the development of cost-effective technologies and solutions in these areas. Additionally, as the EV industry is expected to grow in the future, we will be focusing on the indigenization of critical components. Alternate fuel technologies is another area of focus for ARAI wherein work on ethanol, DME, hydrogen-based fuel cells, bio-fuels, etc., is being carried out. Also, I am confident that through our TechNovuus platform, we will enable the development of indigenous technologies, which will be very useful for the industry, specifically for the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). ARAI has collaborated on green fuel technologies for sustainable future transportation. Tell us more on that. ARAI is at the forefront of developing alternative fuel technologies for the auto industry. We have signed an MoU with Praj Industries in bio-fuels to jointly develop and promote ethanol-based mobility solutions. Hydrogen fuel cell-related basic research work is also being initiated wherein a power train test facility will be established. We have developed dual-fuel technology for diesel engines (diesel + CNG) for SUVs, tractors, off-highway vehicles, and buses. The technology has been recently notified in Central Motor Vehicles Rules (CMVR) and recently a dual fuel offhighway vehicle was launched in India. Some manufacturers are also expected to launch their dual-fuel vehicles in the near future.

The e-mobility space in India is growing, what are your thoughts on the new wave of sustainable transportation? The government of India is aggressively promoting e-mobility and focusing on building enablers such as charging infrastructure, battery production, and incentives to boost demand. Many global and local original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are already working on their strategies for introducing EVs. I believe, even though we have moved slowly in adopting the EV revolution, we have the benefit of the robust policy framework and environment. This transition to electric mobility has the potential to reduce oil imports and address air pollution in cities. Also, it can spur the growth of new industries and activities. Further, we must build on our current competence in auto manufacturing to have the edge of being an internationally competitive manufacturing hub. Public transport is a major area where electrification of the powertrain is bound to bring in tremendous benefits specifically for State Transport Undertakings (STUs), as it will provide an opportunity to reduce the total cost of ownership and improve their financial sustainability. This is acknowledged by one and all and accordingly, the government of India is promoting electric buses across cities for public transport. Various schemes like Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and EV (FAME), will act as an enabler. The fine print on the production-linked incentives (PLI) scheme is awaited, which is expected to provide the much-needed impetus for the growth of the EV ecosystem. Energy storage is a key technology in transition to green energy and clean transportation. What kind of R&D is ARAI working on in this space? Technology development in energy storage is indeed the need of the hour. We have a dedicated team at ARAI working on a wide range of projects in this area. Significant work is carried out for the development of a mobile energy storage device for e-2W and e-3W. This is a quick

automatic docking solution for fast battery exchange for e-2W and e-3W. Further, a material-based solution for Indian used cases for e-2W and e-3W with Li-ion batteries is under development. This is to address thermal conductivity, higher resistance and at the same time ensure, not too much weight is added. Working on the development of recycled battery materials, alternate materials, material level characterization, material level analysis, degradation, and failure analysis. Green hydrogen and fuel cell technology is gaining traction in India, tell us about ARAI’s work in green hydrogen adoption? Hydrogen/ fuel cell technology is being considered as a viable option for the mobility segment globally to cut down emissions and reduce dependency on conventional fossil fuels. Prototypes of hydrogen-fuel and hydrogen-based fuel cell-operated buses and cars have been demonstrated in India by some OEMs and probably we can expect few launches this year. In line with the anticipated future mobility scenario, ARAI is leveraging our competency in the hydrogenbased fuel cells area, in collaboration with other stakeholders. We are focusing on selection and integration of fuel cells; thermal and water management; fuel cell/ battery interaction and optimization; design selection of Balance of Plants (BoP); performance optimization; field tests; robustness trials; safety; etc. Initially, we would be demonstrating fuel cell as a range-extender to battery-operated EVs and focusing on e-3W, SCV, and intercity buses to convert it into fuel cell-based range extender EVs. We played a very active role as a member of the working committee, in drafting the recently notified standard by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), i.e. AIS 157 for Certification of Hydrogen Fuel Cell-Based Electric Vehicles. Also, ARAI is working on the establishment of basic test facilities for the development and certification of fuel cell stacks up to 150 kW applications and testing of cylinders at our Centre of Excellence for green mobility in ARAI-HTC, Chakan.

March–April 2021 |

E-MOBILITY

The Big Shift: Volkswagen’s big plans for EVs, battery and charging infrastructure Volkswagen’s Power Day signals that traditional automakers are fast catching up with EV behemoth Tesla. Could the German automaker surpass Tesla’s EV sales by 2025? Probably yes, and it could be sooner than anticipated Herbert Diess, CEO - Volkswagen AG, at the opening of EV Power Day Source: Volkswagen AG

olkswagen AG held its firstever electric vehicle (EV) ‘Power Day’ on March 15, unveiling big plans of the Volkswagen Group for the electric mobility. Garnering over one million viewers worldwide, the two-hour livestream outlined the Group’s ambitious technology roadmap for electric vehicle batteries and charging infrastructure up to 2030. With an impactful Power Day, followed by the company’s annual meeting, Volkswagen AG’s shares saw a historic 21 percent boom on March 16, reaching a record high of €309.40. Reports suggests, this was the highest share price since

the €352.59 recorded before the 2008 Financial Crisis. So, what exactly did Volkswagen announce? At the core of the company’s technology roadmap are two key pillars: First, advancing battery technology to get higher performing, low-cost batteries. And second, vigorously expanding public fastcharging network globally to boost the adoption of EVs.

Standard battery to bring down cost The automaker is striving to make significant advances with the battery system for all its components right through the cell. In

| March–April 2021

addition to the planned in-house production Volkswagen expects enormous cost benefits with the roll out the new unified cell which is prismatic instead of the currently used pouch- and cylindricalstyle design. The unified cell is set to be launched in 2023 and will be installed in up to 80 percent of all EVs in the Group in 2030. “This one-size-fits-all cell design will radically reduce costs of battery by up to 50 percent,” said Herbert Diess, CEO, Volkswagen AG. At present, higher cost of battery systems has been a main factor for higher cost of e-cars. Volkswagen is aiming to gradually reduce battery costs in the

49 entry-level segment by up to 50 percent and in the volume segment by up to 30 percent by moving to standard battery. “On average, we will drive down the cost of battery systems to significantly below €100 per kWh. This will finally make e-mobility affordable and the dominant drive technology,” said Thomas S c h m a l l , Vo l k s w a g e n G r o u p Board Member for Technology and CEO of Volkswagen Group Component. While the endgame for the German automaker is solid-state cell battery – Volkswagen anticipates that transition to take place only by the middle of the decade. For now, prismatic unified cell offers the best conditions for the transition to the solid-state cell. Reports suggests Volkswagen’s shift to new unified cell prismatic batteries and plan to install a bulk of its EVs to a different battery cell design in the next two years has come as a bit of a shock to LG Energy Solution and SK Innovation – the two South Korean batterygiants which supply the Volkswagen with its current technology. Both the battery-providers are known to have invested heavily in pouch production sites in the United States, Europe, and Asia.

Inhouse battery production Volkswagen also shared its plans to secure supply of battery cells beyond 2025. To achieve this, the company plans to establish six gigfactories

which will produce cells with total energy value of 240GWh (40GWh each), some of these gigafactories will be set by Volkswagen on its own, while others in collaboration with partners from across Europe. As the battery cell production substantially increases from these factories, it will gradually reduce the cost of batteries. The production of the cells will be concentrated at the Swedish 'Northvolt Ett' giga factory in Skellefteå, and the giga factory in Salzgitter (operated by Volkswagen) to produce the unified cell for the volume segment from 2025.

Global EV fast-charging network Beyond batteries, Volkswagen will be expanding global public fastcharging network five-times of what it is today to correspond to a third of total demand predicted in Europe for 2025.

It intends to operate about 18,000 public fast-charging points on the continent by 2025 with its partners. “We will make charging as easy as fuelling by strengthening our charging network in Europe, the US and China,” Diess said. The Group signed a series of strategic partnerships in addition to the joint venture with IONITY. Volkswagen wants to establish about 8,000 fast-charging points throughout Europe together with BP. The fast-chargers with a charging capacity of 150 kW will be installed at a total of 4,000 BP and ARAL service stations, with the majority of these in Germany and Great Britain. In cooperation with Iberdrola, SEAT S.A., Volkswagen will cover main traffic routes in Spain. The three partners estimate, considering the expected evolution of the EV fleet in Spain, the roll-out of a network of around 350,000 urban and interurban public charging points will be needed by 2030. Iberdrola is developing a public charging infrastructure plan that will ensure enough charging points, including fast and ultra-fast charging (HPC), to serve the country's main corridors and cities. In Italy, Volkswagen will collaborate with Enel to establish the fast-charging network both along motorways and in urban areas. Volkswagen will invest about €400 million in the European programme by 2025, with further investments being borne by external partners. The automaker confirmed, it will also expand its fast-charging

March–April 2021 |

50 network in the US and china. Electrify America is planning around 3,500 fast-charging points in North America by the end of the year. In China, a total of 17,000 fast-charging points is being targeted by Volkswagen by 2025.

Energy Management With the intention of making e-car part of the energy system, Volkswagen will be combining e-mobility and energy for further efficient use. The idea is to allow green energy from the solar energy system to be stored in the EVs and fed back into the home network thereby making EVs an integral part of future energy systems. The company will roll out a new technology from 2022, called the bidirectional charging. Once this platform is rolled out, all vehicle models built on Volkswagen’s modular electric drive matrix (MEB) will be able to store excess energy, for instance, from home’s solar panel which can then be transferred back to the home network or other buildings when needed. Volkswagen will also offer a complete package with all modules and digital services – from the bidirectional wall box to energy

management. The technology will be soon available for wider applications such as residential buildings, businesses, or in the general power grid.

Supply chain integration and recycling The Group’s focus has also been on integrating more steps along the value chain all the way to industrial recycling. The idea is to secure long-term supply of cells and materials through strategic partnerships. In February this year, Volkswagen Group Components opened its first

The technical and economic backbone of Volkswagen’s electricmobility strategy is the modular electric drive matrix (MEB). This vehicle architecture designed especially for the electric drive systems offers long range, greater interior space, and higher performance. The compact ID.3 was introduced in the market as the first MEB-based electric car, followed by the first purely electric SUV from Volkswagen, in the form of the ID.4. Other members of the ID. family are scheduled for release.

battery recycling plant to ensure sustainable end-to-end responsibility for the entire value chain of the electric vehicle battery. The recycling plant in Salzgitter, Germany will help recover valuable raw materials such as lithium, nickel, manganese, and cobalt in a closed-loop together with aluminum, copper, and plastics, achieving a recycling rate of more than 90 percent over the long term. The plant has been designed to initially recycle capacity up to 3,600 battery systems per year in its pilot phase –and it will be gradually scaled up to handle larger quantities. Volkswagen Power Day signals that traditional automakers are fast catching up with EV and battery behemoth, Tesla. Last year, Volkswagen became the No.1 electric vehicle maker in Europe where sales of battery powered EVs surged on account of stricter CO2 emission limits. At present, the one winning factor that Volkswagen has, and Tesla does not, is scale. The iconic German automaker with its several brands and extensive market presence is in a unique position to enable faster transition to e-mobility. Volkswagen aims to surpass Tesla’s EV sales by 2025, and they very well could -- some analysts contend that day might arrive sooner than anticipated.

Shraddha Kakade Assistant Editor ETN | March–April 2021

Volkswagen intends to invest a total of €35 billion in expanding electric mobility by 2025. The Group brands delivered 231,600 electric vehicles in 2020 – three times of the figures in 2019. Source: Volkswagen.

QuantumScape closes an additional $100 m from Volkswagen for solid-state batteries • QuantumScape, the developer of next-gen solid-state lithium-metal batteries announced in April that successfully met the technical milestone set forth by Volkswagen to close investment of an additional $100 million by the Volkswagen Group of America Investments, LLC (VW). • The technical milestone set by Volkswagen required Volkswagen to successfully test the latest generation of QuantumScape’s solid-state lithium-metal cells in their labs in Germany. • QuantumScape’s co-founder and CEO, Jagdeep Singh said: “We are delighted to have met this technical milestone with Volkswagen, and we look forward to working jointly to bring solid-state lithium-metal battery technology into industrialized mass-production.” • This will be the second and final closing under May 14, 2020, stock purchase agreement between VW and QuantumScape that provided for a total $200 million investment. • Volkswagen is looking to now receiving and testing subsequent generations of cells, with the goal of getting solid-state technology into series production.

