Customs Duty Exemption on Lithium & other rare minerals to Boost EV Sector Growth in India

 

The proposed exemption in customs duty on import of lithium, cobalt and other rare minerals in the Union Budget 2024-25 is likely to lower the battery production cost and help in making electric vehicles more affordable for the buyers.

 Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman while presenting the Union Budget for 2024-25 proposed to fully exempt customs duties on 25 critical minerals and reduce Basic Customs Duty (BCD) on two of them.

This will provide a major fillip to the processing and refining of such minerals and help secure their availability for these strategic and important sectors, she noted. Minerals such as Lithium, copper, cobalt and rare earth elements are critical for sectors like nuclear energy, renewable energy, space, defense, telecommunications, and high-tech electronics, Sitharaman stated.

Exemption of customs duty on import of lithium, cobalt and other rare minerals and extension of concessional customs duty on Li-Ion cells till March 2026 and withdrawal of equalization levy of 2 per cent on e-transactions is expected to propel the growth of the Indian auto industry. .

The move is likely to encourage few players to indigenise battery production in India.The industry was not expecting a lot but was definitely looking for some announcements with respect to FAME III subsidies, and other direct benefits for BEV/ NEV (New Electric Vehicle). One  have to wait to see if there are any further relaxations in the future by the FM or by the GST Council.

The strategic move will significantly impact India's EV market by lowering production costs and enhancing competitiveness.

Indian Oil, Panasonic Energy enter pact to make lithium cells.

 

Indian Oil ,India’s biggest Oil company  announced that it has signed a binding term sheet with Panasonic Energy Co. to form a JV  for manufacturing cylindrical lithium-ion cells in India.

The deal was made in anticipation of demand for batteries for two-and three-wheel vehicles as well as energy storage systems, in Indian markets.

State-owned IOCL is aiming to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2046, aligning with the Indian government's plan to achieve net-zero for the country as a whole by 2070.

"Through its partnership with Indian Oil, Panasonic Energy aims to address environmental challenges, such as reducing CO2 emissions, as well as to contribute to establishing a complete supply chain ecosystem for improving India's self-reliance and fortifying India's position in the global energy landscape," it said.

This JV  will also lead to the growth of India's battery industry by enhancing cell technology and creating domestic demand for raw materials and new entrants.

"Leveraging its expertise in battery development and manufacturing, Panasonic Energy strives to contribute to the growth of the lithium-ion battery industry and India's energy transition, while pursuing its mission of helping to build a sustainable society," it said.

Lithium finding in India , EV industry Charged Up..

As India gears up to boost electric vehicle (EV) adoption, the massive find of lithium reserves in the country has built up  excitement , hope of self-Reliance & brightened up the prospects for the country in the field of EV battery cell manufacturing. 

According to the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), the country will require USD 4.5Billion of investment to meet its domestic lithium-ion battery manufacturing target of setting up 50 GWh of lithium-ion cell and battery manufacturing plants. India's lithium cell production is projected to be 900 GWh by 2030.  

 "The 5.9 million tonnes of lithium reserves found in J&K, If completely extracted and converted into battery-grade Lithium  salts can support up to  great extent   though  the   details about quality, nature etc are yet to be fully established.

Lithium is  the lightest  metal & lightest  solid element . Being highly reactive   not found in its elemental form.  Mostly found in concentration with other materials in the form of oxides and carbonates. Extracting & converting the raw lithium to battery-grade lithium calls for a series of refining processes some of  technology are not available  in India. Very few Global companies  have  such expertise  and being doing this for decades.  

Though the EV penetration in India  till 2020  was very small , the EV penetration in India is slowly but steadily increasing, especially in the e-scooter segment. Now, the four-wheeler manufacturers have also joined the bandwagon,  specially Tata Motors  , M&M pushing India's aim to significantly cut the dependency on traditional fuels and internal combustion engine-driven vehicles by 2030.  

The slogan EV30@30  which means ,  the government expects the EV sales penetration to be 30 per cent by 2030. for private automobiles. 70 per cent for commercial vehicles, and 80 per cent for two and three-wheelers, which would not only reduce the country's oil import bills in the longer term, but also ensure a cleaner environment.  

The discovery of Lithium is vital as it comes at a time when India is going all out for a green transition in transportation,, where electric vehicle adoption has become a national priority..

India finds 5.9 million tonnes of Lithium deposits.

The Union Government of India on Thursday said that 5.9 million tonnes of lithium reserves have been found for the first time in the country in Jammu and Kashmir. Lithium is a non-ferrous metal and is one of the key components in EV batteries.

"Geological Survey of India for the first time established Lithium inferred resources (G3) of 5.9 million tonnes in the Salal-Haimana area of the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir," the Ministry of Mines said on Thursday.

It further said that 51 mineral blocks including Lithium and Gold were handed over to respective state governments.

"Out of these 51 mineral blocks, 5 blocks pertain to gold and other blocks pertain to commodities like potash, molybdenum, base metals etc. spread across 11 states of Jammu and Kashmir (UT), Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana," the ministry added.

The blocks were prepared based on the work carried out by GSI from field seasons 2018-19 to till date.

Mumbai Police sets up Punishing Signal to stop unnecessary honking. (watch the video)

There is a truth universally acknowledged by drivers in India: Honk your horn loud enough and the traffic lights will surely change to green. 

How many times has it happened that you are standing at a traffic signal and people waiting behind you kept honking repeatedly, even when the light was red? 

Fed up of impatient drivers, police in Mumbai have come up with a new system to punish those who cannot wait at traffic lights in silence.

The new system, said the police, was quite simple: “Honk more, wait more.”

Known as “the punishing signal”, Mumbai police installed a rigged traffic light system to tackle the problem of “reckless honkers”, which resets  the red traffic signal to a longer duration,  every time the sound of horns goes above 85 decibels and  one need  to wait more.

Great Idea!!!!! This will surely  bring discipline  and responsibility among the drivers in Mumbai.

Please  see the video  which was released by Mumbai Police.