LOHUM, India’s largest producer, refiner, and recycler of sustainable Critical Minerals, will develop and manufacture next-gen ‘Manganese-rich’ LMFP Lithium-ion batteries. LOHUM has roped in Tesla veteran Chaitanya Sharma to help with this. Notably, Chaitanya has worked at two of North America’s first giga-factories at Tesla and IM3NY, leading the latter as CEO. The development of the technology will be supported by an R&D grant from India’s Ministry of Mines, awarded after a rigorous scrutiny of over 100 applicants.
Chaitanya has been trained as a mechanical engineer at IIT Roorkee and Stanford University. He is the co-founder of Nascent Materials, a US-based cathode technology company focused on developing next-generation iron-based and sodium-based cathode materials that are tailored for end applications.
LOHUM is already the largest and only producer of conventional NMC (Nickel Manganese Cobalt) based Cathode Active Materials. LOHUM had also earlier signed an MoU with the Government of Tamil Nadu to build an integrated recycling and Cathode Active Material production facility in the state. The plan as currently envisaged, will involve setting up a capacity of over 20 GWh over the next three years with an investment of ₹1000 Crore, which will also go toward related technology developments in the field.
The next-generation LMFP – Lithium Manganese Iron Phosphate battery chemistry offers higher safety and gives EVs a longer range compared to conventional technologies. The batteries are also significantly cheaper. Some of the world’s largest EV manufacturers, including Tesla, BYD, and CATL, have bet large on LMFP.
Incidentally, India has one of the largest reserves of Manganese. This move helps de-risk the Lithium-ion battery supply chain in India from external shocks and therefore, has implications for the country’s energy security.
“Developing LMFP technology will enable LOHUM to accelerate the Energy Transition by making available higher energy densities, increased cost-effectiveness, higher safety, sustainability, and thermal adaptability of batteries to climate change. LMFP will play a pivotal role in supporting India’s EV market and is a key stepping stone to India’s Energy Independence.” expressed Rajat Verma, Founder & CEO of LOHUM.
