Why is India looking at Lithium reserves in Argentina, Chile and Bolivia?
In the year 2019, Indian President Ram Nath Kovind visited two out of three 'Lithium Triangle' nations with a focus on joint manufacturing and facilitating the process of acquiring Lithium as India plans to meet the target of having Electric Vehicles by the year 2030.
Formation of KABIL
In light of this, 'KABIL' consortium was formed by the Government of India comprising of three state-owned companies-- National Aluminum Company (NALCO), Hindustan Copper (HCL) and Mineral Exploration Corp Ltd., (MECL). The equity participation between NALCO, HCL and MECL is in the ratio of 40:30:30.
Khanij Bidesh India Ltd. (KABIL) carries out identification, acquisition, exploration, development, mining and processing of strategic minerals overseas for commercial use and meet India's requirement of these minerals. It was set up to build a partnership with mineral-rich countries such as Australia (world's largest producer of Lithium), and those in Africa (Zimbabwe) and South America (Chile, Bolivia, etc.).
| What is 'Lithium Triangle'? The 'Lithium Triangle' is a region of the Andes which is rich in Lithium reserves around the borders of Argentina, Bolivia and Chile. This area is thought to hold around 54% of the world's Lithium reserves.
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Why is India looking at Lithium-rich countries?
Amid the ongoing standoff between India and China, the Government of India is planning to manufacture Li-ion batteries and cells within the country and plans to fit the said batteries in its future submarines, replacing the traditional lead-acid batteries. Earlier, due to the huge demand, India 100% imported Li-ion batteries and cells.
In light of this, India and Bolivia are in talks about having a joint manufacturing base for the batteries, while Chile and Argentina are in talks about exploration and exports of Lithium.
This year is said to be the inflection point for the battery technology, with major improvements into the Li-ion technology. While Li-ion batteries are sufficiently efficient for smartphones and laptops, however, in case of EVs, they cannot serve as an alternative to internal combustion engines.
Innovations in battery technology
1- Out of the 1,000-odd global patents of solid-state batteries, Toyota tops the list. The Japanese company is trying its best to overtake China (current Li-ion battery leaders). Toyota is planning to be the first company to sell an EV housed with a solid-state battery and its prototype is expected in the year 2021. Another company, Nissan, is in the fray too.
2- In 2020, Apple stated that it is planning to move forward with self-driving car technology. Apple further set a target that by 2024, it will produce a passenger vehicle. As quoted by Reuters, Apple's own 'breakthrough' battery technology may be a vital clog in light of this vision. Also, the new battery design may reduce the cost of batteries and increase the vehicle's range.
3- California based QuantumScape Corp., founded by Standford University scientists almost a decade ago, with financial backing from Volkswagen AG, is amongst the leading developers of the solid-state Lithium metal batteries for the use in Electric Vehicles. It is to be noted that by 2025, Volkswagen AG in partnership with QuantumScape Corp. plans to have production running for solid-state batteries.
Previously, efforts were made to create a solid-state separator (electrolyte) which can work with Lithium metal, but, it had to compromise on other aspects such as the life of the battery, operating temperature and so on. However, California based QuantumScape Corp. bypassed the said problems and eliminated the side reaction between the liquid electrolyte and the carbon in conventional Lithium-ion cells’ anode.
As per Dr. Stanley Whittingham, 2019 Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry and the inventor of Li-ion batteries, " The hardest part about making a working solid-state battery is the need to simultaneously meet the requirements of high energy density, fast charge, long cycle life, and wide temperature range operation. If QuantumScape can get this technology into mass production, it holds the potential to transform the industry."
4- In September 2020, Tesla unveiled its plan to develop a new 'tabless' battery. The new technology is touted to enhance the power and range of an electric car. These are called as 4860 cells by Tesla and may enhance the company's EV batteries capacity by five times, make them six times more powerful and enable a 16% range increase for Tesla's vehicles.
As per CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk, the new batteries produced by Tesla will reduce the cost and enable the company to sell EVs for the same price as that of petrol-powered ones.
| What is a 'Tab' in the battery? A 'Tab' is the part of the battery which forms a connection between the cell and what it is powering. |
Claims on the new battery technology
1- In July 2020, researchers at Stanford University claimed to have developed a new electrolyte design to provide a boost to Lithium metal batteries’ performance and a driving range of EVs. They further stated that the electrolyte solution was holding back the progress for Lithium metal batteries.
2- Researchers at Penn State University also claimed to have developed a Lithium-ion battery that is safe and can last up to a million mile.
3- China's QingTao Energy Development is spending over $150 million in Research and Development of solid-state batteries, amongst others. The investment will last for three years starting in 2021.
Thus, solid-state batteries are most promising as they use alternatives to aqueous electrolyte solutions. This innovation has the potential to lower the risk of fires, cut the recharge time by two thirds (10 minutes to charge an EV), extend the driving distance of a compact Electric Vehicle (EV) and so forth. This innovation can be said as a quantum leap in battery technology.
Why is India planning to fit Li-ion batteries in the future Indian Navy submarines?
References
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