The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFC), Government of India, has issued a notification on rules for battery waste management in view of the shift to electric vehicles. Anticipating a need to have an organised channel for the safe disposal and recycling of batteries, the rules, called the Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022, are applicable to the producer, dealer, consumer, entities involved in collection, segregation, transportation, refurbishment and recycling of waste batteries. 

All types of batteries, regardless of their chemistry, shape, volume, weight, material composition and use are covered under the rules. The rules also have a provision for penal action in case of a violation and imposition of environmental compensation. The ministry has also set a minimum recovery percentage target for recovered materials out of dry weight batteries. 

The recovered materials will be then used to produce new batteries. For FY2024-25, the recovery target is set at 70 percent whereas for FY2025-26, it is 80 percent. The target for FY2026-27 is 90 percent. Mentioning that the recovery target may be reviewed by the committee once every four years to revisit the minimum levels of recovered battery materials in light of technical and scientific progress and emerging new technologies in waste management, the notification is expected to contribute towards enhancing each and every EV’s cost to the environment in India. This is especially in connection with the fact that nearly 1.4 million EVs as of July 2022 are said to operate in India if the data shared by the ministry of road transport and highways is relied upon. More than half of this volume is claimed to consist of electric three-wheelers followed by two-wheelers and passenger cars. 

The PLI scheme and other policy changes in terms of manufacture and sale of electric vehicles, it is clear that a strong battery ELV and disposal policy has to be in place. From the cost to the environment point of view, a policy extension in terms of the manufacture of such batteries locally down to the fuel cell level should also taking into view the ability of the battery to perform efficiently through out its lifecycle, thus staying alive for longer and when it does die, it should be recyclable to a great extent. 

Dr Akshay Singhal, Founder and CEO of Log9 Materials, averred. “The newly introduced Battery Waste Management standards by the Government under the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) concept addresses two important concerns. An efficient and effective waste management of all Li-Ion batteries that are nearing the end of their useful life and are expected to end up in landfills in a few years, avoiding any residual pollution impact. Second is the emphasis on investing in and nurturing the recycling of such used batteries, reducing the reliance on fresh resource mining.” 

Shubham Vishvakarma, CEO and Chief of Process Engineering of Metastable Materials, said, “The Battery Waste Management Rules announced by the Government of India is an excellent and much-needed step towards bringing to the fore innovations and myriad growth opportunities for the battery waste management and battery treatment space in our country, especially at a time when the ongoing EV boom in India is leading us to increasing concerns on e-waste.” “Under the new Rules notified, the Government has mandated a minimum percentage of recovery of various materials from end-of-life batteries, which is bound to enable the growth of novel business models such as urban mining in order to reduce India’s foreign dependency on procuring raw materials for EV batteries and other types of batteries,” he added. 

Ashok Sudrik, Chief Scientist, Infinite Orbit Research and Development Pvt Ltd, commented, “The Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022, were much needed and we are happy that government has started taking cognizance of the hazardous waste being created and the recycling or waste collection. Other than waste management recycling rules, there is a need for manufacturers to incorporate extension of battery life technologies, keep the lithium content minimal and develop innovative cell chemistry. The life of a battery should be 4000 to 6000 cycles, which means a life spane of about 10 to 15 years. BaaS (Battery as a Service) concept with swappable batteries will be a big contributor to the ultimate goal of keeping cost to the environment low.”

In other parts of the world

In Canada, Li-Cycle will begin constructing a USD 175 million plant in Rochester, N.Y., for recycling of lithium-ion batteries. On the grounds of what used to be the Eastman Kodak complex, the plant will be the largest of its kind in North America with an eventual capacity of 25 metric kilotons of input material and a capability to recover 95 percent or more of cobalt, nickel, lithium and other valuable elements through zero-wastewater, zero-emissions process. Ajay Kochhar, Co-founder and CEO, Li-Cycle, said, “We'll be one of the largest domestic sources of nickel and lithium, as well as the only source of cobalt in the United States."  

