PureEV Signs MoU with CSIR-CECRI, Indigenizing Lithium-Ion technology for EVs

IIT Hyderabad incubated PURE EV has announced its partnership with CSIR – Central Electro Chemical Research Institute (CECRI). The firm has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with CSIR- CECRI for indigenous Lithium-Ion battery technology for electric vehicles. The company has been funded by  Pharma industry veteran V C Nannapaneni.

The collaboration will serve joint research on the production of battery packs, validation of LIB cells, and approaching the particular requirements to ensure the suitability of the developed batteries for significant performance at the Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) conditions, PURE EV stated.

Speaking of the partnership, PURE EV CEO Rohit Vadera said, “We will work closely with the CECRI team in enabling them to realize the full potential of their initiative. We will carry out extensive testing for performance validation across various two-wheeler EV models across the pan India terrain conditions and benchmark concerning the imported cells and providing them crucial feedback to achieve mass scale commercialization.”

“This collaboration to manufacture lithium batteries with indigenous cells for the company’s high-speed EV 2W is a matter of pride for PURE EV due to the long term interests of the nation. Our extensive R&D work in the battery thermal management system gives us unique insights into the battery performance and lifecycle enhancement,” Vadera added.

CSIR has started a project titled, ‘CSIR Innovation Centre for Next Generation Energy Storage Solutions (ICeNGESS)’ aiming to produce LIBs on a 100 MW scale, which will boost the market’s independence for battery packs required for electric vehicles and minimize the Chinese imports.

Dr. V K Saraswat, Member of NITI Aayog commented, “Achieving self-reliance and developing core competence in Lithium cell manufacturing is critical for the emergence of electric vehicles as a predominant mode of transportation in India. Since we are starting from a low base, it is critical that the eminent institutions working in the cell manufacturing also collaborate with the industry partners who can carry out accelerated testing to provide the necessary feedback for further improvements.”

“This collaboration between PURE EV and CECRI will lead to important outcomes on areas like Battery Thermal Management System (BTMS) and Safety which are critical to for mass scale commercialization of these cells. NITI Aayog strongly encourages such partnerships which can lead to a more flexible supply chain for the evolution of an important industry like electric vehicles,” Saraswat added.

Speaking of the Project ‘ICeNGESS’ started by CSIR, Dr. N Kalaiselvi Director of said, “The emphasis of this program falls under the umbrella of Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiatives of the GoI. We look forward to a very fruitful collaboration with PURE EV who will be our industry partner in the battery pack assembly, testing, and performance benchmarking.”

“We intend that such partnerships open up doors for further collaboration opportunities.”

“ICeNGESS would enable indigenous Lithium-Ion technology to help the country in addressing the requirements of its mission on electrification of two/three/four wheelers apart from stationary and storage applications,” Kalaiselvi added.