India’s battery and energy storage sector is entering a period of rapid expansion, driven by electric vehicle (EV) adoption, grid-scale energy storage, domestic manufacturing and increased automation, industry leaders said at a roundtable in Pune ahead of The Battery Show India 2026.
The roundtable, organised by Informa Markets in India, brought together stakeholders from the EV, battery manufacturing, energy storage, automation and research sectors to discuss the evolving battery ecosystem and the opportunities emerging across mobility and stationary storage.
The fourth edition of The Battery Show India is scheduled to take place from October 22 to 24 at India Expo Mart, Greater Noida, alongside the Renewable Energy India Expo and Energy Storage Summit India.
EV Market Moves Beyond Two- and Three-Wheelers
Industry discussions highlighted the expansion of India’s electric mobility market beyond two- and three-wheelers into commercial vehicles and passenger cars, with total cost of ownership (TCO), policy support and fleet economics increasingly influencing adoption.
Prajyot Sathe, Research Director – Mobility – Electric Vehicles at Frost & Sullivan, said India’s EV market has progressed significantly over the past decade, supported by government policies and regulatory measures.
According to Sathe, India’s battery electric passenger car market reached around 178,000 units in calendar year 2025, compared with approximately 99,000 units in 2024. The market is expected to reach around 180,000–190,000 units in 2026 and could grow to approximately 1.5 million annual passenger EV sales by 2032.
He said the next phase of growth would be driven by advanced battery technologies, supply-chain localization and interoperable charging infrastructure. Lithium iron phosphate (LFP) has emerged as the dominant battery chemistry, while sodium-ion, lithium-sulphur and solid-state technologies are being explored for future applications.
Battery and power electronics localization remains comparatively lower, with overall component localization estimated at around 50–60%. This could increase to 80–90% over the next five to six years, although achieving cost competitiveness will remain critical to developing a stronger domestic ecosystem.
Battery Demand Expected to Rise Sharply
Suyog Keluskar, Senior Director at 1lattice, said India’s battery market is increasingly shifting from an EV-focused opportunity toward a broader national infrastructure requirement.
“India is entering a new phase in its energy transition, one where batteries move from being a vehicle story to a national infrastructure story,” Keluskar said.
He noted that one in eight vehicles retailed in August 2026 was electric, while electric commercial vehicles more than doubled their share to 5.18% over a year. According to Keluskar, these trends indicate that fleet operators are increasingly evaluating EVs based on TCO rather than subsidies.
Advanced cell demand is estimated to increase from around 28 GWh in 2025 to approximately 272 GWh by FY30, while the grid could require around 236 GWh of battery storage by FY32. In comparison, domestic cell production currently remains close to 1 GWh.
Keluskar said the opportunity for India lies in developing domestic capabilities across materials and cell manufacturing, scaling energy storage projects and moving toward performance-based energy storage solutions.
BESS Emerges as Key Grid Infrastructure
With renewable energy penetration increasing, battery energy storage systems (BESS) are expected to play a larger role in grid stabilization, demand management and the integration of intermittent renewable generation.
Hiren Shah, Managing Director and CEO of Replus Engitech, said the company is focused on grid-scale and commercial and industrial (C&I) energy storage, with containerized BESS solutions starting at 5 MWh in a 20-foot container.
Replus is currently deploying approximately 1.2 GWh across firm and dispatchable renewable energy (FDRE), round-the-clock power, solar-plus-storage, standalone BESS and transmission and distribution applications. Its C&I portfolio includes systems ranging from 100 kW/260 kWh to 500 kW/1 MWh, in addition to battery solutions for data centres, residential applications and EVs.
The company currently has 1 GWh of manufacturing capacity and plans to scale this to 6 GWh, with the additional facility expected to become operational from January 2027.
Shah estimated India’s demand over the next decade at around 480 GWh for grid-scale applications, 380–400 GWh for C&I storage and 420 GWh for EV batteries.
He also highlighted the growing role of solar-plus-storage systems as renewable penetration increases, with solar-plus-BESS tariffs cited at around ₹4.8 per unit compared with approximately ₹8.5 per unit for grid power.
Automation to Support Domestic Manufacturing
Industry participants also highlighted automation as a critical component of India’s battery manufacturing expansion.
Manoj Patil, Chairman and Managing Director of Patil Automation Ltd., said the company provides automated manufacturing solutions covering battery cells, modules and packs.
According to Patil, around 30–35% of smaller battery components are currently manufactured domestically, with this share expected to increase to 70–80% in the coming years. Rising demand across two-wheelers, three-wheelers, passenger vehicles, buses, trucks and BESS is expected to drive further investment in automated production lines.
He said safety, battery life and manufacturing traceability will remain important requirements, with automated systems enabling data collection and process monitoring throughout production.
Patil Automation has completed 10–15 fully automated base lines over the past two to three years and is currently executing more than 15 additional base lines. The company estimates an opportunity of ₹700–800 crore in India’s automation-line market over the next three to four years.
PCS and EMS Gain Importance
Beyond battery production, power conversion systems (PCS), energy management systems (EMS) and testing technologies are expected to become increasingly important to India’s energy storage ecosystem.
Prashant Kharade, Chief Operating Officer of Ador Digatron, said the company has expanded from battery formation and testing technologies into lithium-ion battery solutions, EV charging and energy storage.
Ador Digatron has introduced PCS solutions ranging from 500 kW to 2.5 MW and is also exploring the EMS segment. Kharade said combining domestically manufactured batteries with locally developed PCS and EMS technologies could help reduce dependence on imported equipment and strengthen India’s energy storage value chain.
Pune Positioned as EV and Battery Manufacturing Hub
The roundtable was held in Pune in recognition of the city’s established automotive and engineering ecosystem. The Pimpri-Chinchwad industrial belt has more than 4,000 automotive and ancillary units, along with research, testing and certification facilities.
Under Maharashtra’s EV Policy 2025, Pune is also expected to play a role in developing Centres of Excellence focused on EVs, charging infrastructure, hydrogen technologies and EV battery recycling.
Rajneesh Khattar, Senior Group Director at Informa Markets in India, said India’s growing EV adoption is increasing the need to develop capabilities across the wider battery value chain, including cells, battery management systems, power electronics, testing, safety, recycling and energy storage.
India recorded nearly 1.97 million EV registrations in FY2024–25, with electric two-wheelers accounting for around 1.15 million registrations, according to industry data cited at the event.
The discussions highlighted that India’s next phase of electrification will depend not only on vehicle adoption but also on the development of a domestic battery and energy storage ecosystem capable of supporting mobility, renewable integration and grid-scale applications.