In May 2022, Hydrovolt, the largest battery recycling plant in Europe started operations in Fredrikstad, Norway. A joint venture between two Norwegian companies – Hydro and Northvolt, the plant has the capacity to process 12,000 tonnes of battery packs per year, enough for the entire end-of-life battery market in Norway currently. Claimed to have the capability to recover 95 percent of the materials used in an EV battery including plastics, copper, aluminum and ‘black mass’, a powder containing various elements inside lithium-ion batteries like nickel, manganese, cobalt and lithium. 

Not just in Europe or US, the rise of Electric Vehicles (EVs) and associated battery gigafactories is pushing forward the creation of a battery recycling value chain. It is a matter of debate whether it got to be a close-loop or an open-loop design in terms of sourcing of batteries to recycle and to put the resulting material to good use so that the cost to the environment is kept minimal. As the demand for use of ‘green’ electricity source gathers pace the world over, on the other end of the spectrum, which involved the end-of-life vehicle for EVs, the demand for recycling in increasing partly due to regulations – the EU regulations have just intensified – and partly by a demand for re-use of materials due to geo-political reasons as well. A strong desire to localise supply chains and safeguard critical raw materials are also the driving factors.  

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AVL Mobility Technologies, Inc. has joined forces with Ansible Motion to integrate its AVL VSM software with Ansible Motion’s Driver-in-the-Loop simulators. This combination accelerates virtual development, allowing automotive manufacturers and suppliers to significantly cut down on both the time and expense associated with testing and validation.

The AVL VSM platform serves as a versatile real-time simulation tool capable of modelling individual components, entire systems and full vehicles. It enables engineers to evaluate vehicle dynamics and safety under realistic conditions while considering how various attributes and systems interact. This supports a more cohesive approach to optimising vehicle characteristics early in the design process. When paired with an Ansible Motion simulator, users can conduct virtual test drives to refine chassis dynamics, powertrain behaviour and advanced driver assistance systems.

To demonstrate this integrated solution, AVL has installed an Ansible Motion Theta Seat simulator at its Ann Arbor, Michigan, Technical Centre. This setup allows customers to experience the combined VSM and simulator capability firsthand. The impact is amplified when leveraged alongside AVL’s existing Software-in-the-Loop, Hardware-in-the-Loop and Virtual Test Bed technologies within the facility’s Advanced Mobility & Simulation Lab, enabling a seamless transition from virtual models to further development.

Gary Newton, Vice President – Business Development, AVL, said, "By combining AVL VSM with Ansible Motion Driver-in-the-Loop simulators, manufacturers can move critical decisions to the front of the development cycle, dramatically reducing physical prototypes and test iterations. This tool combination can have an enormous impact on timeline and budget. Imagine validating 70+ track scenarios per day in multiple conditions, surfaces and drive events. The result isn’t incremental improvement; it’s months saved and millions preserved."

Salman Safdar, Business Development Director, Ansible Motion, said, "Through our continuing collaborative efforts with AVL, we’re developing new ways to conduct subjective and objective evaluations of qualified concepts much earlier in the vehicle design cycle. Connecting our simulators seamlessly with a feature-rich simulation environment like AVL VSM elevates the virtual vehicle development process for manufacturers seeking to shorten development times, realise cost savings and reduce environmental impacts."

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German technology company AUMOVIO has been awarded the Microsoft Intelligent Manufacturing Award (MIMA) in the ‘Innovate!’ category for its internally developed AI Hub.

The platform, recognised by Microsoft Germany and Roland Berger, integrates artificial intelligence into industrial workflows to assist with tasks ranging from code optimisation to predictive maintenance.

The AI Hub functions as a centralised system that allows employees to deploy and create specialised AI agents. These agents automate routine activities and provide decision-making support across various corporate functions.

