India, April 23 -- India's electric vehicle (EV) transition is, by most measures, a policy success. EV adoption has surged from just 50,000 units in 2016 to over 2 million in 2024, a fortyfold increase in less than a decade.

Yet, beneath this rapid growth lies a structural contradiction: the batteries powering India's green mobility push will soon become both an environmental liability and a critical economic resource. How India manages this transition will shape its position in the global clean energy landscape.

The coming wave

India's demand for lithium-ion batteries is projected to reach 132 GWh annually by 2030, with cumulative demand nearing 800 GWh. Given that most EV batteries last 8 to 10 years, the first major wave of end-of-l...