Bharat Electronics sets up Lithium Ion Development Centre, Battery Automated Assembly Plant in Pune

Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) on Friday inaugurated its Lithium Ion Development Centre and Battery Automated Assembly Plant at its Pune unit.

BEL chairman and managing director Dinesh Kumar Batra inaugurated the pilot plant for Li-Ion prismatic cell development and manufacturing, a statement said.

"Using raw materials such as anode, cathode, electrolyte, solvents, binder etc, we have developed and realized three types of Li-Ion prismatic cells namely 3.2V, 10 Ah / 25 Ah. The target applications for these cells include underwater, e-mobility, remote power systems etc. The products are indigenously designed, developed and manufactured," it said.

Li-Ion is the dominant battery technology for e-mobility, it said, adding that Li-Ion LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate - LiFePO4) chemistry with long cycle life is a safer choice for electric vehicle (EV) applications.

"Presently, Li-Ion cells are imported in India for making battery packs. In order to achieve self-reliance in Li-Ion cell manufacturing, BEL in collaboration with NSTL (DRDO) has ventured into Li-Ion cell technology for defence and e-mobility applications," as per the statement.

Batra said it is a 5-megawatt plant primarily focused on research and development (R&D), adding that BEL was entrusted with the task of setting up EV charging infrastructure along four highways and expressways.

Batra said defence is the company's mainstay with 80 per cent of revenue coming from the segment, but the company was exploring diversification into civilian and non-defence businesses.

"BEL aims to increase its non-defence share in the overall business in the coming years," he added.

BEL is a multi-product, multi-technology, multi-unit conglomerate offering products and systems in the areas of Military Communications, Radars, Missile Systems, Naval Systems, Electronic Warfare & Avionics etc.

Its non defence business segment includes areas such as EVMs, Homeland Security & Smart Cities, Solar, Satellite Integration & Space Electronics, Railways, Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Security, among others.