Bhavish Aggarwal was on Time Magazine’s list of 100 most influential people in 2011, when he was 26 years old. Fast forward to 2024, and the Indian computer science graduate is still exceptionally busy. That’s because he will shortly start producing low cost high performance lithium batteries at his 1,500-acre electric scooter factory in Karnataka, India. And it seems his competition could be in for a surprise.
The ‘5G’ of Low Cost High Performance Lithium Cells
Auto Economic Times India reports that entrepreneur Bhavish Aggarwal calls his innovation the ‘Bharat Cell’. Now to our limited knowledge Bharat is a colloquial name for ‘India’ so this is quite some claim. The product is undergoing advanced trials as we write, and might just be about to revolutionize electric transport.
The entrepreneur was understandably thin on details when he addressed media on Jul 8. 2024. “This is the 5G of lithium cells, if I can say it in a very simple way,” he began. “This is the cutting-edge technology that we have made in India. Globally, only a few companies have this ability.”
We understand this new low cost high performance lithium battery is already certified by the Indian Bureau of Standards. This mandatory compliance means the man who made a billion dollars out of Ola electric scooters, may begin commercial production at his Ola Gigafactory he is building.
What We Know About the Technology Behind the Cell
Bhavish Aggarwal has deep experience of electric scooters. These are a mainstay of Indian popular transport, and they mainly source their energy from imported lithium batteries. The first step in the planned Bharat Cell revolution will involve producing the cells locally. However, at this stage the process will depend on imported materials.
The new cell apparently produces far more energy than its lithium-ion counterparts, but costs less. It also appears to charge faster, although we understand it uses less cobalt. Bhavish Aggarwal rates his battery’s energy density at 275 watt-hours per kilogram. We’ll be in touch with an update when we know more.
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