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					</table><p>Pune-headquartered <a href="https://www.kpit.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KPIT Technologies</a>, an autonomous software integration partner for the automotive and mobility sector, has introduced its sodium (Na)-ion battery technology with the aim of alleviating lithium dependency in India’s energy storage sector.</p>
<p>The technology is anticipated to decrease reliance on imported core battery materials and boasts various applications within the automotive and mobility realms, particularly for electric two and three-wheelers and commercial vehicles.</p>
<p>The company said the development places them among a select group of globally recognized sustainability-focused organizations that have developed sodium-ion-based battery technology.</p>
<p>It also exhibits potential applications in stationary uses, including Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) backups and grid storage, as well as in the marine and defense industries.</p>
<p>Key features of the sodium-ion battery technology include an extended lifespan with 80% capacity retention for 3,000-6,000 cycles; multiple variants with distinct performance characteristics and energy density ranging from 100-170 Wh/Kg; faster charging compared to common lithium batteries; superior sub-zero temperature tolerance; high-temperature tolerance with minimal thermal management; enhanced safety; and a substantial reduction in ownership costs leading to increased vehicle uptime and income.</p>
<p>KPIT said the achievement underscores their successful collaboration with the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (<a href="https://www.iiserpune.ac.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IISER Pune</a>). Dr. Satishchandra Ogale, leading the IISER Pune team, played a pivotal role in advancing material synthesis, characterization, and battery testing.</p>
<p>Ravi Pandit, Co-founder and Chairman of KPIT Technologies said, “Sustainability is at the heart of KPIT’s vision. We are working on multiple technologies to reimagine mobility and accelerate the push towards cleaner transportation.”</p>
<p>He highlighted the importance of alternative battery technologies and localizing the storage value chain.</p>
<p>The company said it looks forward to collaborating with manufacturing companies for global commercialization as it works on advancing the battery technology further.</p>
<p>In May, scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/iit-researchers-make-headway-sodium-ion-batteries" target="_blank" rel="noopener">claimed</a> a breakthrough in developing sodium-ion (Na-ion) batteries by addressing the challenges of air/water instability and structural-cum-electrochemical instability in cathode materials.</p>
<p>Earlier, Reliance New Energy Solar, the green energy arm of Reliance Industries, <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/reliance-acquire-battery-technology-faradion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> an agreement with sodium-ion battery technology provider Faradion Limited to acquire a 100% stake for £94.42 million (~$127.42 million).</p>


India-based KPIT Unveils Indigenous Sodium-Ion Battery Technology


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					</table><p>Bengaluru-based battery technology startup <a href="https://www.dfi-india.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dreamfly Innovations</a> has secured $300,000 in funding through a round led by <a href="https://therebalance.com/rebalance-angel-community/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rebalance Angel Community</a>, with participation from IIM Ahmedabad’s Center for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship (<a href="https://ciie.co/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CIIE.CO</a>).</p>
<p>The startup plans to utilize the funds for product commercialization and expanding its team.</p>
<p>Dreamfly aims to revolutionize the future of energy by leveraging software-defined battery (SDB) technology which employs software algorithms to optimize battery performance, efficiency, and safety.</p>
<p>Established in 2022, Dreamfly’s flagship product, the Graphene Battery, aims to tackle battery-related challenges faced by drone companies, including the risk of battery fires. The company claims to have reported successful pilot implementations of its technology with drone-as-a-service firms operating in agriculture, geospatial mapping, and space tech sectors.</p>
<p>Co-founders of Dreamfly Innovations, Saurabh Markendeya and Kajal Shah, remarked, “With two decades of experience working on SMART Batteries and various cell chemistries, we recognized a significant market opportunity. These SMART batteries with Graphene Cell Chemistry offer safety, fire resistance, and precise flight predictability, ensuring smooth flying and precision landing.”</p>
<p>The company said the drone, aviation, and electric vehicle battery market was dominated by Li-Ion and Li-Po technology. However, the growth of this soon-to-be $1.5 trillion industry is crippled due to performance, safety, and durability concerns.</p>
<p>After a series of fires in electric vehicles last year, Minister of Road Transport and Highways of India Nitin Gadkari <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/government-warns-of-heavy-penalties-and-mass-recall-of-ev-following-battery-fires" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warned</a> that any EV company found to be negligent in its manufacturing process will face heavy penalties.</p>
<p>Dreamfly also stated it is developing India&#8217;s first gallium nitride-based semiconductor chip dedicated to battery controller systems, enhancing the efficiency and durability of battery systems.</p>
<p>Highlighting India’s transition toward an electron economy and emphasizing the government’s ambitious target of 30% electrification by 2030, Chintan Antani, VP of Seed Investments at CIIE.CO, said  battery systems are one of the most important power storage and generation pillars.</p>
<p>In the first half (1H) of 2023, corporate funding for energy storage companies reached $7.1 billion across 59 deals, according to Mercom Capital Group’s <a href="https://mercomcapital.com/product/1h-q2-2023-funding-ma-report-storage-grid/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1H and Q2 2023 Funding and M&amp;A Report Storage and Grid Report</a>.</p>