Virtual Global Conference and Expo

22 September, 2021 www.energystorageday.org

75+ industry leaders from around the world

20,000+ international attendees & 30+ global partners

Discussions focussed on Energy Storage and E-mobility markets

Focus Segments

STATIONARY ENERGY GREEN HYDROGEN STORAGE

MANUFACTURING

EV INFRASTRUCTURE

Organised By

CONTACT: Debi Prasad Dash: +91 9699719818

ddash@ces-ltd.com

Ashok Thakur: +91 98199 44543

athakur@ces-ltd.com

March–April 2021 |

Media Partner

E-MOBILITY

Enhancing e-2W uptake in a sustainable way The shift towards e-mobility is inevitable. There is a need for a steady push and an indigenous ecosystem to make EVs more affordable, accessible and sustainable.

he automotive industry is swiftly progressing in terms of technology and its ability to tackle environmental issues. Electric vehicles (EVs) have been introduced as a clean energy initiative as they offer low or zero emissions and have come a long way to become an integral part of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs') business plans. Automakers are forming separate EV business units to prepare themselves for the projected EV boom. However, the surge in EV demand will generate significant demand for charging infrastructure; safety regulations and standards will also have to be implemented. India is still a burgeoning market in terms of EVs; nonetheless, OEMs have started experimenting and preparing themselves for the inevitable -that is an electric future. The manufacturing landscape of EVs, which exclusively used to be controlled by the global automakers previously, is also witnessing a rejig, as many Indian automakers

now take a deep dive into the electric vehicle space, tapping the increasing potential that the country has. There has been a constant push for the adoption of electric vehicles in India for a few years now. Government’s push for developing the e-2W market India is considered to be a costconscious market where electric vehicle usage is expected to be contingent on the kind of incentives the government offers. Infrastructure, such as charging stations, still needs to be built out for extensive adoption. In February, Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways along with R. K. Singh, the Union Minister of State (IC) for Power and New & Renewable Energy, launched the “Go Electric" Campaign to spread awareness on the benefits of e-mobility and EV charging infrastructure as well as electric cooking in India.

The Go Electric Campaign is an initiative aimed at decreasing the import dependence of our country in the coming years and has also been projected as an important step towards a cleaner and greener future. The campaign is aimed at creating awareness at the Pan-India level and is anticipated to boost the confidence of EV manufacturers.

Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Nitin Gadkari during the launch of ‘Go Electric’ Campaign in New Delhi. Source: Press Information Bureau (PIB)

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari while launching the countrywide campaign said, "We have been taking several initiatives to encourage consumers to adopt electric vehicles. Go Electric campaign is an important initiative that would help reduce the import dependence of our country in the coming years and would be an important step towards a cleaner and greener future. The campaign is aimed at creating awareness at the national level and is expected to boost the confidence of electric vehicle manufacturers." Power Minister R K Singh said, "I am confident that the campaign will go a long way in fulfilling our main objective of the energy transition to move ahead on the path of a low carbon economy, thereby saving our country and the planet from the adverse impact of climate change."

Image for representation only | March–April 2021

R K Singh, Minister of Power-New and Renewable Energy and Skills

In March, responding to a question on e-vehicles in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Heavy Industries Arjun Ram Meghwal said that the number of registered EVs as per the e-Vahan portal during the last three years has seen a steady increase. As against 69,012 units of EVs sold in India during 2017-18, its numbers increased to 143,358 units in 2018-19 and again rising in 2019-20 to 167,041 units. The number comprised both twowheelers, three-wheelers, and buses but two-wheeler sales have been buoyant, the minister informed. The government is also taking several other steps for the promotion of electric vehicles in the country. Goods & Services Tax (GST) on electric vehicles has been reduced from 12 percent to 5 percent; GST on chargers’/ charging stations for electric vehicles has been reduced from 18 percent to 5 percent. E-commerce adopting e-mobility for sustainable last-mile delivery EVs are comprehended as an active replacement for fuel-intensive automobiles, to address the issue of rising pollution, global warming, and exhausting natural resources. Apart from being environmentally friendly, electric vehicles also offer supply chain enterprises many other business benefits. The e-commerce industry, for their last-mile deliveries, is positioning electric three and two-wheelers which not only saves the operational cost in the long run but also helps the environment. The adoption of EVs

for last-mile deliveries is perhaps one of the latest trends towards implementing green logistics in supply chains. E-commerce giant Flipkart has committed to a 100 percent transition to e-vehicle by joining the EV100 initiative. It will deploy more than 25,000 electric vehicles by 2030. The delivery fleet will include twowheeler, three-wheeler, and fourwheeler vehicles designed and assembled in India, helping boost local innovation and economy. The company has already started deploying two-wheeler and threewheeler electric vehicles in multiple locations for delivery across the country, including in Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Guwahati, and Pune. Flipkart will also place requirements in service contracts, install charging infrastructure close to its 1,400 supply chain facilities, conduct awareness programs, and encourage delivery executives to use EVs.

Flipkart to deploy Hero Electric Nyx Series e-scooters through logistics deployment partner in multiple cities across India. Source: Hero Electric Vehicles

It has partnered with Hero Electric for its Nyx series (HX and LX variants) scooters, which offer a range of up to 150 km per charge. These vehicles have already been deployed through Flipkart’s logistics deployment partner in multiple cities across India.

Mahesh Pratap Singh Head of Sustainability and Social Responsibility Flipkart

Mahesh Pratap Singh, Head of Sustainability and Social Responsibility, Flipkart Group said, "We are working with ecosystem players to build common solutions that are scalable and can be implemented across the country. Through our commitment to deploy 25,000 EVs by 2030, we are also giving out the demand signal for OEMs to collaborate and design EV models suitable for deployment in the e-commerce industry. We hope to boost local innovation and economy while embarking on building collaborative solutions for a greener supply chain.” Another e-commerce major Amazon India has recently partnered with Mahindra Electric to strengthen its commitment to electric mobility in the country, as it looks to add 10,000 electric vehicles to its local delivery fleet by 2025. It is in line with Amazon.com Inc.'s commitment of having 100,000 electric vehicles (EVs) in its global delivery fleet by 2030. According to media reports, Amazon India said the “Indian government’s focus on encouraging the adoption of electric mobility, with awareness campaigns such as ‘Go Electric’, and steps taken to set up charging infrastructure with the FAME II policy has helped the company accelerate and chart its vision for EVs in India.”

March–April 2021 |

54 Towards Green Mobility Keeping in view the climate change commitments made by Government of India during the COP21 Summit held at Paris to decrease emission intensity by 33- 35 percent by 2030 from 2005 levels, it is appropriate to introduce alternative means in the transport sector which can be combined with India’s rapid economic growth, rising urbanization, travel demand and country’s energy security. Electric mobility presents a feasible alternative in addressing these challenges, when bundled with innovative pricing solutions, appropriate technology and support infrastructure and thus, has been on the radar of Government of India. To l e a r n m o r e a b o u t t h e industry’s viewpoint on electric two-wheeler sector development in the recent times, ETN connected with few of the prominent industry manufacturers: • Naveen Munjal, Managing Director, Hero Electric Vehicles • Ravneet S. Phokela, Chief Business Officer, Ather Energy • Rushi Shenghani, Founder, Earth Energy EV • Dr. Yogesh Bhatia, Founder, Detel India

started to acclimate themselves with EVs and are in a large scale making the inevitable shift. The past year taught us more than combined experience and predictions stated in previous studies, as to what and why the Indian market will make this change. While the general consumer mind-set always looks for the best value for money, which in this case and EV provides over ICE vehicles, attributes like climate change, health concerns, pollution, and overall convenience are the key highlights to why people are opting for EVs today at a much greater rate than they were two years back. e-2W market development amid fuel price surge As spoken about earlier, value for money is a critical component as to why a consumer choses and electric vehicle over conventional fuel-based ones. India being a market that consumes more fossil fuel than it manufactures always puts the country’s fuel expenses at a phenomenally high bracket which in turn leads to the users bearing the brunt. It is a known fact, that with this level of consumption, fuel prices will always be on the rise, whereas prices of Lithium and other battery cell chemicals are reducing significantly each passing month. At Hero Electric itself, footfalls increased by over 50 percent post the recent price hike in petrol; which is a clear indication of the consumer feels about spending money which could have otherwise been saved simply by adopting e-2Ws.

Naveen Munjal Managing Director Hero Electric Vehicles

E-mobility adoption and challenges We are past the cusp, and now at the most critical turning point in the industry where consumers have

Hero Electric Optima E-bike. Source: Hero Electric Vehicles

| March–April 2021

Atmanirbhar push to indigenous manufacturing The Atmanirbhar vision is definitely a brilliant leadership move. Getting more Indian companies and the Indian population to get into manufacturing will surely strengthen India’s industrial strength. With the market size being as large as it is, this would greatly help bringing costs down drastically as numbers increase. Having local manufacturers at a large scale (down the line) will also help create some world class quality products overall increasing the quality of the final EVs and bringing them up to levels which can take on European or Japanese companies who have gotten into these sphere years ahead of us. In a country known to have some of the best scientific minds in the world, innovations go hand in hand with the country’s success. The Atmanirbhar vision will help many tech firms realize their full potential when the market opens to them, increasing cross-industry innovations which may as well drive the mobility of the future. At Hero Electric we work closely with all our Indian vendors and most of our components are indigenized. A couple of key components such as batteries are still not developed in India, however, with the developments in the sector within the country, soon we would be moving our battery sourcing locally and be 100 percent local. Addressing climate change with sustainable transportation There are several aspects to look into when talking about increasing usage of a respectively new technology amongst 1 billion people. However, the goal is to achieve maximum EV penetration in a country where 80 percent of the population uses two-wheelers for daily commute. Mass awareness programs: • Highly incentivizing both, buyers as well as manufacturers • Subsidizing material costs

55 • • • •

Government fleet purchase Mandates for commercial vehicles Infrastructure creation Tax benefits to buyers

These are just an overview of what can be done to increase adoption of EVs in India.

Ravneet S. Phokela Chief Business Officer Ather Energy

E-mobility adoption and challenges The electric two-wheeler market in India has witnessed significant growth over the last two years. Any policy that comes into play takes a few years to stabilize, 2019 and 2020 saw FAME II policy stabilizing and paved the way for traditional automakers to introduce new and powerful vehicles which led to demand generation. 2021 will see momentum in scale and capacity growth by original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). The market is turning in favour of electric in a big way. But the bigger change has been in the customer mindset. Today people are walking into an EV showroom expecting to be wowed by electric vehicles. EVs are perceived as an upgrade with most customers predicting their current vehicles to be the last fossil fuel vehicles. At Ather, we see a high demand in all the markets that we have entered as the consumer sentiment around EV is very positive and the demand will continue to grow in the coming years. Ather expanding to 27 cities, shows the potential and demand for good quality, high-performance vehicles in the country. The need for charging infrastructure needs to be addressed. Although the government is looking

at it by building infrastructure in public places, home charging should also be given impetus. For average consumers, most of the charging for an EV happens at home but EV enthusiasts still face challenges because there are no dedicated parking spots for two-wheelers giving them second thoughts on making the switch. Policymakers should address these basic concerns which will help generate more demand for EVs. Though these policies have been put in place, ensuring that they are implemented and not hindered is necessary.

through our recently commissioned manufacturing facility in Hosur, which takes our annual capacity to 110,000 vehicles & 120,000 batteries. We are now working with our vendor partners to ensure that they can scale at the same pace so that we have stability and predictability in our supply chain. The Indian EV industry has the potential to dominate the world, and for that, the supply chain must be vibrant. If we have a solid supply chain, it incentivizes new players to come in as the risk of dependency on a small supplier base is taken out of the equation.

E-2W market development amid fuel price surge With the hike in fuel prices, we are seeing an increased interest in e-mobility happening at a faster rate. A lot of consumers have considered switching to electric having in mind the rising fuel prices. While EVs are priced higher compared to the regular ICE-powered vehicles, it is much more economical in the long run. We also have innovative ownership models to encourage the switch and reduce the total cost of ownership. We offer an Assured Buyback program on the vehicles which is a result of the company’s confidence in the battery and connected nature of the product. Under the Buyback program, customers will get ฀85,000* as a guaranteed value for the Ather 450X at the end of three years. Ather vehicles are also available for lease, which allows the customers to access a fully loaded Ather 450X with down payment and a nominal monthly fee, starting at `3,394 per month.

Make In India push to localization of auto components We have been associated with Tier 1 vendor partners for our production process in terms of supplying and manufacturing components for our products. They have been consistent in delivering top-notch quality components to us. We have partnered with MRF for tyres that are used in the production of the Ather 450X and 450 Plus, Brembo Bybre for brake pads, Sanmina is our technical support vendor in terms of manufacturing circuits for our digital dashboard, among many others.

Atmanirbhar push to indigenous manufacturing At Ather, aside from the lithiumion cells, the rest of the scooter is indigenously produced and sourced. The batteries that we use are designed and manufactured by Ather Energy in-house. This makes the Ather 450 series a truly Make In India product. Ather has a strong local supplier base for nearly 90 percent of the product being indigenously built and sourced. With growing demand, we’ve already scaled up our manufacturing capability

Financing the growth of e-2W sector To date, we have raised about $142 million through marque investors like Hero MotoCorp, Sachin Bansal, and Tiger Global. We plan to invest `635 Crores in the next five years at our manufacturing facility in Tamil Nadu to scale up production. This investment is an opportunity for value creation in the EV sector and will create job opportunities in the region. As a part of this initiative, more than 4,000 employees will be trained in requisite skills in the EV sector over the next five years. We also plan to invest in setting up charging infrastructure across all 27 markets that we will be present in to provide a stress-free riding experience to its customers by removing the range anxiety from their minds. Currently, we have set up more than 128 charging points across 18 cities in the country.