Current deployments and use cases include:

• Software Engineering: Monitoring compliance with internal coding standards and guidelines.
• Procurement: Analysis and assessment of commercial contracts.
• Manufacturing: Diagnostic support for maintenance teams to identify technical failures.
• Scale: Over 1,500 AI agents are currently active, serving 21,000 employees globally.

The system integrates with standard office software and engineering tools. It features a built-in code interpreter for dataset analysis and utilises standardised protocols to interact securely with internal applications.

AUMOVIO developed the platform in-house, transitioning from a proof of concept to a company-wide rollout in under 18 months. This internal approach allows the company to maintain control over system architecture, data protection and the integration of emerging AI technologies into industrial environments.

Recent updates to the platform include secure access to local machines and internal servers, enabling agents to provide closer support for daily operations.

Jean-François Tarabbia, Member of the Executive Board and Head of Architecture and Network Solutions, AUMOVIO, said, "Artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing how industrial companies operate. With the AUMOVIO AI Hub, we have created a platform that brings AI directly into our employees’ daily workflows. By combining advanced AI capabilities with deep industrial expertise, we enable our teams worldwide to access relevant information faster, handle complexity more efficiently, and automate routine tasks to create more room for innovation."

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Israel-based autonomous software technology company Mobileye has announced that a US automaker will integrate the Mobileye Driver Monitoring System (DMS) into its future vehicle models.

The programme utilises the EyeQ6L system-on-chip (SoC), with production scheduled to commence in 2027. The agreement expands an existing Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) partnership and is expected to encompass millions of vehicles.

The platform unifies interior sensing, including DMS and Occupant Monitoring (OMS), with exterior road perception on a single chip. This integration allows the system to evaluate driver engagement by correlating eye gaze with real-world road conditions.

Key technical objectives include:

• Hardware Consolidation: Running driver monitoring and ADAS perception on one SoC to eliminate the requirement for a separate Electronic Control Unit (ECU).
• Contextual Awareness: Distinguishing between general distraction and active driver engagement by monitoring whether attention corresponds with specific road events.
• Alert Precision: Reducing false alerts and refining takeover requests for higher levels of vehicle autonomy.

The system is designed to meet Euro NCAP 2026 scoring requirements and prepare for the Euro NCAP 2029 protocol, which is anticipated to shift the industry benchmark from basic eye tracking to detection of meaningful engagement.

Nimrod Nehushtan, EVP of Business Development and Strategy, Mobileye, said, “The next generation of intelligent driving demands richer context from every part of the vehicle – the road ahead, the cabin, and the interplay between them. At the same time, automakers are looking to scale advanced driving features across their lineups without the cost penalty of additional hardware or complex system integration. Mobileye DMS delivers on both – running context-aware driver monitoring on a single ADAS chip and ECU platform. This combination is something Mobileye is uniquely positioned for, and we look forward to helping our customers deploy at scale.”

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The Centre of Excellence in Advanced Automotive Research (CAAR) at IIT Madras, in partnership with the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO), is establishing the Advanced Automotive Translational Research Centre (AATRC). The facility will be located at the Tamil Nadu Knowledge City in Tiruvallur.

The project involves an investment of around INR 2 billion over the next five years. The centre will occupy 40,000 sqft of research and laboratory infrastructure dedicated to translational research and product development for next-generation automotive technologies.

Technical focus areas for the AATRC include:

• Powertrains and Electronics: Electric powertrains and automotive power electronics.
• Energy Storage: Battery technologies and electric vehicle (EV) charging systems.
• Digital Architecture: Software-defined vehicles and industry-ready innovation.

According to data released by IIT Madras, the initiative expects to achieve several benchmarks within its first five years of operation:

• Product Innovation: Development of 40–50 automotive products.
• Enterprise Support: Provision of testing and validation infrastructure for 150–200 start-ups and MSMEs.
• Employment: Creation of 50–70 high-skill direct jobs and approximately 2,100 ecosystem-linked employment opportunities.

The collaboration follows a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the State government and IIT Madras in January, aimed at positioning India as a hub for EV and automotive technology.

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