World EV Day: Battery Standardisation Will Bring Safety

Consumers, while supportive of the Electric Vehicle (EV) revolution, remain hesitant to fully commit to EV adoption, iVOOMi Energy CEO and Co-Founder Ashwin Bhandari said on Friday.

Emphasising on the Battery standardisation he said, “Battery standardisation in India is an absolute and necessary implementation that should be welcomed by not only the consumers but also the EV manufacturers all over the country. Current consumers, while supportive of the EV revolution, remain hesitant to fully commit to EV adoption.”

He said that Battery standardisation will bring safety, tactical application, and servicing capabilities, which will make EV adoption and expansion easier for consumers.

“It will also mean standardisation of easy and fast charging stations, for which the government can step in and implement the infrastructure on a much larger scale. On the manufacturers’ and consumers’ side, we believe that India is quite capable and willing to adopt and enforce standardisation as we have often seen vigilance and careful implementation of such policies in the industry,” Bhandari added.

Vigilant education on EV operations and understanding that EVs are more than just a fad but also the future of a sustainable India is crucial among the youth. As a result, the EV revolution will experience stability and consistent growth.

He further said, we at iVOOMi applaud the standardisation and hope that the government takes positive steps to ensure the safety, reliability, and overall positive sentiment of EVs on a much more sustainable basis.

According to the researchers from Japan led by Professor Mutsuko Hatano from Tokyo Institute of Technology, has come up with a solution. In their study published in Scientific Reports, the team has reported a diamond quantum sensor-based detection technique that can estimate the battery charge within 1 per cent accuracy while measuring high currents typical of EVs.

The team made a prototype sensor using two diamond quantum sensors that were placed on either side of the busbar (electrical junction for incoming and outgoing currents) in the car. They then used a technique called “differential detection” to eliminate the common noise detected by both the sensors and retain only the actual signal. This, in turn, enabled them to detect a small current of 10 mA amid background environmental noise.

Typically, the battery currents in EVs can reach hundreds of amperes. However, commercial sensors that can detect such currents cannot measure small changes in the current at milliampere levels. This leads to an ambiguity of around 10 per cent in the battery charge estimation. What this means is that the driving range of EVs could be extended by 10 per cent. This, in turn, would reduce inefficient battery usage.

EV Market In India

The Indian automobile industry is the fifth largest in the world and is expected to become the third largest by 2030. As per India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA), the Indian EV industry is expected to expand at a CAGR of 36 per cent.

As population rises and demand for vehicles grow, dependence on conventional energy resources is not a sustainable option as India imports close to 80 per cent of its crude oil requirements. NITI Aayog aims to achieve EV sales penetration of 70 per cent for all commercial cars, 30 per cent for private cars, 40 per cent for buses and 80 per cent for two and three-wheelers by 2030.

This is in line with the goal to achieve net zero carbon emission by 2070. Over the last three years, 0.52 million EVs were registered in India, according to the Ministry of Heavy Industries. EVs recorded robust growth in 2021, supported by the implementation of favourable policies and programmes by the government.