March–April 2021 |

56 This year our full focus is on the launch of Ather 450X across the country. The opening of Ather Energy Experience Centres across markets has been one of the major footprints in target cities in terms of growth, we are looking to open Experience centres across all major Tier-I & Tier-II cities by the end of 2021. Addressing climate change with sustainable transportation The national lockdown due to COVID-19 has increased public awareness of the effects of pollution in the environment due to mobility. Growing awareness of the environment is contributing to the growth and adoption of EV. EVs can reduce the emissions that contribute to climate change, reduce dependence on petroleum, and have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and health effects from air pollution. Our electric vehicles produce zero direct emissions, which specifically helps improve air quality. However, EVs typically produce fewer life cycle emissions compared to the widely used conventional vehicles because most harmful emissions are lower for electricity generation than burning petrol or diesel and will be even lower as the electric power sector cleans up over the next few years. The central and state governments are moving in the right direction, by announcing a switch to EV in public transportation. Ridesharing companies, delivery agents, and many start-ups have already announced plans to go full electric soon. Sustained push and introduction of subsidy for personal mobility will help in the transformation of the transport sector.

more on the two-wheeler and the uptake of the four-wheelers EVs is going to be more on the commercial business-to-business (B2B) sides.

Ather 450x E-bike Source: Ather Energy

Rushi Shenghani Founder Earth Energy EV

E-mobility adoption and challenges The EV uptake in India is increasing by the day currently and the number of EVs on the Indian roads has grown manifold as compared to the past two years thanks to the rising fuel costs and the availability of good quality EVs. We still believe that the EV Adoption on the consumer level is going to be

| March–April 2021

e-2W market development amid fuel price surge The raised fuel cost has increased the gap between the cost of ownership and initial cost of ownership making EVs even more lucrative for the end consumers and businesses alike. Consumers with a minimum riding range of 50-60 km/day will be drawn towards EVs given the fuel savings.

Atmanirbhar push to indigenous manufacturing We have taken an India-first approach with the sourcing of our components. We are currently 96 percent localized on the bill of materials (BOM) level (4 percent being the cells for the batteries and certain integrated circuits for the power management and conditioning), Rest all the components including our drivetrain and vehicle dynamics and structural components are all being sourced from Tier-I/ Tier-II automotive suppliers at present. Make In India push to localization of auto components We are currently working with a wide gamut of vendors to cater to all the requirements ranging from tyres to the lighting systems to dynamic controls like suspensions and transmissions. The majority of the vendors are Tier-1 / Tier-2 automotive suppliers currently.

57 Financing the growth of e-2W sector We have invested heavily in our team and the staggered CAPEX on our testing and c o n d i t i o n i n g e q u i p m e n t . We can at present produce a total of 1000 vehicles/quarter currently that is being increased to 1000/ month from Q2 and we will be doing heavy CAPEX investments to the tune of $2-4 million in the upcoming quarters this year. Addressing climate change with sustainable transportation We are at a phase where we can exponentially take measures to act in the direction of addressing climate change and act upon the sets to improve the health index of the environment. Electric grid cleaning should be one of the most imperative steps to be undertaken at utmost priority as the green footprint of the EVs is dependent on the source of the power. The promotion of shared mobility and leasing of EVs in India can play a critical role in the adoption of EVs.

Detel EV Easy Plus Source: Detel India Dr. Yogesh Bhatia Founder Detel India

E-mobility adoption and challenges The adoption is going smoothly. For two-wheelers the adoption is faster as they do not require any charging stations. The key impediment is the high initial cost and availability of charging stations. e-2W market development amid fuel price surge The e-2W market will pick up very fast as fuel prices are hurting the pockets of this segment.

Financing the growth of e-2W sector To date, we have made an investment of approximately ฀10 crores. In addition, we are also in process to raise more funds to enhance our manufacturing capacity in the near future. Addressing climate change with sustainable transportation Transportation sector should have a time bound plan to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, which in turn will have a positive impact in addressing the climate change.

Atmanirbhar push to indigenous manufacturing We are in consultation with local parties to design and bring down the costs of critical items such as motors, batteries, chargers and controllers.

Earth Energy EV Glyde Plus Source: Earth Energy EV

Make In India push to localization of auto components We are in discussion phase with a wide spectrum of vendors, ranging between small, medium and large scale establishments.

March–April 2021 |

Moulin Oza Assistant Editor ETN

E-MOBILITY

E-4W drives the eco-friendly transportation, the sustainable way! As the nation moves towards reducing carbon footprint, clean mobility can help India meet its Paris Agreement commitment of reducing carbon emission to a considerable level.

he adoption of electric vehicles (EV) in India has been steady in recent years and the government's goal to electrify 70 percent of all the commercial vehicles, 30 percent of private cars, 40 percent of buses, and 80 percent of two-wheeler and three-wheeler sales by 2030 will be a step in the right direction towards emerging EV and their technologies in the country. EVs in India have opened plenty of business opportunities for automobile companies within the country and across the globe. Though the market in India has given a lukewarm response to electric vehicles there subsists huge opportunity for the growth of EV. The government of India is dedicated to the adoption of e-mobility for a cleaner and greener environment. Robust supporting infrastructure with a lower tax on e-vehicles could help to accomplish the adoption faster. The industry is also capitalizing aggressively in technology and towards building the ecosystem. This, along with reducing battery costs will positively boost the sector in upcoming times. Furthermore, the demand for EVs will see a substantial jump owing to future emission norms.

Benefits of EV: • Cost-effective: With the arrival of advanced technology and committed R&D, both the cost and maintenance of EV have gone down. The government is incentivizing the use of EVs by providing subsidies and lower motor taxes on EVs. • Environment friendly: EVs are 100 percent eco-friendly. They do not release toxic gases or smoke into the environment which leads to global warming and aids to reduce pollution. • Energy security: As electricity is majorly produced from either renewable sources or from sources that emit no greenhouse gases (GHG) thus EVs help in maintaining energy security by shifting dependence from non-renewable resources to renewable resources. • Low maintenance: Electric vehicles require less maintenance than conventional vehicles as there are fewer fluids (like oil and transmission fluid) to change and fewer moving parts. • Reduction in noise pollution: Electric vehicles are quieter to operate than gasoline-powered vehicles, leading to a reduction in noise pollution.

Image for representation only | March–April 2021

Government ’s push for developing the e-4W market

Nitin Gadkari Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, India

In February, to boost electric mobility, Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Nitin Gadkari informed the Parliament that the government aims to support through subsidies about 62,000 e-4Ws and e-buses, besides 15 lakh e-3Ws and e-2Ws. The focus is also on creating electric charging infrastructure. Phase-II of Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid &) Electric Vehicles in India (FAME India) Scheme is being implemented with a complete budgetary support of `10,000 crore, he added. "This phase emphasis on supporting electrification of public & shared transportation and aims to support, through subsidies, approx. 7000 e-buses, 5 lakh e-3Ws, 55000 e-4Ws cars and 10 lakh e-2Ws. Gadkari said his ministry has issued regulations and advisories to encourage the use of electric vehicles. In April, the Ministry of Heavy Industry and Public Enterprise

59 (MHIPE) has announced that the validity of ‘Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid) and Electric Vehicles (FAME)II’ certificates for all vehicle models (e-2W, e-3W, and e-4W) will be one year from the date they are issued. The certificates issued earlier were valid until March 31, 2021. EV sales for FY-21: Sales for top e-4W OEMs for FY21 Manufacturer

Sales (In Units)

Tata Motors

3658

Mahindra Electric

3249

MG Motors

1102

Hyundai

181

Mercedes Benz AG

Source: The CEEW Centre for Energy Finance (CEF) E-mobility dashboard

Towards Green Mobility Compared to traditional petrol or diesel vehicles (ICE), EVs are cheaper to run and have significantly less adverse impact on the environment. EVs are crucial to meeting global goals on tackling climate change. Battery-powered EVs promise zero tailpipe emissions, reduced air pollution in cities, and cheaper renewable energy in India. For India to reach 30 percent EV penetration by 2030, a strong execution framework and a stepby-step methodology are requisite to develop the electric vehicles’ ecosystem. To learn more about the industry’s viewpoint on electric fourwheeler sector development in the recent times, ETN connected with few of the prominent industry manufacturers: • Anand Kulkarni, Product Line Director – Electric Vehicle & ALFA Architecture –Passenger Vehicle Business Unit, Tata Motors. • Vikram Gulati, Senior VicePresident, Corporate Affairs and Governance, Toyota Kirloskar Motor

Anand Kulkarni Product Line Director – Electric Vehicle & ALFA Architecture – Passenger Vehicle Business Unit, Tata Motors

E-mobility adoption and challenges The electric vehicles (EV) industry in India is at a nascent stage and poised to grow fast in the future with the launch of more accessible EVs, growing charging infrastructure, reducing the price gap between conventional and electric cars, and inherent benefits of EVs, in terms of operating costs and maintenance costs. In recent times we have seen encouraging growth in EVs. The personal segment-focused EVs have been primarily driving growth in FY21. On the back of personal segment products, like Nexon EV, EV sales grew more than two times in FY21, despite the pandemic hit the first half of FY21. E-4W market development amid fuel price surge With increasing fuel costs at the pump, the operating costs breakeven between internal combustion engine (ICE) and EVs are getting more and closer. Also, with refinement, performance, and lower maintenance costs, electric vehicles are proving to be smart choices for customers in cities. We anticipate that with the subsequent rollout of a m o re ro b u s t E V s up p or ti n g infrastructure, the e-4W market is expected to pick up at an accelerated pace.

Atmanirbhar push to indigenous manufacturing Since EV is a new technology, a significant value in terms of components and parts, are imported. Some major auto component suppliers have taken the plunge and are proactively investing in the new technology components to take the lead. Many vendors who earlier supplied components to the ICE ecosystem are gearing up for supplying EV parts and aggregates. This is leading to increased localization of parts and aggregates as well as growing competence amongst the suppliers. This will further help in making EVs more accessible. Some of the suppliers that we work with are Bosch, APTIV PLC and Tata Autocomp Systems Limited (TACO) for various critical components. Addressing climate change with sustainable transportation India is home to 14 out of 15 world’s most polluted cities (based on PM2.5) so it is essential we find ways to lower emissions in the interest of public health. The transport sector is the fastest-growing contributor to climate change, accounting for 23 percent of global energy-related greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Gradual transition to electric vehicles will help address this challenge as this technology offers zero emissions. Therefore, adopting EVs can have a positive impact on the long-term fight against climate change.

Tata Nexon EV Source: Tata Motors

March–April 2021 |

60 countries, a carbon emission-based taxation (GST) structure has helped bring down the prices of all xEVs substantially and drive the market to consumer acceptance for these technologies. We hope that with supportive technology-neutral government policies, including an adequately favourable taxation regime for all xEVs, we will be able to realize our objective of mass electrification, spurring demand with a focus on ‘Make in India’.

Vikram Gulati Senior Vice-President, Corporate Affairs and Governance, Toyota Kirloskar Motor

E-mobility adoption and challenges Electrification provides a possible solution to achieve nationally important objectives like lowering fossil fuel consumption, energy security and mitigation of carbon emissions, etc. In the last couple of years, we have seen a series of measures by both the Central and State Governments to support the adoption of electrified mobility through various interventions like the FAME-II incentive scheme, lowering of GST on electric vehicles, income tax benefits, road tax reduction, direct demand creation as well efforts to set up charging infrastructure. While the offtake of electric vehicles has picked up, but it continues to quite low. The key challenges to electric mobility include affordability, lower consumer acceptance, lack of charging infrastructure, and absence of a local manufacturing eco-system. We believe that for mass electrification, it is essential to have large-scale local EV parts manufacturing eco-system that is globally competitive in terms of price and quality. To achieve this, the world over, policies have supported all xEV technologies to attain investment viability through demand aggregation for EV parts as these are common across all xEV technologies. This approach can help reduce costs, resulting in higher consumer acceptance thereby leading to faster adoption. In many

E-4W market development amid fuel price surge India represents the fourth largest automobile market in the world, but it is also a country with a huge dependence on oil imports, with a $112 billion import bill in FY19. An increase in fossil fuel prices helps to improve the savings on the operating side costs for EVs; however, the existing higher upfront acquisition costs remain a challenge for EV adoption. Alternate fuels and xEVs are key enablers for lowering dependence on fossil fuels. The challenge before the country is to make sure that as we shift to EVs, the savings from the reduction in oil consumption is not nullified by the increase in imports of EV parts. Hence, we need to ensure that a robust local manufacturing ecosystem for EV parts is created, a vibrant globally competitive local manufacturing ecosystem will result in cost reductions and contribute to faster and more sustainable consumer acceptance of all xEV technologies. Atmanirbhar push to indigenous manufacturing In the last two decades, our philosophy and focus have been to strengthen and increase the local supplier base by consistently collaborating with our supplier partners to enhance their capacities and capabilities by sharing Toyota's best practices and skilling of manpower. In this direction, Toyota Kirloskar Motor has spent an average of 40,000 manhours every year to enhance processes through the system, management, training, and hardware development. Further, another 8,500 manhours are spent per year on people development.

