India’s Struggle for Battery Self-Reliance Amid Technological Dependence

India is aiming to mass-produce electric vehicle batteries in the next 18 months, marking a significant step toward industrial self-reliance. However, the country’s battery industry is heavily reliant on foreign technology, and its leading companies, Amara Raja and Exide, have only seven patents combined. This is starkly contrasted with global leaders like China’s CATL, which holds over 43,000 patents, and South Korea’s LG Energy Solution with 70,000. The historical reliance on licensing technology, rather than inventing it, has left India in a position of dependency. A 2022 deal between Exide and China’s SVOLT highlights this reliance, where SVOLT not only transfers intellectual property but also oversees plant construction and integrates the factory into its Chinese supply chain. Similarly, Amara Raja’s agreement with Gotion High-Tech follows a comparable pattern. These moves indicate India’s strategy of advancing in the electric vehicle battery market through foreign partnerships, but this approach raises concerns about long-term independence and innovation capacity in a critical sector.