Reliance Industries, which is establishing in the Indian Gujarat State a gigafab of batteries where they focus on the cobalt-free and sodium-ions LFP technology, has started testing its replaceable EV batteries. These batteries can be recharged with the electric grid or with the solar energy and combined with inverters to power household appliances. However, it seems that the company is focusing on the electric mobility market and has created charge stations for interchangeable batteries in Bangalore. The users of electric vehicles can use a mobile application to find and to book the closest charge station, managed by Reliance, to exchange the worn-out battery with a fully charged one. Reliance New Energy has taken over the Dutch specialist of LFP Lithium Werks batteries, including the whole portfolio of patents, the manufacturing plant in China, the key commercial contracts and the engagement of the existing workers.
The use of LFP battery technology by Reliance is in compliance with the global shift towards cobalt-free cathodic chemistries, due to the availability and the price of cobalt in the production of metal-oxide batteries such as NMC and LCO.