| March–April 2021

Regarding localization, we are constantly trying to increase the levels with every new product launch and our dependence on imports has significantly reduced. Currently, the localization levels for our flagship products (IMV series) are averaging about 85 percent. We are working closely with all relevant stakeholders to support our Tier I, II, and III suppliers to reduce import dependence and become globally cost-competitive. Further, we believe the integration of sustainability in the supply chain is crucial to deliver long-term results and competitiveness. Make in India push to localization of auto components TKM works with a wide network of supplier partners and onsite suppliers of auto parts, components, and sub-assemblies to enhance its overall product quality and promote lean manufacturing. The high levels of localization that Toyota Kirloskar Motor has been able to achieve is made possible through reliable and sustainable manufacturing processes such as Toyota Production System and concepts like Jidoka (automation with a human touch) achieved through human development initiatives for our supply partners. Addressing climate change with sustainable transportation The auto industry is going through a huge transformation primarily driven by factors like technology, health, energy security, and climate change. Globally, due to the largescale use of fossil fuels and rising vehicular emissions, there is an immediate need to reduce carbon footprint and use environmentfriendly technologies for a sustainable future. This has led many countries to encourage acceptance of innovative and environment-friendly xEV technologies. For instance, in the European Union (EU), original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are deploying all xEVs that include BEVs (Battery Electric Vehicles), PHEVs (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles), and SHEVs (Strong Hybrid Electric Vehicles) to

61 achieve the fuel efficiency or CO2 emission norms. The adoption of all these technologies is increasing particularly so for SHEVs and hence Toyota has led the ranking and posted the best improvement in CO2 emission in 2019 as compared to the previous year. Even in 2020, Toyota is amongst the few large OEMs that continue to reduce CO2 year on year. The carbon emissions and impact on climate change has to be evaluated holistically and usually well-towheel (W2W) approach (that measures carbon emission from energy generation to consumption stage) or life cycle (LC) approach (that includes carbon emission from manufacturing, usage and final disposal of vehicles) are used globally. Hence, the energy mix of a country is the key determinant of the extent of carbon reduction from various xEV technologies. Using grid energy through EVs/ PHEVs makes a good impact for a country with higher levels of renewable energy and better transmission infrastructure. However, currently, India is still predominantly dependent on fossil fuels (coal & oil) and has higher transmission & distribution losses, hence as per the assessment of various expert agencies the carbon savings from EVs based on W2W or LC basis is not so high. In

fact, for India currently, SHEVs have a lower carbon emission and till the time the share of renewable energy increases significantly, SHEVs which have a very good consumer acceptance due to their very high fuel efficiency, better performance, lower price gap with internal combustion engine vehicles, and not being dependent on charging infrastructure offers a very impactful solution to the reduction of carbon emissions from four-wheelers. In India, TKM was amongst the first OEMs to introduce SHEVs. Over the years, cumulatively we have sold over 5,400 SHEVs in India of which over 4,900 units were Camry hybrid vehicles, which alone resulted in CO2 emission reduction of over 14.1 million kilograms and fossil fuel savings of over 5.9 million litres.

& Services Tax (GST) levied on vehicles to their carbon emissions, this technology-neutral approach will complement Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency norms and drive the market to adopt various innovative technologies to attain the objective of reduction of fossil fuel consumption.

Way Forward For the EV sector, the government should work towards developing an ecosystem across the value chain. Now more than ever, policy actions with a long-term vision have become critical. It is important to enable a holistic growth for the EV sector and developing a strong EV value chain in the country. This will also support the government’s objective of the country becoming self-reliant and enhancing domestic manufacturing. India is a large market for automobiles and with a paced transition to EVs, the country can enhance local manufacturing, lower oil dependence and consumption, and indeed enable a global clean transition.

Vellfire Hybrid EV Source: Toyota Kirloskar Motor

One of the most impactful policy interventions to reduce vehicular carbon emissions is to link the Goods

Moulin Oza Assistant Editor ETN

Customized Energy Solutions India Pvt Ltd A-501, G-O Square, Aundh-Hinjewadi Link Road, Wakad, Pune-411057. INDIA E: contact@indiaesa.info P: +91-20-2771 4000

E: contact@indiaesa.info

March–April 2021 |

SAFETY

Li-ion Batteries: How safe are they to use again? Li-ion cells and modules undergo capacity degradation overtime, this article dives deeper into the safety of aged cells and modules and looks at the role cell design can play in the degradation process.

he lithium-ion battery chemistry is used in a myriad of applications today, from portable consumer devices to large automotive and stationary grid energy storage systems. Of the commercially available battery chemistries, the lithium-ion battery is one that has a very high volumetric and gravimetric energy density along with a long cycle and calendar life. This chemistry is also capable of providing power from medium rates to very high rates. Several cathode and anode chemistry combinations can be used in the build-up of lithium-ion cells and several design configurations can be used to build batteries with this chemistry. Cycle life and calendar life of lithium-ion cells and batteries are highly dependent on several factors, namely, the charge and discharge rate, the environmental temperature, the temperature gradient within

the battery design, the voltage range for charge and discharge, the number of cycles and the quality of the cells that go into manufacturing the battery. In addition to this, the voltage at which the cells and batteries are stored in between usage or under long-term conditions, will affect both the cycle and calendar life [1]. Aging of lithium-ion cells and batteries are manifested as capacity loss and deviation of cell-to-cell open circuit voltage, capacity, and internal resistance. The components of the cell experience a wide range of degradation and this is manifested as morphology changes in both electrodes, cracking and delamination of the electrodes causing loss of active material and electrical isolation as well as changes in intercalation kinetics. Within the anode, active lithium loss due to its trapping internal to the electrode is observed and with respect to

Li-ion batteries. Source: Shutterstock

| March–April 2021

the cathode, destabilization and structural disorder, disproportionation and metal dissolution are observed [2-7]. The electrolyte undergoes decomposition, has side reactions with the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) and the binder, causing the production of hydrogen fluoride (HF) as one of the by-product that can be in the gaseous form that leads to swelling that is easily observed in pouch format cells but not in metal can cells. Lastly, corrosion of the metal current collectors and pouch in poorly designed pouch formats have also been observed with age. High quality lithium-ion cells, especially those made exclusively for a particular high value application such as electric vehicles can be quite expensive. These applications not only require a battery but also the entire system that goes along with it in order for it to operate safely. Lithium-ion batteries used in electric

Figure 1. Schematic of 3P9S Cylindrical module (left) and 5P5S pouch format cell module.

vehicles, whether hybrid, plug-in or pure electric, are used only for a certain period to ensure that vehicle performance targets are met. It is traditionally acceptable to remove a battery from service after 20 percent of the battery capacity is depleted. However, with lithium-ion batteries, even after 20 percent is lost, there is still a remarkable performance that is observed. Hence, in the past few years, batteries used in automotive applications have been repurposed for use in stationary grid energy storage applications. This can be done by breaking down the larger batteries into modules or down to single cells that can be reconfigured for the next application. The intent of the collaborative work carried out by Underwriters Laboratories and Purdue University was to understand and characterize the safety trends with respect to varying levels of capacity loss in lithium-ion cells and modules. This type of data is not widely found in the literature and the need to understand safety of aged cells and modules seemed of vital importance. The authors have presented the data in this article at several conferences [8,9] as the work progressed and published the cycle life aging study [10].

The work carried out included cycle life testing of 3.35 Ah cylindrical (18650) and 3.3 Ah pouch format lithium-ion cells and modules. The cylindrical cells and modules were cycled under two different voltage ranges, namely, the manufacturer recommended voltage range of 2.7 V to 4.2 V and a reduced voltage range of 2.9 V to 4.0 V. The cylindrical cells were removed at 10 percent, 15 percent and 20 percent capacity loss and tested under overcharge conditions and external short tests and compared to that obtained for fresh cells under the same off-nominal conditions. The pouch format cells were cycled under the voltage range recommended by the manufacturer and cells were removed at different capacity loss levels between 15 and 20 percent in addition to the 10 percent, 15 percent and 20 percent capacity loss and subjected to overcharge and external short tests and compared to the results obtained with the fresh cells. In addition to the aforementioned tests, an electric vehicle drive cycle profile was used to test single cylindrical cells at three different temperatures of 10 °C, 25 °C and 40 °C. The cells subjected to the drive cycle protocol were tested for safety after more than 20 percent capacity loss was observed. The cylindrical cells were also configured into 3P9S modules and the pouch format cells were configured into 5P5S modules (Figure 1). The cylindrical cells modules were cycled under the two equivalent voltage ranges similar to the cells, that is, under the manufacturer recommended voltage range and the reduced voltage range. The pouch format cell modules were cycled only under the manufacturer recommended voltage range. The fresh and cycled cylindrical cell modules were subjected to overcharge tests. The fresh and cycled pouch format cell modules were subjected to overcharge and external short circuit tests. All off-nominal tests were carried out on fresh and aged cells at 100 percent state-of-charge (SOC). The cylindrical cells were subjected to

an overcharge current of 1C rate for 6-hours while the pouch format cells were subjected to different charge currents as indicated in the section below detailing the results of the pouch cell tests. Cells from each capacity loss group were also destructively analyzed and the electrodes studied using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) analysis tools.

Cylindrical Cell Results It was observed with the cycle life testing to 20 percent capacity loss that cells cycled under reduced voltage range provided more than twice the number of cycles compared to the cells cycled under manufacturer recommended full voltage range, although the capacity obtained in the beginning of the cycle life test was less for the reduced voltage range cells (Table 1). Table 1. Number of Cycles for cells cycled under the manufacturer recommended voltage range of 2.7 to 4.2 V (Left) and under the reduced voltage range of 2.9 to 4.0 V (Right). Cell ID

Number of Cycles

Capacity Fade

Ba Cell 2

319

26.70%

Ba Cell 1

300

24.23%

Ba Cell 6

221

23.79%

Ba Cell 5

222

22.97%

Ba Cell 4

234

18.74%

Ba Cell 8

201

16.21%

Ba Cell 10

269

15.49%

Ba Cell 3

201

15.41%

Ba Cell 9

204

15.17%

Ba Cell 7

174

10.59%

Cell ID

Number of Cycles

Capacity Fade

Bb Cell 1

787

25.30%

Bb Cell 2

785

25.29%

Bb Cell 7

800

23.87%

Bb Cell 8

640

20.11%

Bb Cell 9

648

20.09%

Bb Cell 10

616

15.65%

Bb Cell 4

647

15.50%

Bb Cell 6

324

15.44%

Bb Cell 3

651

15.26%

Bb Cell 5

267

14.94%

Bb Cell 11

454

12.05%

March–April 2021 |

64 The degradation observed in the electrodes and the separator of the cells cycled under the manufacturer recommended voltage range to different levels of capacity loss is shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2. Anode (left) and cathode (right) electrodes with separators after cycling to various levels of capacity loss, as indicated, under the manufacturer recommended voltage range.

The overcharge tests on the fresh and cycled cells showed that the cycled cells experienced current interrupt device (CID) activation much earlier when compared to the fresh cells (Figure 3). The activation of the CID causes the two discs of the CID to separate thus causing an electrical disconnect in the positive terminal of the cell rendering the cell inactive. The change in voltage during the overcharge test is shown in the figure and the activation of the CID is signified by

the point at which the cell voltage is lost due to CID activation. The earlier CID activation might be due to the accumulation of gases during the cycle life aging process since the CID activation occurs due to the pressure increase inside the cell caused by gas production above a certain voltage. Cells with different capacity loss levels subjected to external short tests did not show any specific trends with respect to temperature or voltage. The cells used in the test were equipped internally with Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) device to protect against surge current. Even with the activation of the PTC, the cell temperature reached an average of 65oC for about 3-hours until the cells were completely discharged. Destructive analysis of the cycled cells subjected to overcharge and external short circuit tests indicated that despite the activation of the internal protective devices, heat damage was observed on the electrodes and separator (Figure 4). The heat damage resulted in the ceramic coating on the separator being stuck to the cathode and active material from the cathode being stuck to the separator.

At the module level, the fresh module exhibited full fire and thermal runaway under an overcharge condition despite the internal CID protective devices present in the cells. However, the aged modules with 20 percent capacity fade did not undergo fire or t h e r m a l r u n a w a y. T h i s m a y be due to early CID activation due to the accumulation of gases during the cycle life of the cell as well as due to the decreased energy in the aged module. Cells tested using the electric vehicle drive cycle profile showed that at about 20 percent capacity fade, about 13 weeks of performance was obtained at 10°C, 29 weeks of performance was obtained at 25°C and about 24 weeks of performance was obtained at 40°C. Destructive analysis showed that the middle (1/3rd the length) of the anode electrode lacked lithium intercalation (Figure 5).The aged cells were subjected to external short and overcharge tests and destructive analysis of the electrodes and destructive analysis showed lithium plating in addition to the areas that lacked lithium intercalation.

Figure 4. DPA showing cathode and separator of cells at 100% SOC with 20% capacity fade subjected to (left) external short circuit test and (right) overcharge test.

