For those operating a mobile phone, an e-bike or even using a power tool, lithium-ion batteries have emerged as a key energy storage system. These batteries are now more efficient, have a longer life and offer more power in smaller packs
By Gunjan Piplani
Lithium-ion (li-ion) batteries comprise nearly 40 per cent of the total battery market. According to the recently published TechSci Research report titled ‘India Li-ion Battery Market Forecast and Opportunities, 2020’ the market for li-ion batteries in India is projected to witness double digit growth at a CAGR of over 35 per cent during the period 2015-2020. Earlier, low consumer awareness, inadequate investments made by manufacturers and a lack of technological innovations had curbed the growth of this industry, but now the companies are investing in a scale. Though there are domestic manufacturers of these batteries, there is also a high volume of imports from China and Taiwan. This is expected to change as these batteries offer huge growth possibilities, considering their increased use in different application areas including consumer durables, power tools, electric vehicles and healthcare machines.
“The major segments in which Li-ion batteries are currently being used are mobile phones, laptops, cameras and tablets. However, due to their outstanding benefits including their delivery of high current and the shorter time needed for recharging, these batteries are now being widely used in solar panels and emergency lights, and to provide uninterrupted power for continuously running machinery as well as e-motive power for two wheelers and four wheelers. The most outstanding benefit of li-ion batteries is their ability to operate perfectly well despite a deep discharge of even upto 80 per cent of its capacity. Another unique quality of li-ion batteries is that even at the discharge level of 80 per cent, it can start delivering power as soon as the re-charging starts rather than waiting for full recharge which is necessary in the case of most other batteries,” says V. P. Mahendru, chairman and managing director, Eon Electric Ltd.
“Globally, the storage market is worth US$ 50 billion and this will grow to US$ 80 billion by 2020, with a large number of portable applications showing exponential growth like tablets, smartphones and wearables. In India, the demand estimation for the energy storage business is US$ 2.2 billion this year, which will increase to US$ 6 billion by 2020. Of the total demand, li-ion (including mobile phones) is estimated to be worth US$ 1 billion,” informs Hiren Shah, head – energy and NBD, Panasonic India.
The right time to grow
Li-ion batteries have witnessed greater demand in recent times. This has been driven by the new policies of the government on the renewable energy front, which includes promoting the use of electric vehicles through the New Electric Mobility Mission Plan 2020. Under this, the government plans to have 6-7 million electric vehicles running on Indian roads by 2020. The Smartcity projects and Green Energy Corridor for power generation from renewable sources would add to the overall installed capacity, thereby increasing the demand for energy storage batteries.
“In the coming years, India is expected to witness substantial investments by various companies to set up their Li-ion battery manufacturing bases in the country. Considering the continuous increase in smartphone and electric vehicle penetration in the country, major players including Panasonic and China BAK already have plans to set up their manufacturing units in various parts of the country,” says Karan Chechi, research director, TechSci Research.
Satisfying the need for ‘more’ from consumer durables
Consumer electronics devices, including mobile phones, laptops, tablets, power banks and cameras, which have become a vital part of our lives, operate on li-ion batteries. As these devices are used on a daily basis (and in case of mobile phones, virtually every second minute), a consumer looks for a long battery life. In the case of mobile phones, batteries as high as 4000mAh are being designed to offer longer life. These batteries also have faster-charging capabilities—a feature known as optimised charging helps to charge a discharged mobile phone fully in nearly 30 minutes.
The batteries used in these devices need to provide more energy in a smaller size.
Brands like Eon Electric, Samsung SDI, Sony India, Dell and others offer batteries for consumer electronics devices.
“Lithium-ion batteries began their journey with consumer electronics and moved beyond mobile phones to cameras, laptops, recording devices and others. These applications remain li-ion energy storage solutions’ largest consumer,” shares Samir Sharan, CEO, ACME Cleantech Solutions Ltd.
The driving force behind electric vehicles
This is one of the key emerging application areas for li-ion batteries, in the light of the government’s initiative on electric mobility. Many players are now investing in batteries for electric vehicles understanding that there is a huge business opportunity here. According to Frost & Sullivan, the Indian automotive battery market is worth about US$ 300 million and the overall consumption of automotive batteries could be around 6.3 million units a year, with the OEM segment comprising 1.2 – 1.3 million units.
Li-ion batteries, which are known to have an efficiency rate of nearly 95 per cent, have become the most sought-after solution for electric vehicles. Sold in a pack, these are customised based on the need of the consumers. Samsung SDI, Panasonic and A123 Systems are amongst the industry players that offer customised solutions for electric vehicles. Interestingly, A123 Systems had also provided battery packs of prismatic cells to Tata Motors for the latter’s hybrid electric vehicles.
The latest development in this area is the time that an e-bike now takes for charging. With the use of li-ion, the battery can now be charged in two to three hours, as compared to its predecessors which took nearly 10 hours to charge. Another key development is the weight of the battery, which has reduced with the use of li-ion. A typical li-ion battery weighing a kilogram stores up to 150W/h, which is five times more than the conventional battery.
Moreover, the life of these batteries has also gone up to three years, up from around a year-and-a-half earlier.
Kapil Sood, managing director, Fusion Power System (Amptek) adds, “The start of mass production of hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles using lithium batteries by major automotive manufacturers such as Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Renault, BYD Electronics, Mitsubishi, Hyundai, Ford, Chevrolet and GM presents the most significant potential for lithium demand.”
