India is lagging behind in the manufacture of batteries for electric vehicles, according to Rajeev Chaba, managing director of MG Motor India, which recently launched an electric SUV in the country. SAIC Motor and CATL has set up two companies — one is United Auto Battery Corporation, where CATL has a stake of 51 per cent and SAIC a 49 per cent stake. “Five years ago, CATL could produce 1kWh battery at 5,000 RMB (1 RMB equals Rs 10), now it can produce 1kWH battery at 1,000 RMB. The first electric car with 300kWh battery could give a range of 150km whereas the ZS with 45 kWh will give a range of 340km. We are working on a battery that will be able to store 72kWh of energy.”The aim for SAIC and CATL is to bring down the battery cost to $100 per kWh.

Source: The Telegraph December 29, 2019 18:45 UTC