Figure 3. Plot showing CID activation times indicated by the end voltage readings for the overcharge test using a 1 C current on fresh and cycled cells at 100 percent SOC, cycled under the two different voltage ranges. | March–April 2021

Figure 5. Anode electrodes showing lack of lithiation (labeled delithiated areas) in more than 1/3rd area and lithium plating after 20 percent capacity fade for cells tested using the electric vehicle drive cycle at different environmental temperatures.

Pouch Format Cell Results those obtained for the cylindrical cells Cycle life testing on the pouch format cells indicated that the number of cycles obtained for the various levels of capacity loss far exceeded

(Figure 6). The egradation observed on the electrodes are shown in Figure 7 for the cell that had 20% capacity loss.

Overcharge using 0.3C current of the fresh and aged modules with 20 percent capacity fade resulted in complete thermal runaway and fire (Figure 9) confirming that cell level tolerance (Figure 8 right) does not necessarily translate to module or battery level tolerance.

Figure 6. Cycle life capacity trend and capacity fade plots for the single pouch format lithium-ion cells.

Figure 9. Photos of overcharged fresh (left) and aged to 20 percent capacity fade (right) modules.

Figure 7. Ageing effects on anode (left) and cathode (right) after 20 percent capacity loss for the pouch format cells.

Overcharge of fresh cells was carried out using various currents and it was found that the cells experienced fire and thermal runaway at 1C and 0.5C rates whereas they did not experience thermal runaway

or fire at 0.3C rate (Figure 8) but displayed swelling. Hence 0.3C rate was used as a baseline for comparison with the cells that underwent the cycle life tests to various levels of capacity loss.

External short circuit tests on fresh cells resulted in the negative tab burning off and the maximum temperature experienced by the cells was about 75°C. (Figure 10). The fresh module underwent full thermal runaway with a fire under an external short test and only the tabs burned off in the aged module with 20 percent capacity fade.

Figure 8. Overcharge of fresh pouch format cells (left) at 1C rate current and (right) at 0.3C rate current. March–April 2021 |

Figure 10. External short test on pouch format lithiumion cell showing burnt tab (left) and voltage and temperature plot (right).

Summary Lithium-ion cells and modules undergo capacity degradation at different rates depending on several factors. The cell design which includes the internal construction and the amount of electrolyte as well as the rate capability of the cells play an important role in the degradation. It was observed with the cylindrical cells that in spite of the internal protective features activating under off-nominal conditions of overcharge and external short circuit, heat is produced internally and hence changes to the electrodes and separator are observed in both the fresh and the aged cells. Cylindrical cells and modules aged to 20 percent or higher capacity fade are more benign than the fresh cells under the off-nominal conditions tested. The pouch format

cells are still reactive at 20 percent capacity fade under the overcharge conditions but experience tab burning under the external short conditions. Lack of tolerance of cell modules to off-nominal conditions that the single cells had tolerance too is observed. Due to the changes that occur to the cell components that include the electrodes and the separator, it is imperative to carry out extensive testing on the used modules before they are placed in the second-use application. It is recommended that representative cells and modules be studied to characterize their nominal performance required in the new application as well as subject them to the off-nominal conditions to confirm that the safety controls are designed correctly for the second application. It is also critical that the history of the cells

and modules in the first application be reviewed thoroughly to understand the health of these before they are placed in the new application. Lastly, once configured into the battery system for the second-use application, certain parameters such as the voltage, current and temperature should be monitored well and excursions outside the limits set should be reviewed carefully. A periodic health check and maintenance check should be performed on the battery system to confirm its health and safety in the new application. The UL 1974 outlines the methodology to characterize the health of the cells and modules that go into a second application and includes characteristics that need to be checked closely in the second application.

Authors: Judith Jeevarajan, Ph.D., Research Director, Underwriters Laboratories Daniel Juarez Robles, Ph.D., Research Scientist, Underwriters Laboratories Tapesh Joshi, Ph.D., Research Scientist, Underwriters Laboratories Kanarindhana Kathirvel, Senior Project Specialist, Underwriters Laboratories Saad Azam, Graduate Student (UL employee when tests were conducted), Dalhousie University Partha Mukherjee, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Purdue University The authors would like to acknowledge Prof. Partha Mukherjee’s team at Purdue University, Dereck Lenoir and his test team at the Energy Systems Test Area (ESTA) in NASA – Johnson Space Center and Dr. Bapi Surampudi and his team at Southwest Research Institute (SWRI) for collaborating and carrying out the tests with the Battery Safety team at Underwriters Laboratories. The authors would also like to acknowledge that this work was carried out with Underwriters Laboratories internal research funds. More information about these studies can be obtained by contacting NFP.BatterySafety@ul.org.

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STATIONARY ENERGY STORAGE

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| March–April 2021

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STATE FOCUS

Rajasthan: An untapped potential for storage, EV industry The State of Rajasthan has enabled sustained growth by attracting investment in chemical, food and beverage, and petroleum manufacturing industry over the years; similar strategy is essential in the EV and battery manufacturing space.

Chattris of Bada Bagh near Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, surrounded by wind generators Source: Panoglobe, Shutterstock

he government of Rajasthan in recent times has announced impressive policies and regulatory developments that is attracting energy storage and EV industry towards the State. It has taken measures to create a policy environment that nurtures private enterprise and makes investing in the State profitable. In addition to a general package of financial incentives, sector-specific policies have been formulated to promote investment. As per the recently announced, 4th edition of Business Reform Action Plan (BRAP) Ranking of States, Rajasthan led several Indian States in introducing business reforms and ranked 8th among all the other States.

Catching up with the trend to include storage as part of their RE policies, government of Rajasthan introduced Solar Energy Policy and Wind & Hybrid Energy Policy in 2019, with definite capacity targets and impressive incentives for storage systems to make RE a more cost competitive and reliable source of energy for consumers. Now, the State is all set to release its EV policy with a special focus on additional benefits for fleet operators (given its attractiveness for EV industry, especially for the mega investors) incentives for manufacturers, R&D, and startups. This article gives an overview of opportunities available for storage,

| March–April 2021

EV and manufacturing industry that can be explored in the State of Rajasthan.

Rajasthan power sector at a glance The power sector in Rajasthan received impetus with the formation of Rajasthan State Electricity Board (RSEB) on July 1, 1957. The power sector received priority and power projects began to mushroom all over the State. Under new power reforms undertaken by the State Government, on July 19, 2000, RSEB was unbundled. Thereafter, a planned growth in installed capacity, transmission network, and rural electrification took place. It might

be noteworthy that Rajasthan has introduced a policy for promoting generation of power through nonconventional energy sources in the year 1999, much before the notification of the Electricity Act, 2003. After the notification, a comprehensive policy for nonconventional sources such as solar, wind, mini/small hydel, bio-mass, etc. was introduced in 2004 through the ‘Policy for Promoting Generation of Electricity through Non-Conventional Energy Sources’, considering the huge potential of these sources in the State.

Attractive RE policies The government of Rajasthan (GoR) notified the Rajasthan Solar Energy Policy in 2011 with a target of making the State a global hub of solar generation capacity of 10,000 to 12,000 MW in the next 10-12 years.

The policy was in tandem with the MNRE Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission (JNNSM) scheme. The total installed generation capacity in the State is around 19,135 MW as per the Rajasthan State Load Despatch Centre. Around 45 percent of the power is generated by State Generating Stations (SGS) and the remaining energy is produced by RE sources, independent power producers (IPPs), and captive power plants (CPPs). To keep pace with the changing needs towards renewable generation sector in the State, Rajasthan issued a new Rajasthan Solar Energy Policy 2019 and Rajasthan Wind and Hybrid Energy Policy 2019. As per these two policies, the government has set a target of installing 30,000 MW of solar power projects, 4000 MW of wind projects and 3500 MW of hybrid projects.

Fig: Wind and Solar Capacity Addition in Rajasthan

A total amount of `88.07 crore has been released as Central Financial Assistance (CFA) to the State of Rajasthan during last three years and the current year, for implementing various RE schemes / programs. The solar tariffs have also declined in the recent years and have slowly reached, and many a times breached, the grid parity level. The solar tariff discovered at Bhadla (Phase 3) Solar Park (`2.44 per kWh) was lower than the average power purchase cost of the DISCOMs. In the recent auction, tariff as low as `2/kWh was discovered. Current RE policies in the State encourage deployment of new technologies, methods and ways out, involving combined generation of wind and solar power with storage systems. As per 2019 policies, initially power up to the capacity of 5 percent of RPO target in MW (solar & non-solar combined) from solar power projects with storage systems (including wind and windsolar hybrid power projects with storage systems), will be procured by Rajasthan Discoms at a tariff discovered through competitive bidding. The minimum rated energy capacity of an energy storage system (ESS) shall be equal to ‘X/2’ MWh, where ‘X’ is the installed capacity of the project in MW. For RE projects with storage system, additional land will be allotted as per the rules prescribed by the Revenue Department, GoR. RVPN will develop a plan for storage system requirement for Rajasthan State to mitigate un-predictability and variability of RE. While the State is gearing up to increase its potential to fulfil the RE targets, large scale RE integration with grid can lead to significant challenges, which are both technical and economic in nature. To address these challenges, Rajasthan has released a concept paper on framework for ‘Large Scale Integration of Renewable Energy using Energy Storage Systems and its Impact on Tariffs’, in March 2021. Although some of the points mentioned in the policy warrant further study and clarity on the availability on range of technologies

March–April 2021 |

Strategy Measures Required

Energy Storage Industry

Present Roadblocks–

EV Industry

     

Manufacturing Research & Development

Establishment of EV Charging Stations Impact of EV on the Grid Tariff for EV Charging Infrastructure Financial Institution Support Standards and Technical Regulations Taxes and Duties

Investment Promotion Increase in EV deployment Ecosystem for EV Manufacturing Setting up Battery Manufacturing Zone Promoting Research & Development Capacity Building and Skill Development

Fig: Attractive Areas for Potential Investors from recent Rajasthan Policies according to IESA

Start-Ups

available across the energy storage value chain and different benefits offered while utilizing on the different applications, what is noteworthy is the openness of Rajasthan in exploring different applications of storage w.r.t transmission, ancillary service, and behind-the-meter (BTM).

EV and manufacturing sector As per FAME India website, EVs sold in Rajasthan make up 6.21 percent of the total sale in India, and stands at around 17,405, out of which 76 percent are two-wheelers and 24 percent is from four-wheelers. Rajasthan has, over the past decade, implemented a strategy that focused on supporting sustained and inclusive growth by attracting investment in the manufacturing, especially the chemical, food and beverage and petroleum industry; similar strategy is essential for a successful roll-out in EV and battery manufacturing. Rajasthan ranks no.1 in export preparedness index 2020, under landlocked States category. Moreover, it has a vast network of national highways and railways, which provides excellent connectivity to major cities and ports in Gujarat and Maharashtra. At present, Rajasthan EV policy is in the draft stage and is intended to be finalized within a month. Highlights from draft EV Policy has been presented during RIICO (Rajasthan Industrial Development and Investment Corporation) industrial meet arranged in 2021. Key features of this policy include the focus on bulk adoption through additional incentives to fleet operators such as ride sharing, e-commerce and logistics companies. Special provision is given to enable

Suitable Policy & Regulations

Fig: Suitable Measures Required to overcome Current challenges

government departments to route phased transitions to EVs. Special financing scheme is being offered for individuals and small EV operators. State Regulatory Commission, RERC has approved the final order related to charging infrastructure and tariff for EVs vide which it was proposed that charging stations be set up through Discoms, private and PPP models, incentives to public charging stations, ISTS charges exemptions, rebate in tariffs, etc. Apart from the EV sector, Rajasthan is also showcasing lot of interest in encouraging manufacturing opportunities in the State. Recent improvements such as ease in allotment of land and obtaining construction permits, convenient procedures for setting up business in Rajasthan, eMitra kiosks and common service center for making online application and payment, etc. Rajasthan Investment Promotion Scheme 2019 has proposed Capital Subsidy equivalent to 25 percent of investment made on the plant and machinery, subject to a maximum of `50 lakh, other exemption benefits, customized packages based on investment, and employment opportunities provided, etc.

conventional ICE to EV. There is also no specific framework available right now in the State for installation of EV charging infrastructure, which leads to uncertainty among stakeholders/investors. At present the sanctioned load of EVs currently is hardly around 0.9 percent of the total demand in the State. With the increase in penetration of EVs over the years, the situation would have to be assessed again, to check the impact of EVs on the grid. With the right kind of attention from potential investors and developers in growing up along with the improvement in policy and regulatory regimes, Rajasthan State should really focus on suitable measures and promotions to utilize the interest from prospective investors. Rajasthan has a clear potential of emerging as a flag barrier and front-runner among all other States w.r.t storage and EV sector development, but only if it is supported with a strong policy and regulatory framework, focus on R&D and investment opportunities, among other measures.