Dreamfly Innovations Raises $300,000 for Graphene Battery Development


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					</table><p>Researchers from <a href="https://ethz.ch/en.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ETH Zurich</a> have developed an environmentally friendly salt concentration for water-based zinc-ion batteries, which offers long-lasting performance and fast charging.</p>
<p>To store sustainably produced energy from sources like wind or sunlight, the world requires powerful and cost-effective batteries that can be utilized even in the absence of natural sources.</p>
<p>While lithium-ion batteries are commonly used to power smartphones and electric cars, they are costly due to the increasing global demand for lithium and are also prone to flammability issues.</p>
<p>A viable substitute for lithium-ion batteries is water-based zinc batteries which have the potential to offer promising benefits.</p>
<p>Although zinc batteries offer several advantages, durability remains a significant challenge.</p>
<p>Zinc, being abundant and inexpensive, with a well-established recycling infrastructure, can store a large amount of electricity. In addition, the use of water-based electrolytes in zinc batteries eliminates the need for highly flammable organic solvents as electrolyte fluids, making them a safer option.</p>
<p>Despite the many benefits of zinc batteries, engineers must overcome significant challenges during their development.</p>
<p>One such challenge is the formation of hydrogen gas when the battery is charged at high voltage, which causes a decrease in electrolyte fluid and battery performance, as well as dangerous pressure buildup.</p>
<p>Another issue is the development of dendrites, spikey deposits of zinc that can pierce through the battery during charging and can lead to short circuits.</p>
<p>The strategy of adding salts to the aqueous liquid electrolyte has been pursued by engineers to reduce the water content. However, this approach has its drawbacks.</p>
<p>The electrolyte fluid becomes thick and viscous, which slows down the charging and discharging processes significantly. Furthermore, most of the salts used in this method contain fluorine, which can be harmful and toxic to the environment.</p>
<p>To address this issue, Maria Lukatskaya, an Electrochemical Energy Systems Professor at ETH Zurich, collaborated with researchers from various institutions in the US and Switzerland to find the ideal salt concentration for water-based zinc-ion batteries.</p>
<p>Through a combination of experiments and computer simulations, they discovered that the optimal salt concentration is not the highest possible, as previously believed, but rather a relatively low concentration of five to ten water molecules per salt&#8217;s positive ion.</p>
<p>In March 2023, researchers at HZB <a href="https://www.mercomindia.com/researchers-perovskite-solar-cells-saves-input-energy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found</a> that solar cells made of metal halide perovskites achieve high efficiencies and can be produced from liquid inks with little energy input.</p>
<p>Researchers at Swansea University in Wales, United Kingdom, recently <a href="https://mercomindia.com/researchers-find-cost-perovskite-solar-cells-at-scale/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">established</a> a low-cost and scalable carbon ink formulation capable of unlocking the potential for manufacturing perovskite solar cells at scale.</p>


Low Salt Concentration Makes Zinc-ion Batteries Viable Compared with Li-ion


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					</table><p>A team of researchers led by Professor Dennis Leung from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the<a href="https://www.hku.hk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> University of Hong Kong (HKU) </a>have recently discovered a new possibility beyond lithium-ion-based batteries — a rechargeable aqueous battery with a magnesium metal anode.</p>
<p>While lithium-ion batteries are one of the most popular, they suffer from setbacks. These batteries are toxic and expensive, in addition to the global supply shortage of metals.</p>
<p>The recent innovation will most likely open an all-new direction for developing post-lithium-ion batteries.</p>
<p>“With a high theoretical capacity and negative electrochemical potential, magnesium is an attractive anode material,” said Professor Leung. “Magnesium is also non-toxic and earth-abundant,” he added.</p>
<p>Magnesium is typically considered hard to use in batteries due to its high reactivity. It is passivated when exposed to moisture, forming an impermeable oxidation film that blocks redox reactions.</p>
<p>While most researchers study magnesium batteries with non-aqueous organic electrolytes, they are often expensive, unstable, and poorly conductive.</p>
<p><strong> The </strong><strong>Magnesium Alternative </strong></p>
<p>The team’s findings bring attention to the overlooked rechargeable aqueous magnesium metal batteries. One of the key advantages of opting for magnesium is that it makes up over 2% of the earth’s crust and is more abundant than lithium by 1000 times.</p>
<p>Despite the challenge posed by magnesium’s sensitivity to moisture, Professor Leung maintains that aqueous electrolytes offer a safe and low-cost solution.</p>
<p>Contrary to traditional belief, rechargeability can be achieved in an aqueous magnesium battery system. The passivation film of magnesium can be regulated using an aqueous chloride-based “water-in-salt” electrolyte.</p>
<p>The team further found that the adsorption of chloride ions can protect the magnesium surface by partially dissolving oxides and exposing native metal for redox reactions. With limited free water, the chloride-based water-in-salt electrolyte successfully combats magnesium passivation.</p>
<p>“Using the novel water-in-salt electrolyte, the original passivation film can be converted into a conductive metallic oxide layer, providing ionic pathways for rechargeable battery operations,” said Ph.D. student Kee Wah Leong.</p>
<p>The resulting battery demonstrates rechargeability for over 700 stable cycles with a high discharge plateau of 2.4-2.0V. It exceeds the cell voltage of other multivalent-ion batteries, including zinc metal and aluminum metal batteries.</p>
<p>Though the voltage is not yet comparable to commercial lithium-ion batteries, its performance is said to have immense potential.</p>
<p>“The battery serves as a proof-of-concept and demonstrates for the first time the long-term cyclability of an aqueous Mg metal battery,” said Professor Leung.</p>
<p>Lithium rates have surged over seven times since May last year, creating challenges for the global electric vehicle (EV) battery supply chain. In a recent report, the International Energy Agency (IEA) <a href="https://mercomindia.com/ev-battery-supply-chains-stressed/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that the cobalt and nickel prices more than doubled from March 2021 to May 2022, stressing the supply chain as battery demand increased.</p>
<p>With the rising prices, the industry is already looking for cost-effective and readily available alternatives.</p>
<p>Earlier this year, researchers at Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin <a href="https://mercomindia.com/researchers-develop-pouch-cell/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">developed</a> a pouch cell format with different electrolytes that can help increase the life of the lithium-sulfur battery.</p>


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