IIT-Roorkee transfers advanced fast-charging Li-ion battery tech to industry partner

ROORKEE: In a boost to India’s electric mobility and energy storage sector, Indian Institute of Technology-Roorkee has transferred two advanced lithium-ion battery technologies to Cathion Energy Private Limited for commercial use.The agreements were signed for technologies developed by Prof Anjan Sil, aimed at improving battery charging speed, power density and overall electrochemical performance in rechargeable Li-ion batteries used in electric vehicles, portable electronics and renewable energy storage systems.Institute officials said the transferred technologies include a novel electrode composite for high-power and high-energy rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and another high-performance composite electrode material for Li-ion batteries.Prof Sil told TOI that batteries currently available in the Indian market are mainly evaluated on the basis of two major performance factors — higher energy density and lower power density. Addressing these two areas, the institute developed two novel electrodes using a special kind of oxide-based material, which would retain high energy density while improving power density significantly, thereby enabling fast charging of batteries.“Suppose, a battery earlier used to recharge in one hour, after adoption of this technology the charging time could come down to less than 10 minutes,” Sil told TOI.Dr Hari Raj said the collaboration would help improve battery efficiency and support the growing electric mobility ecosystem.Institute director Prof KK Pant said the institute was continuously developing indigenous and industry-oriented technologies with strong commercialisation potential.