Challenges and opportunities Among all the challenges pointed out in the above figure, currently the major roadblock for successful implementation of EVs in the State is the lack of charging infrastructure. When EV charging stations are limited to only a few numbers, it discourages consumer’s shift from

| March–April 2021

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ENERGY STORAGE

Setting deployment targets: vital step in promoting green energy Ramping up deployment of green energy technologies is necessary to achieve the ambitious climate targets set forth by countries, we examine how governments could speed-up that process

Renewable energy integrated with energy storage Source: Shutterstock

limate change is one of the biggest, if not the top, issues facing mankind today. In order to keep the damages from climate change within reasonable limits, the world has set ambitious climate targets, of limiting the temperature rise to 1.5C compared to pre-industrial times. This requires rapid deployment of green energy technologies in many sectors, including renewable energy in power generation, electric vehicles in transportation, batteries in transportation as well as electricity systems, and green hydrogen in multiple sectors, among others.

Deployment barriers However, large scale deployment of these technologies faces multiple barriers, which typically include high upfront costs, lack of supporting infrastructure including regulation, political economy favoring incumbents, etc. While there is a role for businesses and markets in getting these technologies deployed at scale, support for these technologies need to start at the policy and regulatory level, and winners may need to be picked, given the time criticality of the climate change issue. First, there needs to be clear and longterm policy signals on market demand,

whether absolute (e.g., in GW of GWh in case of the power sector) or relative (e.g., percentage of total demand). This demand signal can include the whole market or could be focused on certain large entities, including the government itself. Second, there needs to be regulatory support around the removal of administrative and political hurdles around deployment of these technologies. For example, permitting and interconnection hurdles are significant in the deployment of solar and hydrogen technologies. Third, there needs to be ample cost and risk mitigation support. The former, which focuses on reducing either the upfront cost or lifecycle costs, typically comes in the form of explicit or implicit subsidies. The latter, which focuses on reducing risks to deployment - typically takes the form of guarantees. While all three are eventually required, in this thought piece we focus on the first tool of creating market demand, which is a necessary condition for deploying these technologies at scale.

Driving market demand There are multiple examples of government targets driving markets:

| March–April 2021

- Renewable energy deployment was driven by government targets in the early days, especially when these technologies were not cost-competitive. Best practices include the renewable portfolio standards (RPS) in the US and the Solar Mission in India. - Electric vehicle deployment has been driven by government targets around the world. The best practices include the zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate in California and in other States of the US. Furthermore, 17 countries around the world have announced ZEV mandates. - Battery storage has been driven by government targets. The best practices include the battery storage target (BST) in California as well as the energy storage mandates (ESM) in other States of the US. Furthermore, many countries in Europe are aggressively setting BST targets. This is the necessary first step. All governments interested in any new green energy technology must create targets, preferably in the long-term, for RE, EV, battery storage, and even green hydrogen. Then, they can follow up with the other two steps. This is particularly necessary in India where despite the laudable RE targets of 450 GW of installed capacity by 2030, these targets are missing for EVs, battery storage, and green hydrogen. These targets have become necessary now.

Gireesh Shrimali PhD and Precourt Scholar Sustainable Finance Initiative at the Stanford University.

IESA

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STARTUP

Making way for alternate school of technology At the portal of tomorrow’s tech world, a vast IoT controlled unknown, Siddharta Bagri, CEO and Founder - Pravaig Dynamics offers us a glimpse of the future data-driven mobility.

(L to R): Ram Divedi - CSO, Dhawal Vinayak Khullar - CTO, Siddhartha Bagri, CEO, Pravaig Dynamics Source: Pravaig Dynamics

Pravaig Dynamic's Extinction MK1 ranks in the big-league luxury car segment with the Mahindras, Tatas, Mercedes, BMW…Yet your target customer is the fleet market. So Pravaig's sales model will not take on the Big Boys – Why? Pravaig is a premium carmaker with fleet operators as our partners, not the customer segment. Pravaig is primarily B2C facing. What we are doing today is going to be the future of all other carmakers. What that means is that today all other carmakers are tool-makers; however they will transition into being service providers. Today, with Pravaig, our consumers get the future delivered to them; this is what all robot-taxis will be like in two to five years, depending on where on the planet you are. Your idea is to change the old notion of car ownership to a future one, compatible with a data driven mobility, as you term it. What germinated this idea– why/when was the seed planted initially?

Robot-taxis are the future … for so many good reasons. In 2013 we went all out and took the risk of building that future or that time, when what matters will be the endto-end service and not the ownership. And if we are able to replace the entire experience of ownership with a service, where you get all the benefits of ownership without the drawbacks that then is the challenge for technology today. And that is the challenge Pravaig has taken up to solve. An old saying goes, ‘a man’s first love is his car’ - You being a car enthusiast, how would your relationship with the modern, intelligent car need to adapt? Would you still own a Pravaig, or a Maserati? Actually we live in the age of the Lightning, Rimac, Sherp, Tesla, etc. It’s an awesome time for car/bike enthusiasts. The toys are getting more and more niche, more specific and more fun. Fundamentally these toys are applicable to roughly two percent

| March–April 2021

of the population. Normal distribution applies. Enthusiasts will always find something. You know, even today there are people who run cars on steam. Similarly, there will be people doing all sorts of awesome things. However, to go from point A to point B in a city there is no better option than a Pravaig - globally. So as far as regular, daily rides go, definitely Pravaig. Other toys are for entertainment. Your ideas on car ownership per se, and car-uptime if one can use the term, are the reason behind Pravaig Dynamics focus on the fleet market. Could you explain? Parallels can be drawn to airplanes, factories and data centers. To travel from point A to B, we (most of us) don’t buy a plane and keep it unused for most other times. It is a similar case with factories and data centers. If we look at ownership patterns, an average car is used for less than four percent of its usable lifetime, most of the time. If we can

75 increase the usability to 40 or 80 percent, theoretically, we can replace ten to twenty cars with one car. This will allow us to bridge to a more public utility driven future. The Extinction MK1 is showcased as a ‘premium electric car, completely made in India’. Percentage wise, how much of the car is indigenously manufactured? By mass, about 80-90 percent of the car is Made in India. However, most high-value components have been sourced from outside India. And this is the unfortunate part, because in mass they are low but in value they are much higher. Indian supply chains need to be more ambitious, Indian suppliers need to be more integrated and more rapidly evolving to be able to survive and thrive. And the time for that to happen is now. There has never been a better window of opportunity to do this than today. Could you elaborate on your production facilities and the kind of supply chain you needed to establish? Was it necessary to use ARAI testing facilities? We have a pilot battery line of ~1.5 GW-h per annum. We expect to have significantly higher production capacities to be built out in the next two years, enough to suffice the growth of up to a million units per annum. Supply chains are comprehensive and I hope semiconductor fabrications start in India. There is a tectonic shift in that Industry too and hopefully India will ride this new wave. Rare Earth minerals, battery cells, there’s so much to do, each one a massive global opportunity.

Then you factor in a battery pack of a certain size to achieve an X amount of range. Of course reduction of weight, while ensuring safety is critical for the pack itself and a lot of engineering goes into that. The Extinction also boasts extraordinary stats in pick-up, top speed, bhp, to mention a few. Could you walk our readers through these specs? Current Specs are for Extinction MK I (which is a two-year old prototype) • Fast charging capabilities – 0 to 80 percent in 30 minutes • Power Output of 150 kW • 0-100 kmph in 5.4 seconds • Torque at wheels 2400 N-m • Top speed of 196 kmph The specs in Extinction MK II (the production version) will be better. EV tech is really good for performance numbers, fairly as a by-product of the electric machines. As a manufacturer of a luxury sedan for the shared mobility segment, does Pravaig have a standard of expectations from the fleet operators who use the Extinction? Yes, our fleet operator partners need to have a certain amount of quality, experience and processes. We follow very strict protocols, typically such as those followed by luxury hotels, embassies, etc. - what is known in the industry, as ‘white glove service.’ Plus, they have to

work with us to get the fleet drivers to go through an exhaustive threemonth chauffeur training program. What are some of the exclusive luxury features you have in mind for the Extinction MK2? We have some incredible features in the car. Some of them are: • Private Space: With a roll-able tinted window partition dividing the front and rear seats, 12-inch mirrors, vanity lighting. • Office space: A desk that can accommodate a 15-inch laptop, power ports and 2 USB thunderbolt ports. • Himalayan Air: the cleanest air with 10x Co2 reduction and a powerful PM2.5 filter • Built like a Tank: the production model is a 5-star safety product. • Awesome Audio: Lowest power consumption with absolute clarity and bass. It is the global automotive debut of the legendary French audio brand Devialet – amongst other entertainment features. How do you comment on the rumor of a rising number of issues with EVs and on the removal of certain electric car models from the incentives list? The technology is at a nascent stage. It is evolving and building by the day and there are bound to be those kinds of issues pertaining to an action. Even today petrol cars, diesel cars are recalled all the

Extinction Mk I by Pravaig Dynamics Source: Pravaig Dynamics

The Extinction’s battery is actually its pièce de résistance with a 500 km run per charge. Could you detail the special features as well as how you achieved this recordbreaking range? Everybody consumes energy; you cannot take away the work that needs to be done to propel a particular mass across a certain distance. That's basic physics. Following that, you first try and reduce that consumption as much as possible, primarily through aerodynamics, weight reduction and lossless components. March–April 2021 |

76 time. Automotive products are very complex pieces of machinery. Such incidents are a part and parcel of any novel, exciting field. Pertaining to Nexon EV, I don't believe them to be substantial arguments. There is more than enough data that these might be one-off cases or incentivized to discredit the product. Such things do happen. What matters is what the company does in response. Tata is exceptionally ethical and is taking it extremely seriously right at the highest echelons of the company. As a startup, what is the funding you have received and from whom? What about future funding? For any good business, globally, there is no problem of funding. Of course, the unfortunate part is that Indian investors usually miss the growth phases, and more often than not Indian startups are forced to relocate to different geographies for the purposes of capital. This is a concern given the present culture of risk capital in India, where incremental growth is preferred due to perceived certainty. We have invested everything personally into Pravaig, and have a significant capital outlay for the next five years. Hopefully with Pravaig, growth phase gains will be captured by Indian entities. Your comments on the entry of Tesla into India? How do you believe it will influence the dynamics of e-mobility in the country? Tesla is right up there with the Chinese in terms of technological capabilities for electric vehicles. They are the only ones close to the Chinese. Along with this, there are challenges such as data issues that lie in autonomous driving, e.g. Cloud Act 2018 (US) where the government can issue orders and access data stored by the US companies – even if it is in some other country. Therefore, even if engineers inside companies don't want it, the tools they make have severe ramifications on society. So Tesla brings about the severe sovereignty challenges that other Big Tech like Facebook, Google, Microsoft also bring. Even if the companies don’t want it, the countries that they originate from

legally have been mandated for these kinds of accesses, which is why you see China banning Tesla from all sensitive facilities. Pravaig is paving the way for an alternate school of technology, where we ensure sovereignty for all the levels: Citizens, Cities, and Countries. This cannot be achieved via regulations. Regulations lag behind technology by a huge margin. In any case, the market share of Indian automobile companies is a very low double digit figure, even combined with the Koreans, the Japanese and the Germans. First Tesla and the Chinese will decimate the Germans, then get to the Japanese and finally to the South Koreans. But if our Indian companies are not able to fill in the void before that happens, then we will lose out in this market, almost forever. Americans, Chinese and Volkswagen are the only real bets for the future so far. India has a very big opportunity for global growth in this flux; however it is up to us to recognize and accept the challenge and move beyond legacy constraints of culture and technology. You are spoken of as ‘India’s Tesla.’ Do you believe India is big enough for two Teslas? India is not even big enough for one. It is a very, very small market compared to other automotive markets. Today, Pravaig is starting from zero as a robot-taxi company. Definitely Tesla will be there faster than others. But our customers get the experience of the future today. We're not high in volumes today, but we're not limited to the Indian geography. Our approach is really to enter that market where our service makes most sense. The technology flux has created a global opportunity. The automotive industry has seen many transitions. It started in the 1800s with stagecoach manufacturing with bespoke carriages. Then it moved to an assembly line system with dealerships. Early 2010s saw a shift to electric vehicles with online direct retail. However what India can do and what we are doing is leapfrogging directly to the mobility-as-a-service segment. Here we provide the service, which is where the world will be in the next 10-15 years.

| March–April 2021

What are the long-term scalability plans for Pravaig’s Extinction? Global plans? Currently, the capacity is built for 2500 cars per year starting Diwali 2021; then on to one lakh by 2023 and 500 lakh by 2026. We are starting operations in most Tier-1 cities in India, and will expand to cities which have the most use for Pravaig’s operating model. We will not be restricted by geographical boundaries. Quoting from your own experience, in what way do you think the government can better support e-mobility in India? Government must just ensure that it provides a level playing field to all. So far, from a policy viewpoint, Indian companies are disincentivized compared to their foreign counterparts. In this journey so far, what have been the low times? And the exhilarating ones that make the slog worth it? Universe is cyclic – there are multiple low and high times. But as long as the trajectory is upwards, we know we’re going in the right direction. The headroom for growth is mind boggling, and we are just starting to scratch the surface of the future. However, as we are a subset of the universe, the natural declining state caused by entropy has to be fought every day, or else we lose knowledge and ability. For example, India had working sewage systems in 12000 BC, yet there is not one city with a functioning system today. We must accept restlessness and a constant uphill battle against ourselves to discover the secrets of the universe and tap into them for making ever better tools for humans to explore more and hopefully add to useful knowledge.

