IOC To Develop Batteries Using Indigenous Metals

The Indian Oil Corp will develop batteries for vehicles, which will be based on indigenous metals. This move will reduce the dependence on lithium-ion batteries that are currently used in electric vehicles. The chairman of IOC, Sanjiv Singh, said that the metal-air batteries are capable of oxidizing metals such as zinc, iron, and aluminum to produce the energy. However, these batteries cannot be recharged, and the motorists need to replace the plates in order to use them again.

After the battery is completely discharged, it takes a few minutes to change the plates and use the battery again, which makes it very convenient for the users. “A customer is not concerned about how we make petrol if he can buy it wherever he wants. Similarly, if he goes to a station and we replace the metal plates, he is not bothered because the whole thing happens within three minutes. These batteries have high energy density. So, if a normal lithium-ion battery can travel the vehicle up to 300 km, these can take it to 500 km,” said Singh.

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Even if this battery has advantages, the cost-effectiveness will rely on the scale of operation. This technology will help in eliminating the requirement for charging stations/hubs, but at the same time, it will demand a complete business model to support the process of refurbishment. To make this process recyclable, it comes with a metal oxide that gets reduced to metal again.

According to the source, the battery is capable of lasting up to eight years. Moreover, the automobile industry estimates stated that the country would require around 350,000 tonnes of lithium per year. The chairman said that if they want to manufacture electric trains, then they should not rely on foreign firms to gain raw materials. Also, IOC has plans to build a 1GW plant to handle the task of manufacturing metal-air batteries.