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Li-ion batteries are now replacing the conventional batteries used in larger applications, including UPS systems and even solar power systems. This has been possible because of the technological capabilities of these batteries. Companies are now creating packs and trays that hold a large number of cylindrical li-ion batteries. These come as completely customisable options, and a customer can increase their number depending on the energy requirements.
Li-ion batteries can control the continuous fluctuation of power, which is still a common phenomenon in India.
Brands that offer these solutions include Panasonic India, ACME Cleantech India, etc.
Safety and certifications are a must
Any industry that experiences a boom also faces the challenge of the market being flooded by cheaper alternatives, which are not of good quality and hence not reliable when it comes to product life.
While making a purchase decision, buyers must ensure that they check certain critical parameters and certifications, which include:
Safety – UL1642: This is applicable for both primary (non-rechargeable) and secondary (rechargeable) batteries. This certification ensures the reduced risk of fire or explosion when lithium batteries are used in a product.
Transport – UN3480: Li-ion batteries are classified as dangerous goods for transport according to the UN Model regulation for the transport of dangerous goods. They are classified under CLASS 9 dangerous goods, due to the ‘dual hazard’ properties associated with their chemical and electrical content. Hence, whenever transported individually or when installed in products, they require this safety certification.
Handling – Material/Product Safety Data Sheet (MSDS): Every genuine li-ion battery should come with this data sheet to guarantee the safe use of the product.
Environmental – RoHS: This certification ensures that the product doesn’t contain any hazardous material which can cause harm to the environment or human life. RoHS restricts the use of six substances including lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls and polybrominated diphenyl ether.
“Globally, we follow UL, VDE, CE, JIS, etc, besides our own internal testing standards and procedures. We also test and certify our products on a case to case basis by TUV. In India, BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) has been recently introduced and we are getting all our products for portable applications tested for these standards,” shares Shah.
He adds, “For the li-ion battery’s performance, the most important aspect is to understand the conditions in which the battery is going to be used. So, we first check the application conditions. For instance, in the case of automotive, this is the most important aspect, followed by outdoor applications and then by high load conditions. These operating conditions drastically affect the performance of the battery. As a thumb rule, we simulate the conditions and then decide the critical parameters/envelope for the performance of the battery.”
Making the right choice
When buying a Li-on battery, the first and most important factor a buyer should be aware of is the application for which the battery is being procured. For instance, there are different batteries for mobile phones, for power tools, for large machinery and for electric vehicles.
“Selecting an appropriate battery for a particular application is important because the battery determines the number of hours for which the device can work without the need for recharging, the amount of weight it adds to the system, and how much it adds to the bill of materials (BOM) cost. Along with selecting the battery, proper design of charging circuitry is also crucial because an improper design can reduce the battery life or can even lead to battery failure (i.e., dangerous leakage or explosion). Failure leading to product recall can cause massive losses and damage a manufacturer’s reputation,” shares Kapil Sood.
Additionally, as Shah points out, “Today’s consumer looks for parameters such as compact size, energy density, cycle life, temperature performance, fast charge and discharge, power output and safety and security.” And according to Sharan, “Parameters that ought to influence a purchase decision include power reliability, least charging time, safety and cost.”
There have been many developments in the li-ion field apart from the faster-charging process. The focus, now, is on growing the market and looking at more conducive applications for li-ion batteries. These batteries are now about to completely replace the conventional lead-acid batteries, as they are a faster, safer and more environment-friendly option.
Latest In the Market
Samsung SDI battery pack
- Pack model: 48.0V, 9.0Ah
- Pack capacity: 9.0Ah
- Pack voltage: 48.0V
- Cell array : 13S6P
- Number of cells: 78
- Cell type: Cylindrical
Panasonic NCR18650PF
- Type: High capacity models (Ni system)
- Nominal voltage: 3.6V
- Nominal capacity (min.): 2750mAh
- Nominal capacity (typ.): 2900mAh
- Approximate weight: 47g
- Cell type: Cylindrical
ACME Cleantech’s 44 Ah battery tray
- Cell configuration: 14 series 20 parallel
- Capacity: 2,217Wh/44Ah
- Nominal voltage: 50.4V DC
- Volume: 18,373cm³
- Weight: Approx. 21Kg
- Cell type: ICR18650-22 cylindrical
Amptek’s 48V 20AH LiFePO4 Battery Pack
- Battery type: LiFePO4
- Nominal capacity: 20Ah
- Nominal voltage: 48V
- Weight: 15kg (includes BMS and charger)
- Lifecycle: 1200 ~ 2000 times
- Cell type: ICR18650-22 cylindrical
The global fall in prices
According to market reports, the prices of Li-ion batteries have drastically fallen in the past one year. While earlier the price was US$ 1000/kWh, many global players or manufacturers are now pricing the same technology at US$ 400/kWh.
Key segments in which demand for Li-ion batteries is high
- Consumer durables: Mobile phones, smartphones, tablets, laptops, recording devices
- Telecom backup systems
- Portable handheld devices: POS devices, power drills, etc.
- Portable lighting devices: Solar lanterns, LED torch lights
- Automotive applications: Lawn mowers, golf carts and e-bikes, plug-in hybrid vehicles
- Solar products including streetlights and panels
- Industrial energy power stations
- Modular units for grid interface
- Supply of ancillary services to the electrical grid
- Medical equipment
- Aeronautics
- Aerospace
- Military, marine
CHECKLIST
√ Application area
√ Charge and discharge time
√ Compliance and safety
√ Life cycle
√ Temperature performance
√ Size