Kathy Priyo Contributing Editor ETN

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STARTUP

Sustainability through second-life Extraction and recycling provide a tremendous benefit to society. Rajat Verma, CEO and Founder – LOHUM CLEANTECH Pvt Ltd explains the process of ensuring clean energy remains clean. Besides the tremendous contribution to sustainability in reducing e-waste in landfills, LOHUM Cleantech plays a key role in speeding up EV adoption - please elaborate. Our goal is to lower costs across the battery supply chain. Whether our buy-back for 1st life, our lower cost through reuse, or our ability to lower raw materials costs through recycling, our technology and business model is focused on reducing cost. Reducing battery cost is the fastest way to accelerate EV adoption. From a thousand options currently available, how did you decide on the battery recycling and extraction from e-waste space? The world is shifting to clean energy. But the important question is how we are making this shift? The challenge historically, regardless of product, is that alternative options typically demand a significant price premium and therefore limit accessibility. In that event the solution falls short. However, when we consider

the possibilities of solar-plus-battery and the impact it can have on hundreds of millions of lives outside of urban areas, we feel we have a duty to ensure electric solutions are accessible to everyone. Our vision is to accelerate access to clean energy through sustainability. We approached the problem differently in asking the question of how we could lower electrification costs – both economically and climate-wise – through sustainability. By giving batteries a 2nd life and recovering batteries materials when they have reached end of life, we are able to accelerate accessibility to electric solutions by lowering costs and dramatically reducing the environmental impacts of shifting to clean energy by reducing mining costs and thereby of energy consumption. Could you explain ‘extraction’ from un-usable batteries, its importance, impact etc? Lithium-ion batteries are the key components of electric vehicles and they contain very valuable materials such as cobalt, lithium, nickel

Rajat Verma

and graphite. With the exponential increase in demand for lithium-ion batteries, cobalt demand will increase by 6X, lithium by 13X, nickel by 13X and graphite by 12X by 2028. These are staggering numbers and all this material needs to be mined. The process of mining is not only harmful to the environment but requires immense amounts of energy. If recycled properly, these battery materials can be used over and over again. It enables us to limit mining over time. Additionally, India only produces graphite and is 100 percent reliant on importing other key battery materials. Top producers in the world include Australia for lithium, DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) for cobalt and Russia for nickel. China controls more than 60 percent of the metals refining trade, so recycling can create an important raw material stream. You mention that the market size for recycling batteries is quite staggering. Could you share details, stats and potential? By 2027, about 250 GWh of material shall be available for recycling from around the world. If we recycle all 250 GWh of materials in India, we can be amongst the largest producers of these minerals/ metals - lithium, cobalt, nickel and spheronized graphite collectively, with an estimated value exceeding $10billion per annum. That will solve our major dependency on China and other countries for driving our electric vehicle revolution. What scale are you aiming at in recycling and extraction, what are you aspiring towards? We are already expanding in India and are in the planning phase for a plant in the US by 2022. The opportunity is very large and we want to have a big footprint for our customers.

| March–April 2021

You supply re-use battery packs for low-power applications like e-rickshaws, two wheelers etc. What is the kind of range one can expect? Re-use batteries offer the same range and performance as a new battery. Do these batteries make for a preferred option over the large numbers of lead acid batteries still heavily in use in India? How does one promote these second life Li-ion batteries? Li-ion batteries are already less expensive for the total cost of ownership. The performance is far superior. And more importantly the leading technology is Li-ion and this is where our manufacturing industry should be focused.

In the case of second-life batteries for vehicles, how would the question of insurance be addressed? We have been developing re-use batteries for over three years and have millions of miles of operational data. We are confident of giving a warranty because we know the battery will perform. Can you expand on the scope for second life batteries in the energy storage space? Once a battery reaches the end of its warranty period or needs to be replaced, the battery owner desires to maximize its residual value and adhere to regulatory compliance requirements for battery disposal. LOHUM provides an efficient and valuable solution for these

LOHUM CLEANTECH Factory/ Recycling plant is a state-of-the-art 300 MWh capacity Lithium-ion battery manufacturing unit spread across a 30,000 sq ft area

challenges. Our battery reuse technology is anchored by our proprietary cell testing process that identifies which cells can be reused and maximizes the cell utilization in another application. Through the right technology and application selection, most batteries can be reused in another use after its first use for up to an additional three years. Stationary storage has a ton of reuse applications and there is a large opportunity to provide reliable access to electricity for millions of people. What is your assessment of the current EV momentum in India? We are seeing a tremendous amount of momentum and we expect this to accelerate across both mobility and stationary storage. It is a very exciting time. What do you believe it would take India to really make a breakthrough in the EV space? The very large two and three wheeler market is a gift for India and one that no other market outside of China can replicate. India must take advantage of this unique market opportunity in developing its EV capabilities through the battery and working up through the supply chain route. The country is projected to become the fourth-largest EV market over the next 20 years. And the change is expected to be predominantly steered by e -2Ws and -3Ws. China is the world’s uncontested cell and component manufacturer. Where does it stand in recycling and extraction? Is there an opportunity for India to make it big in this area? China has the largest recycling market at this point due to its lead in the EV sector. But technology is everywhere. And we are one of the global technology leaders in extraction. What do you find the most exciting aspects in your venture and its prospects for India? Most exciting for us would be to see a brighter future with India playing a major global role in the EV ecosystem.

March–April 2021 |

INTERVIEW

"We focus on action now-not action tomorrow" Divya Sharma, Executive Director, India, The Climate Group (TCG) shares how bold, catalytic energy initiatives are helping the world's leading businesses accelerate climate action. Tell us more about the goals and pathways of the Climate Group's work in India. What does the Climate Group stand for and what is your vision in India? At the Climate Group, we look at the biggest opportunities to drive climate action under the leadership of business and government. We do this by forming powerful networks, unlocking the power of collective action to move whole systems such as energy, transport, and industry, for a cleaner future. India is one of the fastest-growing economies and the third-largest carbon emitter, but the country

is equally committed to international pacts on climate change and driving growth towards greener cleaner pathways. India is on its way to meet its Paris Agreement targets. India has already reduced its emissions intensity of GDP by 21 percent. The target is to reduce emissions intensity by 33-35 percent by 2030. Additionally, India needs to cover just 2 percent of its 2030 target of installing 40 percent non-fossil fuel electricity capacity. Our work in India helps this shift from carbon-intensive practices to low carbon development pathways. We currently work across five systems: energy, industry, transport,

Divya Sharma, Executive Director, India, The Climate Group (TCG)

| March–April 2021

food, and the built environment. Through these systems, we aim to influence and accelerate low-carbon transitions. We focus on action now - not action tomorrow. We do this by supporting and influencing business and subnational governments in India to commit to realistic, inclusive, and accountable climate action targets now to support systems transitions over the next decade. What are some of the initiatives undertaken by the Climate Group and what has the response been like across the various quarters? Our work in India is two-fold. We support businesses in taking leadership on climate by committing to transition to clean and efficient energy and transport. And we work with Indian states to help ramp up their strategies and capacity in their climate action pathways. Our approach with businesses is through our three key initiatives that focus on clean energy (RE100), energy productivity (EP100), and electric vehicles (EV100). Since the inception of our India office in 2012, we have helped transition 70+ companies (with operations in India) to clean energy, we have nine Indian companies who have committed to doubling their energy productivity and eight companies with national operations committed to transition to 100 percent electric transport through our campaigns and initiatives. We approach our work with sub-national governments via the Under2 Coalition - a global community of state and regional governments committed to ambitious climate action in line with the Paris Agreement. The Climate Group works as the secretariat of this coalition. We have four Indian states who

81 are members of the coalition Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir and Telangana. We also work with non-member states such as Delhi, Gujarat, Kerala, Karnataka, Orissa, supporting them in strengthening their climate action pathways, help build a relevant policy with regard to clean infrastructure, and help them achieve their climate commitments. The Climate Group focuses on areas with the highest emissions such as energy, transport, and others, but these are also some of the most challenging sectors. What different approaches do you take for these specific sectors? We understand the challenge in driving low-carbon practices, especially in hard-to-abate sectors such as cement, steel, chemicals, and iron. In response to this, we are working to open knowledge and technical expertise for these sectors to drive deep decarbonization. In December last year, we published a report that shines a light on narratives to decarbonize heavy industry in India. The report brings to attention the need to decouple emissions with growth in these sectors and draws key insights from experts guiding challenging sectors to take steps in this direction. The Climate Group also launched the Global Framework Principles for Decarbonising Heavy Industry where we saw six Indian companies commit to the framework. By committing, these companies acknowledge the urgent need to accelerate and scale up the decarbonization of heavy industry to align with the goals of the Paris Agreement. We bring to focus the power of ambition and accountability in inspiring systems transitions. We annually report on progress towards commitments to keep businesses and governments on track. Many companies are progressing faster than what the commitment mandates. It inspires and challenges others to speed up as well. We also facilitate peer learning and best practice sharing between businesses and governments, and we connect decisionmakers to essential information and resources. We drive engagement

We bring to focus the power of ambition and accountability in inspiring systems transitions.”

and dialogue between business, government, and other stakeholders to collaboratively address barriers to action and we use the actions and collective voice of our large networks to influence and shift global markets and policies towards faster reductions in carbon emissions. The Climate Group is organizing the "India's Road to COP26 Summit: Business and Climate Action" summit on May 5, 2021, what can we expect from the daylong summit? India's Road to COP26 Summit will be a key moment for Indian businesses to demonstrate their commitment and ambition to drive climate action on clean energy, industry, and transport systems in the lead-up to COP26. We are excited to be partnering with Customized Energy Solutions and the UK Government (which holds the COP26 Presidency). This event on May 5th will be the first in a series of three events – in May, September (Climate Week NYC), and November (COP26). These three events will serve as a call for Indian companies to take further climate commitments and demonstrate their ambition on renewable energy, energy efficiency, and electric transport pathways. The Summit will begin with an opening ceremony that will bring together leaders from across Indian business, government, and civil society to celebrate the role of businesses in accelerating India's ambition and action on climate. The opening ceremony will be followed by exclusive sessions on clean energy, energy productivity, and clean transport.

Through this day-long event on business ambition and action in India, we hope to identify critical priorities and levers for quick transitions towards clean and efficient energy and transport – led by business actions. We want to use this moment to hone in on the work we have done in the past to bring out the true potential of businesses driving fast climate action in India, in partnership with the efforts of the government. Lastly, what is the focus of your efforts for 2021? What do you plan to achieve this year? We will continue to influence corporate and subnational climate action in India. We hope to mediate mutually benefiting partnerships between companies and government to make a mark on our efforts to bring down emissions while positioning India as a global climate leader. While doing so we would like to underline the value of our campaigns and their potential to drive inclusive, low-carbon growth across the country. We are also working towards assessing and preparing an internal roadmap on how we use our expertise and our mission statement to influence and accelerate climate action in the region. This is particularly important in the context of the climate decade and with the impacts of COVID-19 on the health and economy of our country. In this sense, the unwarranted disruption to development pathways, economy, livelihoods, and health can help us re-imagine growth for India while integrating climate-friendly, inclusive strategies. The systems transitions that we envision in the coming years will also focus on building resilience to disruptions such as this in the near future.

March–April 2021 |

Shraddha Kakade Assistant Editor ETN

HYDROGEN

Moving towards sustainable green hydrogen economy The growth of green hydrogen production technologies, falling costs of electrolyzers and fuel-cell stacks, and progressively concentrated policy actions to encourage green hydrogen projects are coming together to create a paradigm shift.

ydrogen is the most profuse element in the universe and its potential as a fuel has generated enthusiasm. For decades, governments and industry have invested into the research and development of hydrogen as future fuel. A global race to develop regional and national hydrogen economies is in progress, with the number of projects and regional policies globally expanding swiftly. Several pilot projects scrutinizing various applications for hydrogen use and viability studies for its transportation are at present underway. Globally, governments are developing hydrogen strategies to pioneer the field and establish leading positions in the emerging market. With the cost of renewables like solar power dropping, green hydrogen is being pushed as one part of the energy mix that will lead toward decarbonization, with applications oscillating from consumer and industrial power supplies to transportation and spaceflight. Hydrogen is a prospective substitute to fossil fuels across several sectors of the economy comprising transportation, manufacturing, heating and cooling, industrial equipment, and materials production.

