ARCI, Voltasun Ink MoU to Validate Sodium-Ion Pouch Cells for Commercial Use

Its involvement provides a critical bridge between laboratory success and market-ready adoption, especially for stationary storage solutions, which require safe, cost-effective, and long-life technologies.

A significant step toward India’s clean-energy and battery self-reliance mission was taken with the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the industrial performance validation of sodium-ion pouch cells developed using Sodium Vanadium Phosphate (NVP) cathode material.The partnership aims to accelerate the commercialisation of sodium-ion batteries, a promising alternative to lithium-ion technology—offering advantages such as lower cost, improved safety, and suitability for large-scale energy storage.

The MoU was formalised on 15 December 2025 between the International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI)—an autonomous R&D institution under the Department of Science and Technology (DST)—and Voltasun Technologies Pvt. Ltd., a specialised battery materials-to-cells startup.

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ARCI’s NVP Cathode Innovation and Lab Validation

ARCI has developed an advanced Sodium Vanadium Phosphate (NVP) cathode powder and successfully demonstrated its performance by fabricating NVP-based sodium-ion pouch cells under the ANRF MAHA EV Project.

These cells have undergone standard laboratory-scale testing, with field-level validation currently ongoing. The promising results so far have paved the way for evaluating the technology’s scalability and robustness under industrial conditions.

Sodium-ion batteries, with their abundant raw material base and thermal safety advantages, represent a strategic technology for India—particularly for stationary energy storage, grid support, and renewable energy integration.

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Voltasun Technologies: Industry Linkages for Application Expansion

Voltasun Technologies Pvt. Ltd., a materials science and battery-focused startup, brings:

• Expertise in battery active materials and cell manufacturing

• R&D and consultancy capabilities

• Strong industrial networks for deployment and performance evaluation

• Capability to scale up and adapt ARCI’s sodium-ion cells for real-world applications

Its involvement provides a critical bridge between laboratory success and market-ready adoption, especially for stationary storage solutions, which require safe, cost-effective, and long-life technologies.

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Two-Phase Collaboration for Industrial Validation

The partnership will unfold in two structured phases, ensuring iterative development and performance optimisation:

Phase I

• ARCI will supply 80 units of 5Ah pouch cells.

• Voltasun will undertake comprehensive performance validation, providing insights and refinements for the next phase.

Phase II

• Based on Phase I feedback, ARCI will supply two additional batches of 80 pouch cells each under an amended agreement.

• The data generated will inform scale-up, quality consistency, and potential commercial manufacturing.

This phased model ensures a robust, industry-aligned pathway for the technology as it moves closer to commercial viability.

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Boosting India’s Energy Innovation and Self-Reliance

The collaboration underscores ARCI’s mandate to translate indigenous R&D outcomes into industry-ready technologies, in alignment with national objectives such as:

• Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India)

• Advanced energy storage ecosystems

• Decarbonisation and renewable energy integration

• Strengthening India’s battery innovation value chain

Successful validation of sodium-ion pouch cells will support India’s ambition to diversify its energy storage technologies, reduce dependence on imported lithium, and enable safer, scalable, and cost-effective battery solutions for a variety of applications.