Gadkari Warns Against Improper Li-ion Disposal, backs India to become no.1 EV exporter by 2028
Speaking to the Rajya Sabha, Minister Nitin Gadkari cautioned electric vehicle manufacturers about the harmful effects of dumping lithium-ion battery waste on the environment. He mentioned the government’s efforts in exploring alternative battery technologies like aluminium-steel ion batteries and aluminium-air technology. Gadkari also highlighted the government’s commitment to a circular economy for waste recycling, as proposed during the recent budget session by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
These programs include the recycling of tires, the scrapping of cars, and the use of recycled plastic in road construction.
Ranjeet Ranjan, a leader from Congress, talked about a study during a meeting. The study discussed how making lithium-ion batteries can harm workers’ health and how throwing away these batteries can hurt the environment. Gadkari said the government doesn’t have that report, but if they find out about it, they’ll take it seriously and fix things quickly.
“We will take serious note of the issue and work out recycling of lithium-ion battery waste,” he added.
Gadkari said India wants to sell a lot of electric cars, buses, and trucks to other countries in the next five years. He talked about how we spend a lot of money importing fossil fuels every year and need to cut that down. Gadkari mentioned that Jammu & Kashmir have a good amount of lithium-ion, and right now, we bring in 1,200 metric tons of it from other places.
According to PTI, the cost difference between EVs and petrol/diesel-powered vehicles currently stands at Rs 10 for EVs for the same distance run by a traditional ICE vehicle for Rs 100-110. The MoRTH minister also discussed the cost advantages of electric vehicles, noting that the cost of operating an EV is significantly lower than that of running a car.