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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Horse Powertrain, a global player in low-emission and innovative powertrain systems, has unveiled its first production-ready V8 engine, the HORSE W40. Developed for high-performance hybrid vehicle platforms, the 4.0-litre eight-cylinder unit ranks among the market's most power-dense V8 offerings, weighing just 200 kg while producing over 500 kW and 800 Nm. That blend of strong low-end torque and high peak power makes it suited to sports cars, pick-up trucks and off-road vehicles alike.

The engine is laid out longitudinally with twin top-mounted turbochargers in a hot-V configuration, and it borrows advanced direct fuel injection, extensive lightweighting and a shortened turbo intake path from across the company's portfolio to achieve its power and torque density. Complementing it is the HORSE 8LDCT, an eight-speed transmission with a sportscar-grade wet dual clutch that delivers a pre-fill time below 50 ms and shift response under 20 ms, plus a silicon carbide control system, power module, variable-displacement mechanical pump and support for up to 1,050 Nm.

Both components will make their world debut as an integrated set in Lotus's upcoming Type 135 supercar, the brand's first entry into the category. The pairing is intended to cement the W40's position as the leading hybrid engine for top-end vehicles, combining high output with hybrid-ready efficiency. Horse Powertrain says the integrated package demonstrates how its portfolio technologies can be brought together to serve demanding performance applications.

Matias Giannini, CEO, Horse Powertrain, said, “The HORSE W40 marks another landmark achievement for Horse Powertrain’s engineering teams, with our world-class technology powering one of the most power-dense V8s in automotive history. This hybrid-first engine has been built with our company’s full-powertrain perspective and expertise, designed for integration from the outset with our landmark HORSE 8LDCT transmission. In powering the Lotus Type 135, Horse Powertrain is both advancing the state of the art of automotive engineering while making a historic contribution to the world-renowned Lotus brand.”

Feng Qingfeng, CEO, Lotus, said, “We are excited to partner with Horse Powertrain to bring its advanced V8 engine and hybrid transmission technology to the upcoming Lotus Type 135. The HORSE W40 V8 engine and 8LDCT hybrid transmission represent significant advances in powertrain engineering, combining exceptional power and torque density with a highly integrated design. By bringing these technologies together with Lotus’ expertise in lightweight engineering and chassis dynamics, we aim to deliver a new generation of supercar performance, combining outstanding power, efficiency and the precise, engaging driving experience that defines Lotus.”

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US-headquartered Ten-Nine Technologies has entered a market development partnership with Tokyo-based Rune Nordgaard Consulting (RNC) to expand the evaluation and commercialisation of its 'TENIX' battery additive across Japan's battery value chain.

Headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Ten-Nine Technologies is said to have developed proprietary nano-scale materials that improve battery performance, longevity and stability across lithium-ion chemistries. The company claims its flagship technology, christened TENIX, is a cathode additive engineered to extend cycle life, improve thermal performance and unlock more value from every cell.

TENIX is a powder additive blended into cathode active materials during manufacturing at 0.5 to 2 percent of cathode weight without requiring equipment modifications or battery redesigns. In third-party evaluations across nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) and lithium-manganese-oxide (LMO) chemistries, the additive increased charge-discharge cycles by over 75 percent, extending electric vehicle battery lifespans from 150,000 to over 265,000 miles while reducing cost per kilowatt-hour by approximately 40 percent, lowering resistance by 10 percent and decreasing lifetime heat output by around 40 percent.

Under the agreement, RNC will act as Ten-Nine's representative in Japan, facilitating engagement with automotive original equipment manufacturers, battery makers, cathode producers, trading houses and research institutions.

Since May 2026, RNC has introduced TENIX to battery manufacturers, automotive firms, and cathode materials producers in Japan to support technical evaluations and customer qualification processes.

Paige Johnson, CEO, Ten-Nine Technologies, said, “Japan has played a foundational role in the development of the global lithium-ion battery industry. RNC’s deep understanding of the Japanese battery ecosystem and extensive industry network make them an ideal partner as we continue expanding our global presence.”

Rune Nordgaard, Founder, Rune Nordgaard Consulting, said, “Japan is one of the world’s most important battery markets, but success here requires trust, technical understanding, and strong local follow-up. TENIX has demonstrated excellent performance in NMC and LMO cathode chemistries, with strong potential for all-solid-state batteries as well, and I believe it will be of real interest to battery and battery-related companies across Japan. We’re pleased to support Ten-Nine, whose professionalism, technical rigour, and commitment to customers give us confidence in introducing TENIX to potential partners in Japan.

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German luxury carmaker Audi has detailed the battery architecture and bidirectional charging capabilities of the Audi A2 e-tron, which is available to order in three battery configurations of 52, 61 and 84 kWh.

The EV features Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) functionality to power devices and Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) capability to supply electricity to households when paired with a DC wallbox, with Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) functionality planned to feed energy into the power grid in the future.

The 52 kWh and 61 kWh variants use lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries arranged in a cell-to-pack layout, while the 84 kWh variant uses a nickel-manganese-cobalt battery. Depending on the configuration, direct current charging powers range between 100 and 183 kW, charging the battery from 10 to 80 per cent in 24 minutes for the 52 kWh version, 26 minutes for the 61 kWh version, and 29 minutes for the 84 kWh versions.

The vehicle incorporates an OCDC 2.0 unit that integrates the on-board charger and DC/DC converter, utilising metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) and alternating current output management software. A thermal management system regulates battery temperature, current flow, and state of charge during charging and discharging cycles, while a battery management controller employs an algorithm to track state of charge, ageing, and range calculations across the LFP cells.

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Enmovil Solutions has formed a partnership with Tangentia to provide supply chain orchestration software to manufacturing and automotive enterprises in Canada. The agreement was formalised during the Team Canada Trade Mission to India in October 2026, led by Canada's Minister of International Trade, Maninder Sidhu, which resulted in 34 agreements valued at nearly CAD 300 million.

Under the terms of the agreement, the companies will combine Enmovil's CADDIE supply chain platform with Tangentia's integration and Agentic AI systems. Tangentia will manage go-to-market operations, deployment and customer support in Canada, targeting manufacturers, automotive original equipment manufacturers, electric vehicle and battery producers, defence contractors and supplier networks. Enmovil's platform manages demand, inventory, production, and logistics planning for clients including Maruti Suzuki India, Mahindra & Mahindra, TVS Motor Co, Daimler, Nestle, Hero MotoCorp, Indus Towers and Ashok Leyland.

Ravi Bulusu, Co-Founder and CEO, Enmovil, said, “Canada is a natural next step in Enmovil’s global expansion. Its manufacturing and automotive sectors run on complex, tightly connected supply chains, where faster and better-coordinated decisions translate directly into cost and service outcomes. By combining CADDIE, Industry’s leading Agentic supply chain decisioning and orchestration platform, with Tangentia’s solutions and local expertise, we can offer Canadian enterprises a joint solution that helps them make faster, better-informed supply chain decisions. We look forward to working with Tangentia to bring this to more businesses in Canada.”

Vijay Thomas, CEO, Tangentia, said, “Canadian manufacturers, Retailers and Distributors are under growing pressure to build supply chains that are more resilient and responsive. CADDIE, Enmovil’s supply chain decisioning and orchestration platform, has proven itself at scale with some of the largest manufacturing and automotive companies in India, and it complements Tangentia’s strengths in Supply Chain, EDI, integration and Agentic AI. Together, we can offer our customers a combined solution and a practical path to AI-driven supply chain decisions. This partnership is also a strong example of the growing technology ties between Canada and India.”

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