Eastern region's first lithium-ion battery recycling facility opens
Autocar Professional, 28 Oct '25
India has strengthened its electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem with the commissioning of a new lithium-ion battery recycling facility in the eastern region.
NavPrakriti has begun operations at Eastern India's first lithium-ion battery recycling facility near Kolkata to manage the growing volume of end-of-life batteries from EVs. The facility supports India's transition towards sustainable e-mobility by addressing the increasing demand for efficient battery recycling and material recovery.
NavPrakriti is an Indian company focused on battery recycling.
Industry projections indicate that India will need to recycle more than 1.2 million EV batteries annually by 2030, with the figure expected to reach 14 million by 2040. Lithium-ion battery demand in the country is forecast to rise to 54 gigawatt-hours by the fiscal year 2027, driven primarily by rapid EV adoption.
According to Akhilesh Bagaria, Founder of NavPrakriti, the facility represents an indigenous step towards sustainable battery management within the EV supply chain. The plant utilises technology developed by the Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology and aligns with national efforts to promote domestic manufacturing and reduce import dependency.
The recycling plant currently processes 1,000 tons of EV batteries per month using mechanical pre-treatment and is designed for future expansion to 2,000 tons. It recovers aluminium and copper while producing intermediary compounds containing nickel, cobalt, manganese, and lithium - key materials for battery production. NavPrakriti also plans to advance into battery-grade chemical recovery and refurbishment for secondary EV applications.
The development follows the Government's Rs. 15 billion (US$ 169.8 million) scheme for battery recycling and refining under the National Critical Mineral Mission, aimed at enhancing domestic capacity for EV battery recycling and resource recovery.
NavPrakriti is collaborating with battery manufacturers, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and large-scale EV fleet operators to establish battery collection and recycling partnerships under the Extended Producer Responsibility framework. The facility currently serves the automotive sectors across West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, and Chhattisgarh.
