Kolkata-based startup, Uneverse Mobility Pvt Ltd, has inked a significant Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT Kharagpur) for commercialisation and further development of the Sodium Ion technology.
Under the leadership of Prof. Amreesh Chandra, the Department of Physics at IIT Kharagpur has been pioneering the research and development of Sodium-ion-based energy solutions. They were among the first researchers in India to secure funding from the Department of Science and Technology's "Materials for Energy Storage" program. Their expertise spans from material development to device integration, recycling, and assessing the carbon footprint of the entire process.
Advantages of using this technology:
“In comparison to Lithium-ion batteries, the sodium-ion batteries will be up to 40% cheaper, much safer and have a lower carbon footprint. Sodium-ion batteries address the concerns of geopolitical and supply-chain issues, which are associated with Lithium-ion batteries. The materials, which will be used in such Sodium-ion batteries, have been fabricated in house. Hence, the batteries would be a live example of ‘Make in India’ and ‘Make for India’. Many of the Ministries of the Government of India have already started discussions and feasibility studies on the possibility of Sodium-ion based energy storage landscape and the future thus looks promising and exciting”, said Prof. Amreesh Chandra, Department of Physics, IIT Kharagpur.
“India’s current EV sector is characterized by dependency on subsidies, import dependent supply chain & lack of a core indigenous battery technology. For electric mobility to be truly a champion of sustainability, we need the building blocks to be also sustainable. Uneverse is a passionate attempt to create such indigenous building blocks for a sustainable future of e-mobility and clean energy. Uneverse, thus starts its journey by addressing the core of clean energy and e-mobility, that is,Battery Technology.To achieve this grand purpose,we have entered an exclusive MoU with IIT Kharagpur where indigenously developed sodium ion technology, which will have a portfolio of multiple form factors of cells, will be made available for Indian market. The developed technology will find application in not only electric vehicles but also in Drones, Consumer Electronics and Energy Storage. Globally, only a handful of companies have made progress in this technology. Therefore,we are quite upbeat about putting India at the forefront of this game changing battery technology”, said Mr Manohar Bethapudi, Founder & CEO,Uneverse Mobility Pvt. Ltd.
“We would be launching the first set of products manufactured out of West Bengal in the next quarter of the current fiscal. We are looking at a pan India market for our product range and are currently in talks with various channel partners for marketing and product distribution”, said Ms Kamalika Guha,Co - Founder and CMO, Uneverse Mobility Pvt Ltd.