BENGALURU: Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Pralhad Joshi on Thursday laid the foundation stone for India’s first lithium ion battery testing centre at Jakkur in Bengaluru.
Expected to be operational by January, the centre, being set up by the National Test House- Regional Reference Standard Laboratory Campus (NTH-RRSL), will be a third-party independent agency for owners of electric vehicles to test the batteries.
NTH Director (Chennai) M Suresh Babu told The New Indian Express that the centre is being set up for testing the batteries of electric vehicles, primarily lithium-ion batteries. There are seven regional centres of NTH -- Kolkata, Mumbai, Jaipur, Guwahati, Gaziabad and Varanasi. These centres test all types of construction, engineering and industry related items and materials. Now with the demand for green economy and EVs rising, the EV Battery and Charger Test Facility is being set up in Bengaluru.
Babu said the cost of testing is yet to be decided. The equipment are being installed at a cost of Rs 3 crore. The test duration will range from two-five days, depending upon the type and intensity.
At present, testing is being done by manufacturers and suppliers.