Hydrogen demand is projected to continue growing, encouraged in part by a growing number of regulatory controls and government policies encouraging the decarbonization of fuel and energy systems across many sectors of the economy. European Union (EU) Hydrogen strategy and plans In July 2020, EU had announced its ‘European Green Deal’ to enhance its commitment to tackling climate and environmental-related challenges. The hydrogen strategy focusses on hydrogen produced from renewable energy sources. The objective is to decarbonise hydrogen production and expand its use in sectors where it can replace fossil fuels. Though the main focus is on green hydrogen, the EU Hydrogen Strategy recognises the role of other low-carbon hydrogen in the evolution phase in the short to medium term. The path set by the EU Hydrogen Strategy is divided into three phases. Each phase sets a specific objective to be accomplished within the applicable phase. The EU summarizes the objectives for each phase as follows: • Phase 1 (2020-2024): The commission’s objective is to support the

Image for representation only

installation of at least 6GW of renewable hydrogen electrolyzers in the EU, in order to produce up to one million tons of renewable hydrogen. • Phase 2 (2025-2030): Hydrogen needs to become an essential part of Europe’s integrated energy system, with at least 40 GW of renewable hydrogen electrolyzers and the production of up to 10 million tons of renewable hydrogen in the EU. • Phase 3 (2030-2050): The aim is for renewable hydrogen technologies to reach maturity and be installed at large scale across all hard-to-decarbonize sectors, such as chemicals and steelmaking. With the EU Hydrogen Strategy, the EU puts robust framework in place for the development of the hydrogen sector into one of the pillars of the European energy industry. The European Commission has launched a call for all 1,000-plus members of the European Clean Hydrogen Alliance to submit projects for low-carbon hydrogen technology and solutions. The call ends on May 7. The EU Hydrogen Strategy aims to install 6 GW of renewable hydrogen electrolyzers by 2024, and 40 GW by 2030. Major hydrogen projects Most of the world’s planned hydrogen projects and the major chunk of correlated investments this decade is anticipated to be in Europe. Australian company H2U has partnered with Germany-based multinational utility RWE Supply & Trading to develop hydrogen solutions for the European market. An MoU signed by the two companies will facilitate hydrogen trading between Australia and Germany. Hydrogen produced in Australia will be brought to Europe

| March–April 2021

83 to meet growing demand. This is in line with the objective of HySupply, a 24-month German-Australian feasibility study started by the German Academy of Science and Engineering and the Federation of German Industries. RWE Supply and Trading plans to use an LNG terminal it will build in Brunsbüttel, as a storage facility for the imported hydrogen. WOOD and NEL Hydrogen have signed an agreement to support the delivery of largescale green hydrogen facilities. The three-year engineering framework agreement will see WOOD work with NEL Hydrogen to develop and execute large-scale green hydrogen plants in select regions of Europe and globally. The Indian energy company Essar has partnered with the UK’s Progressive Energy to build two plants at Essar’s refinery in Stanlow, England, using Johnson Matthey technology for making low-carbon hydrogen from natural gas and fuel gases. The H2 generated from this process is categorized as blue because by-product carbon dioxide will be captured and stored, in this case in depleted undersea gas fields 60 km offshore. The partners plan to spend about $1 billion on the two plants, with the first to open in 2025. In Leuna, Germany, a joint venture between Linde and ITM Power plans world’s largest electrolyzer plant based on proton-exchange membranes. It will make zero-carbon H2, also known as green hydrogen, by splitting water using renewable energy. The 24 MW plant is set to open in late 2022. In the south of France, Total and the hydrogen technology firm Engie will mutually build and operate a 40MW electrolyzer plant, powered by renewable energy, to generate 5 MT per day of green H2. The facility is due to start up in 2024 at Total’s La Mède biorefinery. Nikola Corporation, Industrial Vehicles Corporation (IVECO S.p.A) and Oklahoma Gas & Electric Company (OGE) have entered into a letter of intent (LoI) for a partnership to institute a business structure for transporting hydrogen via pipeline network from production sources to hydrogen fuelling

stations in support of fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). The partnership is projected to facilitate cost-effective distribution of hydrogen from production to storage and fuelling locations in Germany to serve industry needs. Nikola will lead the installation of hydrogen fuelling locations for all OEM FCEVs at key locations supported by OGE’s hydrogen delivery systems. Danish renewable energy firm Orsted plans to build a 1GW green hydrogen facility in the AmsterdamRotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) trading and refining hub. The project, which will be developed in two phases, is scheduled to be fully completed by 2030. Munich-based energy technology company Siemens Energy announced its plans to produce green hydrogen at $1.50/kg by 2025 ‘based on large-scale commercial projects in operation’. Currently, the project is based on wind energy. The underlining assumptions are a cost of $16/MWh and a 100 MW electrolyzer running 16.4 hours a day on average. The German company is set to roll out its in-house proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis techno logy to implement a gigawatt production of electrolyzers. Siemens Energy describes green hydrogen as ‘the second stage of the energy transition’. India Policy and strategy One of the key initiatives for the clean energy sector that the government announced in the Union Budget 2021, was the plan to launch a National Hydrogen Mission. For the current financial year, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has been allotted ฀25 crore for research and development (R&D) in hydrogen. Once the draft of the mission is in place, it will be floated for public consultation. • This mission will emphasise hydrogen from clean sources. • It also envisages linking the country’s growing renewable energy capacity with the hydrogen economy. • India’s target for 2022 for renewable energy generation is 175 GW and this mission is projected to bolster the process.

• The renewable energy target for 2030 is 450 GW. • The country has set to decarbonise by 2050. • Using hydrogen will serve the dual purposes of accomplishing India’s emission commitments under the Paris Agreement and reducing the import dependence on fossil fuels. Replacing fossil fuels with hydrogen in these sectors will help reduce GHGs in a big way. There will be five important areas the government will focus on. These comprise R&D, demand creation, how it can be used in industry, how to create an eco-system including policies for this and how to bring industry on board along with international partnerships. Advantages There are a number of reasons why hydrogen is being promoted and the government is betting on it. • Electricity generation in India is profoundly dependent on fossil fuels (coal). If hydrogen can replace it, there will be reduced pollution (because of not burning fossil fuels). Additionally, the import of coal can be reduced. • Hydrogen is the most abundant element on the planet and has other advantages such as being lighter, more energy-dense and energy-efficient (2–3 times more than petrol). • The transportation, iron and steel, and chemical industries will be benefitted. Hydrogen for mobility • While anticipated end-use sectors include steel and chemicals, the major industry that hydrogen has the prospective of transforming is transportation. • These sectors contribute to 1/3rd of all greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) because of their fossil fuels usage and where hydrogen is being seen as a direct replacement of fossil fuels, with specific advantages over traditional EVs. • Hydrogen fuel cell cars have a near-zero carbon footprint. • Hydrogen is about two to three times as efficient as burning

March–April 2021 |

84 petrol because an electric chemical reaction is much more efficient than combustion. State-run power producer NTPC has already signed an MoU with Siemens for production of green hydrogen from the company’s renewable energy plants and its use in transportation. It has also planned pilot projects to run five hydrogen-cell electric buses and five cars in Delhi and Leh. In its laboratories, NTPC is designing a prototype for hard/sea water electrolysis and reactors for hydrogen production through the photo-electro-chemical process. India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) MIGHT (Mobility and Infrastructure with Green Hydrogen Technologies) Initiative: India’s leading alliance on energy storage & e-mobility, India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) MIGHT (Mobility and Infrastructure with Green Hydrogen Technologies) Initiative is envisioned to explore opportunities for India with regards to potential of green hydrogen technologies for green energy acceleration and the adoption of clean transport. The focus will also be on the applications of hydrogen for industrial and agricultural applications beyond electricity generation. The alliance also aims to identify and remove any barriers as well as work on building an innovation ecosystem for green hydrogen technologies. MOU with MENA Hydrogen Alliance: MENA Hydrogen Alliance launched in 2020 to accelerate the development of value chains for green molecules in the region and brings together private and public sector actors and academia. Under the umbrella of Desertic 3.0, Dii Desert Energy acts as neutral advisor to elaborate business cases and to educate different stakeholders on all aspects of producing, transporting, and using green hydrogen and other green molecules. This comprises exporting green molecules to world markets, comprising Europe. MOU with Greenstat Hydrogen India Pvt Ltd: Greenstat Hydrogen India Pvt Ltd envisions to make green happen.

To accomplish this vision, Greenstat and its subsidiaries are focussing upon different business areas that will contribute to its vision. Webinars to date • Hydrogen & Fuel cell technologies & Opportunities for India: In this webinar, experts deliberated about hydrogen and Fuel cell-based generation for vehicle and stationary applications. Eminent speakers from Niti Aayog, Hydrogen in Motion, Indian Oil Corporation, TATA Sons and NTPC participated in the webinar. • At the India Energy Storage Week 2020, IESA conducted workshop on Hydrogen Economy and IndiaNordic Collaboration, supported by Innovation Norway and Business Finland on 2nd November. It also steered a session on Technological Readiness of Hydrogen Storage for Stationary and EV Applications on 6th November. Contribution in hydrogen economy • Technological due diligence on hydrogen • Support in the market access • Helping in understanding the technology partnership with global companies to India IESA Roundtable on Green Hydrogen and Hydrogen Mission for India IESA will be organizing its 3rd annual event on hydrogen and fuel cell, ‘India Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Conclave – #IHFC2021’ on 25th May 2021 focused on both mobility and stationary applications. In this three series roundtable, the alliance aims to gather Indian and global stakeholders including technology providers, policymakers and industry players to brainstorm and deliberate suitable hydrogen road-map for India. Major Hydrogen Projects • Italian conglomerate Maire Tecnimont through its subsidiaries NextChem, Stamicarbon and MET Development (MET DEV) has signed an MoU with Adani Enterprises to explore the development of industrial projects using NextChem and Stamicarbon’s technologies and MET DEV’s

| March–April 2021

project development capabilities and expertise to industrialise green chemistry and circular economy sectors in India. The projects will be focused on producing chemicals, ammonia and hydrogen from renewable feedstock. • Fusion Fuel Green PLC has signed an MoU with BGR Energy Systems Limited to develop green hydrogen projects in India. The companies aim to institute an initial demonstrator plant in the region of Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, India in the second half of 2021 using its market-leading HEVO-SOLAR technology to generate cost-competitive green hydrogen and thereafter develop larger-scale projects in the region for the supply of hydrogen for the production of green ammonia and bio-ethanol, and as a feedstock for other heavy industrial applications. • State-owned Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has signed a pact with Greenstat Norway for setting up a Centre of Excellence on Hydrogen. The CoE-H will facilitate the transfer and sharing of technology, know-how and experience through the green hydrogen value chain and other relevant technologies including hydrogen storage and fuel cells. The CoE-H will be a vehicle for promoting R&D projects in green and blue hydrogen between Norwegian and Indian R&D institutions/universities. • Italian gas group Snam and renewable energy developer Greenko have signed an agreement to develop Hydrogen value chain in India including production methods and industrial applications of the fuel. The two companies will be able to collaborate on the study of hydrogen production methods from renewables, on the design of hydrogen-ready infrastructure and on potential final applications in both industry and transport, including fuel cell mobility.

Moulin Oza Assistant Editor ETN

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COMPANY & ADVERTISER INDEX / IMPRINT

Adani Enterprises Ltd

ITV

Siemens Energy AG

Amazon India

Linde plc

SmartE

APTIV PLC

LOHUM CLEANTECH Pvt Ltd

Snam S.p.A.

Ather Energy

Mahindra Electric

State Government of Rajasthan

BGR Energy Systems Limited

Maire Tecnimont S.p.A.

Steinmüller Babcock Environment GmbH (SBE)

Bosch

MENA Hydrogen Alliance

Sterling & Wilson Pvt. Ltd.

Business Finland

Mercedes Benz AG

SUN Mobility

Coca-Cola European Partners

MG Motors

Tata Autocomp Systems Limited (TACO)

Customized Energy Solutions

Microsoft

Tata Cleantech Capital Limited

Dalhousie University

Ministry of External Affairs

Tata Motors

Department of Heavy Industries, Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises

Ministry of Finance

Tata Power-DDL

Ministry of Heavy Industry and Public Enterprise (MHIPE)

TATA Sons

Detel India

Ministry of New and Renewable Energy

The Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI)

Earth Energy EV

Ministry of Road Transport and Highways

The Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI)

EARTHDAY.ORG.

National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC)

The CEEW Centre for Energy Finance (CEF)

Engie SA

NEL Hydrogen AS

The Climate Group

Essar Group

Neste

The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI)

Flipkart

NextChem S.p.A.

The United States Agency for International Development

Fusion Fuel Green PLC

Nikola Corporation

The University of Birmingham

Global Optimism

NITI Aayog

Thermax Babcock & Wilcox Energy Solutions (TBWES)

Greenko Group

NTPC Ltd

Toyota Kirloskar Motor

Greenstat AS

Oklahoma Gas & Electric Company (OGE)

UK Government

Greenstat Hydrogen India Pvt Ltd

Olectra Greentech Ltd

Underwriters Laboratories

Groupe SEB France

Park+

Unilever

H2U

Partha Mukherjee, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Purdue University

US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC)

Harbour Air

Praj Industries

Varroc Engineering

Hero Electric Vehicles

Pravaig Dynamics

Vaude

Hydrogen in Motion

Progressive Energy Ltd

Vikram Solar Ltd

Hyundai Motor India

Rajasthan State Electricity Board (RSEB)

Volkswagen

Indian Oil Corporation Limited

Rapido

Volkswagen

Industrial Vehicles Corporation (IVECO S.p.A)

Rubicon

WOOD plc

Innovation Norway

RWE Supply & Trading GmbH

Zyngo

ITM Power

Shuchi Anant Virya

Zypp Electric

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