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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Synopsys, Inc., a prominent provider of silicon-to-systems design solutions, will host its annual flagship Synopsys User Group (SNUG) India 2026 conference at the Sheraton Grand Bengaluru Whitefield Hotel on 18 June 2026.

The one-day event serves as a collaborative platform for semiconductor design engineers, technology executives and ecosystem partners across India's electronics and systems engineering sectors to discuss developments in the era of pervasive artificial intelligence.

The conference will open with a keynote presentation delivered by Ravi Subramanian, Chief Product Management Officer at Synopsys, titled ‘Re-Engineering the Future of Silicon’. The address will examine the structural transformations occurring within engineering design and development workflows, driven by specific technical shifts:

• AI and Agentic Workflows: Exploring how machine learning and autonomous agent frameworks are optimising traditional silicon layout and verification pipelines.
• Silicon-to-Systems Innovation: Evaluating the accelerating convergence of standard silicon design, multiphysics analysis and intelligent system engineering to manage high design complexity.
• Accelerated Innovation Cycles: Addressing the challenges organisational engineering teams face during truncated development timelines for complex semiconductor products.

As software-defined architectures and AI transform product development paradigms, SNUG India 2026 will run multi-track sessions detailing next-generation engineering workflows. The technical program will incorporate peer-reviewed customer presentations, expert panels and technical deep-dives covering – AI-enabled semiconductor engineering & automation tools; 3DIC and advanced packaging; managing signal integrity & layout density in multi-dye chip architectures; multiphysics chip design & hardware-assisted verification systems and design methodologies for software-defined systems.

Sudeep Kallappa Shivalli, Regional Senior Director, Go To Market at Synopsys, said, “SNUG India 2026 reflects the spirit of collaboration and innovation that has defined the Synopsys Users Group community for over three decades. As engineering teams navigate unprecedented complexity driven by AI, intelligent systems and software-defined products, platforms like this becomes increasingly important for bringing together customers, partners and technology experts to exchange insights, share experiences and collectively shape the future of innovation.”

File photo: Synopsys 2025

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Pune-based automotive component manufacturer Varroc Engineering has announced inked a Strategic Cooperation Agreement with Suzhou Tolyy Optronics Co (TOLYY).

The strategic partnership establishes a joint framework for select programs to localise and supply next-generation digital cockpit solutions for global passenger and commercial vehicle platforms.

The alliance establishes a co-development and manufacturing platform aimed at securing joint market participation across India, Europe and North America.

As per the understanding, TOLYY will support Varroc through a multi-tiered supply and localisation engineering model. This flexible framework includes two primary supply paths: the delivery of fully integrated display modules – encompassing display panels, backlight units, touch interfaces, protective enclosures and electronic control units (ECUs) – as well as screen-only component supply intended for localised final assembly within India.

Varroc will utilise these components to manage the overall system integration, technical validation and manufacturing of advanced automotive display solutions tailored to diverse vehicle applications.

The structural cooperation model is organised around three strategic operational pillars – program-specific module supply, localised Indian assembly and industrialisation rights.

This decentralised production approach is projected to accelerate product time-to-market, strengthen automotive component supply chain resilience and meet rising OEM demand for localised, high-technology electronics.

Dhruv Jain, Whole Time Director and CEO of Varroc Business II, said, “At Varroc, our endeavour is to deliver brilliance at scale by seamlessly integrating global innovation with localised execution. This partnership with TOLYY strengthens our ability to offer cutting-edge digital cockpit capabilities while enhancing supply chain resilience and supporting OEMs to provide safe, smart and sustainable mobility solutions.”

Strong Shi, President and CEO, TOLYY, added, “TOLYY is excited to embark on this strategic partnership with Varroc, a recognised leader in global automotive manufacturing. This alliance is a testament to the industry’s recognition of our cutting-edge display engineering and integrated module capabilities. By combining our advanced technologies with Varroc’s scale and deep customer access, we are not just supplying components but co-creating the next generation of digital cockpit experiences for key markets worldwide. This partnership accelerates our shared vision of setting new benchmarks for performance, quality and supply chain efficiency in automotive displays.”

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Uber, one of the leading rides-hailing platforms, has announced a strategic investment in the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC). The transaction marks one of the earliest equity investments by a global technology firm into the network.

The capital infusion builds upon Uber’s existing operational integrations with ONDC and to expand user access to multimodal transportation architectures and optimise decentralised logistics frameworks for independent earners and commercial enterprises across the open network.

The deepening collaboration focuses heavily on bridging mass public transit networks with last-mile ride-sharing services under a unified application experience.

The move will see integrated metro rail ticketing features, which are currently live across five Indian cities through the Uber application. Consumers have booked more than 10 million metro rides utilising the Uber-ONDC interoperable infrastructure, indicating strong market demand for consolidated public transit options.

Beyond passenger transit, Uber plans to co-develop enhanced supply chain and logistics features alongside ONDC to improve discovery and delivery efficiencies for businesses operating on the digital platform.

Prabhjeet Singh, President of Uber India and South Asia, said, "India has been at the forefront of building Digital Public Infrastructure that is inclusive, interoperable, and transformative at scale. Our ongoing partnership with ONDC and now this investment puts us at the heart of that innovation journey. By investing in this network, we're helping more people move, more businesses grow, and more earners thrive harnessing the power of the ONDC network.”

Adil Zainulbhai, Independent Director, ONDC, added, "ONDC is a key pillar of India’s efforts to democratise digital commerce and create a level playing field for businesses of all sizes. Uber’s investment is a strong endorsement of India’s digital public infrastructure and its potential to drive innovation, efficiency and inclusive growth."

Image only for representational purposes.

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Chinese automaker BYD has secured the top position in the global automotive innovation ranking within the Automotive INNOVATIONS Report 2026, published by the Germany-based Center of Automotive Management (CAM).

This milestone marks the first time a Chinese automotive manufacturer has claimed the first-place ranking since the annual CAM study was established in 2005.

BYD achieved the leading score with 157 points, displacing the previous year’s top-ranked manufacturer, Volkswagen Group, which moved to second place with 143 points. Mercedes-Benz secured the third position in the evaluation, registering 134 points.

The index results highlight BYD’s expanding research and development capabilities, alongside the increasing technological competitiveness of Chinese original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) within the global automotive landscape.

The Automotive INNOVATIONS report is a long-running industry study launched by CAM in 2005 to track, evaluate and categorise technological innovations, future-ready propulsion systems and software developments among international automotive groups. The shift in leadership for 2026 reflects broader structural transitions and changing product-driven engineering cycles inside the global market.

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