India has outlined an ambitious target of 500 GW of in-country energy generation from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030 — and to reduce the total projected carbon emissions by 1 billion tons in the same period. To attain these targets, India needs a significant amount of grid storage and a large increase in the number of electric vehicles (EVs).

This report forecasts that between 3.5 and 17 GWh of lithium-ion batteries from passenger and freight vehicles in India will reach the end of their usable life by 2030, depending on the pace of EV adoption. These retired batteries still maintain value for second-life applications and mineral recovery. Capturing this additional value can assist in meeting growing storage demand in the power sector, while recycled materials can mitigate reliance on imports of precious metals necessary to facilitate the development of a domestic battery manufacturing industry. This report is designed to evaluate introduced policies on battery recycling and to build awareness of how recycling and reuse policies support India’s programs on battery storage.

This assessment informs the opportunity for India to emerge as a global leader in the battery market by adopting a circular economy for lithium-ion batteries. Anticipating battery retirements enables stakeholders in policymakers and industry to plan investments in recycling capacity necessary to meet government targets. In addition, expanding introduced policy to explicitly include battery reuse targets can complement national targets for power sector decarbonization. Adequate implementation of reuse and recycling of batteries can not only enhance the resource security implications of the country’s transportation and power sector transitions, but also promote economic development and job growth. Enabling this circular economy will establish a long-term, stable, and sustainable industry.