Lithium-ion (Li-ion) cell technology is one of the most promising electrochemical energy storage technologies owing to its high voltage, high energy density, long life cycle and high storage characteristics. It finds wide applications in electronic gadgets, tele-communication and industrial applications as well as in aerospace. Recent progresses in Li-ion battery technology have made it the favourite power source for electric and hybrid electric vehicles. ISRO’s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) has successfully developed and qualified lithium ion cells of capacities ranging from 1.5 Ah to 100 Ah for use in satellites and launch vehicles. With the successful deployment of indigenous lithium ion batteries in various missions of ISRO, VSSC is planning to transfer this technology to the industries to establish production facilities for producing lithium ion cells to cover the entire spectrum of power storage requirements of the country. In the month of June 2018, ISRO issued the Request for Qualification (RFQ), in connection with the technology transfer, containing a brief description of the qualification aspects, technology transfer process, timelines and other relevant details. VSSC has received response from 141 companies for its lithium ion cell technology. To address the queries concerning the RFQ, a pre-application conference was organised at VSSC on 17th July 2018. 190 representatives from 141 firms across the country participated in the pre-application conference. Dr. S. Somanath, Director, VSSC inaugurated the conference. While addressing the gathering, he mentioned about the importance of batteries in space technology and the role played by VSSC in deploying different type of batteries. Speaking about the Lithium-ion battery technology, he mentioned that Li-ion battery technology was the advanced battery technology, which was going to revolutionise the power storage sector in any applications.

The Director mentioned that VSSC had successfully developed, qualified and tested Li-ion cells for use in various applications and emphasised the importance of the present proposal of transferring the technology to the industries. Dr. S. Somanath also mentioned that, it was essential for the lithium ion cell battery technology buyers to innovate further on the baseline technology offered by VSSC, so to address the specific needs of the market. He added that the VSSC was having a small team of experts in this area and can directly hand hold within the limits mentioned in RFQ. During the Conference, the successful application of 50 Ah VSSC Li-ion cells in an Electric Scooter in association with Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), Pune was mentioned. A short film on VSSC Lithium-Ion batteries was screened, as a part of the familiarisation process. This was followed by a live question answer session. The conference was concluded with a visit to the VSSC lithium ion facility in the campus to enlighten the delegates.