It has been seven years since Dipak Sen Choudhury first wrote for BEST about the unique phenomenon that was the arrival of the e-rickshaw – a fully-fledged electric vehicle put to commercial service in rural and semi-urban India. He reflects on the survival of the lead-acid battery in this vehicle type in the face of government support for a switch to lithium.
What could be more paradoxical than the technology of tomorrow – e-transportation – having its first serious technical and commercial trial be in the hands of the technology-indifferent, if not illiterate, small-time rickshaw owners? These are people whose only priority is to see that at the end of the day they earn just enough money so that, after paying off loans, they are left with money to buy meals for the family and a little extra.
The e-rickshaw, commonly referred to as ERK, is now very important. For the human rights activists, the ERK is a major step forward. Gone are the days of the hand-pulled rickshaws that used to be seen in some of the large cities. They would ferry a happy, healthy couple home late night after watching a movie in the nearby theatre.
In fact, the ERK is also slowly replacing more of the so-called cycle-rickshaws, which were foot pedalled by the driver and who also is used to ferrying passengers for their last mile connections. The sweat and the muscles of the rickshaw drivers are being replaced by electric motors and batteries. The restoration of human dignity is in place.
The numbers have been spectacular. Today, the total number of ERKs in operation according to some reports is approaching 1.5 million, and for the period 2023-2030 is projected to have a CAGR of 10-11%.
Shrugging off the initial hesitations in legitimising these newly arrived vehicles, almost resembling something seen in sci-fi movies, governments have allowed formal registration of the vehicles. It is similar to the process for normal fuel-engine rickshaws.
Lead-acid batteries prevail
What does it mean for the battery industry? As of today, 95% of the rickshaws are run with lead-acid batteries, the rest with lithium-ion. In case of lead-acid, the emerging standard is a 48V 100Ah (C5) battery, mostly with tubular positives.
In the early days this used to be more commonly a flat-positive design, more taking off from the golf cart batteries. But those delivered just about six to nine months life and were warrantied for six months only.
Slowly, the market has shifted towards tubular positives, with most of the established brands primarily promoting tubular, and with 12 months warranty. Lithium-ion on the other hand is primarily used on a rental model. New-generation companies have come up with a battery-swapping business model. At about one-fifth the weight of the corresponding lead-acid battery, lithium-ion battery swapping is a model worth trying.
However, the entire economics of the rental revolves around a promised five years’ life and at least 1,500 cycles for the typical LFP variants being put on test.
It would require the best of LFP technology with a robust BMS to deliver these numbers. The versions currently marketed in India fall significantly short of these quality expectations.
Experts debate the battery of tomorrow
Quite expectedly, the prevailing scenario has brought to the fore all kinds of experts debating what features the battery should have, how should it charge, how much should it weigh and even how should it look!
The government of India is very clear that the battery has to be lithium. Short of legislating an embargo on using any lead-acid in electric vehicles, the government has used various means to send the message very clearly.
Lead-acid in any e-vehicle denies the vehicle manufacturer from receiving any of the subsidy given to EVs under the FAME II scheme. The amount is quite handsome and certainly takes away all incentive of a vehicle manufacturer to look for a competitive lead-acid solution.
FAME – Faster Adoption & Manufacturing of Hybrid & Electric Vehicles – provides a subsidy of ₹15,000 ($200) per KWh, with a cap of 40% of the cost of the vehicle. The whole effort is directed towards achieving cost parity between internal combustion engine vehicle and EV.
It is another matter that the incentives are currently suspended for at least two of the largest electric two-wheeler manufacturers. It is alleged that they had fudged their “indigenization” content – a feature to be compulsorily abided by all vehicle manufacturers to be eligible to receive subsidies. But that’s another story.
Why anti-lead-acid?
Why is it that the government is seemingly anti-lead-acid? One of the theories put forward is the fact that, being unable to control the tens of thousands of “roadside” lead-acid battery manufacturers across the whole country – and the consequent damage they are doing to the country’s ecology, the government would like to exterminate the use of lead-acid all together by promoting lithium as the more efficient solution.
However, that is being naïve to the extreme given that the lithium strings are firmly tied to the China factor, a bête noire for the Indian political mandarins.
The Indian political leadership is on an image-building exercise and a large part of this is the projection of a spanking clean Indian environment. Clean fuel is uppermost on the agenda and the future of the country is looked at through renewables, green hydrogen and lithium for now.
The ministry of mines of the country has added to the excitement by announcing the discovery of “inferred resources of lithium” in the northern regions of the country. It is all happening at the right time. The future looks to be remarkably interesting.
Users prefer lead-acid
Even if the country has some of the world’s largest lead-acid manufacturers, making some of the most advanced lead-acid solutions for automotive as well as industrial (stationary as well as motive power), applications are further backed up with nearly 100% lead recycling capacity.
The ERK application is important for the lead-acid technology. Much as one would like to wish away this technology it will remain not only a relevant but preferred option amongst users.
Familiarity with the product, low upfront payment, safe operation and good scrap value all make lead-acid a natural choice for the simple rickshaw owner. This is a unique opportunity for lead-acid, if only one can get the deliverables correct.
This is a demanding but not an impossible list:
- a typical driving range of 100 km that stays above 90 km even after one year of operation
- a daily recharge of six hours
- a cycle life of 1,200
- a warrantied life of 18 months
- a service life of more than 24 months.
For manufacturers who are producing motive power batteries that perform for five years easily in the hot tropical environments of Indian industry, delivering a two-year life should not be too difficult. India is now producing enhanced flooded batteries and industrial storage system batteries for the global market.
Improving rechargeability should also be well within reach. Other features that can protect the individual blocks from getting over-discharged, or having block-balancing management systems, can all add to the life of the batteries in this difficult application and perhaps even deliver a three-year life. That is the challenge the lead-acid industry must take and succeed.
The ERK remains the last opportunity for lead-acid to retain a footprint in the EV application. My conversations with lead-acid technologists in the country give me the optimism that they will find their way through this tough ask. All help is required to win this war! Let the best in the world put their mind to help achieve this vision.
