While India’s present role across the global battery supply chain is negligible, India could become a notable producer of certain goods in the global battery supply chain through international collaboration, says a new paper
India could help advance the global electric vehicle transition by producing certain goods in segments of the global battery supply chain, according to a research paper from Observer Research Foundation America (ORF-A). The analysis looked at India’s present and potential role in the global supply chain for electric vehicle batteries.
At the moment, China dominates most parts of the global battery supply chain, leaving India with no sizable production share. In 2020, 40–50% of the cobalt produced in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was controlled by Chinese businesses. The majority of the world’s manufacturing of most precursor materials and cell components, such as separators, electrolyte salt, cathode material, and anode material, is produced in China. In addition to being the world’s top battery manufacturer, China also leads the world in battery recycling, the paper said.
India does have existing production and significant growth potential in specific segments of the battery supply chain, especially as some countries seek to diversify their supply chains away from China due to geopolitical concerns.