E Rickshaws & Lithium : An Unholy Alliance

Very recently I had the privilege on attending Delhi Govt brain storming session on EV policy. Needless to say, it was a fully charged up session and very useful too. But like many such seminars this too had snubbed the role of E rickshaws in general.

The product still does not generate enough interest. This lack of interest is actually helping small E rickshaw manufacturers to stay in race that otherwise would have uprooted them from the business. I firmly believe that its one segment despite being grossly ignored is the solution to many livelihood, traffic and pollution problems of the country.

 Today E rickshaws are being offered with two power options: lead acid batteries or lithium ion batteries. While the most of the scientists, scholars, manufacturers and policy makers are busy writing the obituary of lead acid batteries, the facts are much divergent.

There is no doubt that Lithium is a better technology but not every technological advancement is ready for an immediate use. Little doubt that Lithium batteries are the best technology available for Electric vehicles today but not for E rickshaws. My analogy might look very regressive to many but fact is with each technological element we gain disadvantages as well as advantages, and many times those disadvantages are overlooked by technology users.

First of all we need to analyze and address the behavior and concerns of its user. A typical E rickshaw owner/ driver is always in survival mode with meager resources. The cost of lithium battery is three to four times that of lead acid.

An immediate rebuttal would be that lithium works out much cheaper in long run as it is four/five times long lasting than conventional lead acid batteries. This itself is my first point of difference. The poor guy does not have enough capital. Even in case of bank loan the cash down requirements doubles up.   

Quality is another puzzle!! We all know lithium batteries are manufactured in China and only assembled in India. The reliability becomes an issue because most assemblers are driven by prices. With limited volumes prices are always under stress. The claim of five years of life and two years of warranty is as ambiguous as saying we human lives 70+ years. The quality certifications are another grey area. Forget Lithium, even in case of Lead acid batteries, agencies like ICAT are issuing quality certificates like candies to kids.

Another major pitfall of lithium battery is its susceptibility to extreme temperatures. India normally experiences high temperatures in summer thus the possibility of lithium batteries exploding is another grey area. The commercial vehicles in India are always poorly maintained. This is more so true in case of E rickshaw thus making lithium a dangerous choice.

The range of lithium batteries is another problem area. Despite all claims the practical working have revealed only 60 Kms of range in 80 Ah batteries.  If this range is available in best of health, imagine the state as battery gets old and debile. Lead acid batteries of 100 Ah starts with 100 kms and goes down to 50 Kms after six months. The down time in both technologies are same but it’s the run time that is important money spinner for the driver.

The biggest issue is turnaround time in event of faults. Lead acid batteries may be primitive technology but replacements of these batteries are much easier. In case of lithium batteries there aren’t any clear-cut TAT or warranty terms by manufacturers and sellers. Normally if one of the cells goes bad in lithium it leads to complete collapse.   Can a driver who survives on daily earning affords the luxury of waiting for few days to have his battery replaced/ repaired??

The disconnect does not end there. Electric vehicles are answer to pollution problems. Here comes the irony. Lithium batteries are difficult to recycled. It is well known that recycling of Lithium without strong supervision can lead to most serious health hazards. The recovery in case of recycling of lead acid batteries is as high as 70% whereas the recycling the of spent lithium batteries are challenging because of their relatively low extraction efficiency and potential for huge waste generation. It is estimated that by year 2025 lithium scrap in China alone would reach the most gigantic and alarming levels.

There are still many aspects that are still left untouched in this essay but one thing appears to be sure that Lithium batteries for E rickshaws are a mismatch. The thrust should be to improve the lead acid technology for E rickshaws. Companies like Trojan has constantly delivered high quality motive power lead acid batteries.

 Sometimes technology can be stressful!!