'For zero-emission transportation, battery technology is the most critical component'

How did your partnership with Tata Motors and Miljøbil come about? Does your role go beyond supplying battery technology to other partners?

Electrovaya has been working with Miljobil for some years in developing an electric car. Recently Tata Motors announced its participation in this project and they have taken a controlling position in Miljobil. Electrovaya’s fundamental contribution is the battery technology. In an electric car, the battery technology is the enabling technology and Electrovaya is providing this technology. Miljobil has licensed our battery technology and in return Electrovaya will have equity.

Who all are you working with?

Electrovaya has been working on its award winning proprietary technology for quite some time. We have had done development work for space agencies like NASA and CSA (Canadian Space Agency). We are working with a number of partners on a wide selection of transportation vehicles, including delivery vans, electric buses, urban cars, sports utility vehicles and off-road vehicles.

The progress of the electric vehicles industry is hampered by a poor battery technology. Why is it taking so long to develop good battery technologies?

For zero-emission clean transportation, the battery technology is the critical technology. Everything else is readily available. The technology that can meet the requirements is the new generation lithium-ion battery, especially the ones that are large format, prismatic and genuine lithium-ion polymer battery. Electrovaya’s technology falls in that category. Electrovaya has nearly 150 global patents covering its technology. If the battery technology does not have the required performance, then you will not have an adequately performing electric car engine. To date, some cars have been using the lead acid battery, which is low-cost, but is very heavy and bulky and has less than 20% of the energy density of lithium-ion.

What is the potential of lithium battery? How do you rate the threat from the competition?

There is no threat to lithium-ion polymer batteries from other batteries such as lead acid, nickel metal hydride or nickel cadmium. This is the only technology that makes sense. Hydrogen/fuel cells are extremely well funded...