Published in The Indian Express on 14 April 2026, this article by Dipanita Nath explores Rechargion’s efforts to develop sodium-ion battery technology using indigenous raw materials, reducing India’s dependence on imported battery materials and supply chains.
The feature profiles Rechargion, founded in 2021 as a spin-off from CSIR–National Chemical Laboratory (CSIR-NCL) and led by Dr. Vilas Shelke and Dr. Manjusha Shelke, a Chief Scientist at NCL. Drawing on their research backgrounds, the founders are developing sodium-ion batteries that use abundant materials such as sodium and aluminium as alternatives to the materials commonly used in lithium-ion batteries.
The article highlights the challenges of building an indigenous battery supply chain, particularly the limited availability of facilities to enrich raw materials to battery grade and scale laboratory prototypes into commercial products. It also notes that Rechargion established a battery fabrication facility at Venture Center with support from government and institutional grants. The startup now routinely produces 20 Ah cells that have undergone testing, including by the Automotive Research Association of India, and is working towards scaling up production.
With initial applications targeting two-wheelers and three-wheelers, Rechargion’s journey illustrates how deep-tech startups can translate scientific research into indigenous energy technologies and contribute to India's clean mobility and energy storage ambitions.