Epsilon Advanced Materials and The Sun Pedal Ride have collaborated to foster sustainability awareness among young students and promoting the adoption of eco-friendly mobility solutions. Epsilon creates data-driven, enriched customer experiences focused on real people.
In a recent interview, Abdullah interacted with Sushil Reddy, (Founder – The Sun Pedal Ride), in which he discussed how Epsilon provided unique contributions to motivate and support his remarkable trip, as well as Epsilon collaboration with educational institutions to foster innovation and knowledge sharing, and in helping businesses navigate industry disruptions and capitalise on emerging opportunities.
What is Sushil’s journey and specific contributions Epsilon made to empower and support the inspiring journey?
Sushil Reddy is an IIT Bombay alumnus from the Department of Energy Science and Engineering and an HEC Paris Alumnus from the MSc Program in Sustainability and Social Innovation. Under the banner of The Sun Pedal Ride, Clean Energy and Sustainable Mobility Outreach Initiative, he started his journey in 2016 for spreading the word of sustainable renewable energy by constructing a solar-powered cycle and riding it across nine states in 79 days, delivering 25 seminars, and covering 7,424 kilometers. The journey earned him a Guinness and Limca World Record for the longest journey on a solar-powered electric bicycle.
For sparking crucial conversations among the youth for promoting e- mobility and emphasizing the significance of ZERO tailpipe emissions for a sustainable tomorrow, Sushil travelled across India in an EV vehicle in 2023-24 covering a journey of 15,500 kms in 120 days across 30 cities catering to more 50 premier Institutions of India.
At Epsilon Advanced Materials, we’re on a mission to drive the energy transition towards a fossil-free economy by innovating and manufacturing cutting-edge battery materials both anode & cathode, powering the future of electric vehicles (EVs).
Aligned with our purpose of “Energizing the World”, we partnered with The SunPedal Ride an initiative led by Sushil Reddy.
Epsilon not only sponsored his inspiring journey, but also visited and met students of IIT Chennai, VNIT, Nagpur, NIT Trichy, BITS Goa, PSG Coimbatore, IIM Sambalpur, Sambalpur University and other colleges on the role of EV mobility and its role in driving this green energy revolution.
What is hypermiling and how did Sushil use it to maximize range during his EV journey?
Hypermiling is a technique to drive an EV to maximize the range—the driving tips are to be gentle with the accelerator and brake pedals, reducing the speed and keeping the AC switched off. Even with a 1 per cent battery, the dashboard range in the EV will show 5 kilometers.
Emphasizing on hypermiling, Sushil mentioned how he faced peak range anxiety during Lucknow to Agra journey. With 95 per cent battery in Lucknow, he reached Agra with only 1 per cent battery left in the EV after covering 370 kilometers with air conditioning switched off. A couple of fast charging stations on this route were not working due to power outages and an under-voltage situation. A hypermile for 30 kms without a fully discharged battery saved the day for him,
How does Epsilon collaborate with educational institutions to foster innovation and knowledge sharing?
For fostering innovation and knowledge sharing, Epsilon has partnered with premier institutes of India, where top minds get an opportunity to work in our daily operations, Research, and Innovation through flagship programs.
Epsilon’s visits premier technical institutes like IIT, NIT & Regional Engineering colleges for nurturing the next generation of talent and fostering a culture of continuous learning and growth.
Promoting researchers for their valuable contributions to the Sodium ion and Lithium-ion battery technology, Epsilon supported and facilitated Zarrin Khan, a battery research scientist from IIT Bombay chosen for the prestigious Prime Minister’s Fellowship for Doctoral Research.
How does Epsilon adapt its programs to cater to the diverse needs and aspirations of the next generation?
For promoting EV mobility amongst the next generation, Epsilon collaborated with 8th edition of Formula Bharat – India’s Formula Student Competition, reaffirming its commitment to sustainable energy solutions.
Our partnership with Formula Bharat opened avenues for knowledge exchange, fostering the development of cutting-edge EV mobility solutions shaping the future of sustainable energy transition through high-performance EV battery materials. The Epsilon team awarded the winning designs in EV and battery space and interacted with students from IIT, NIIT’s and other colleges on sustainable EV mobility and the opportunity that lies ahead for them.
What role does Epsilon play in helping businesses navigate industry disruptions and capitalize on emerging opportunities?
The Indian Government’s call for industry to pursue research and development (R&D) to manufacture batteries using locally available raw materials aligns perfectly with our mission. Epsilon Advanced Materials is committed to advancing R&D and manufacturing in the EV battery sector, by providing sustainable anode & cathode materials to the giga factories. This supports the country’s vision and positions us as a catalyst for indigenous innovation in the EV industry.
What technological innovations does Epsilon identify as potential game-changers for sustainable mobility in India, and what hurdles need to be overcome for their widespread adoption?
According to a study by the US Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, India can achieve energy independence by 2047. The study states that 100 percent of new vehicle sales could be electric by 2035 and most of the lithium needed (estimated 2 million tons by 2040) for manufacturing new electric vehicles and grid-scale battery storage systems could be produced domestically.
India is currently dependent on China to meet 90% of its Lithium-ion battery demand as it lacks the raw materials to manufacture EV battery components. With environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) considerations becoming increasingly critical for the industry globally, the world is leaning on India for homegrown EV batteries.
Epsilon Advanced Materials is at the forefront of India’s efforts to promote electric and hybrid vehicles aligned with the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan, which aims to have 5-6 million electric vehicles on the roads by 2025, and the National Electric Mobility Plan, which targets for 30% of all vehicles in India to be electric by 2030. As one of the pioneers in India’s battery storage industry, we manufacture anode and cathode materials.
Epsilon’s anode battery material has 78% lesser GWP impact than Chinese counterparts which makes the EV batteries truly sustainable.
Epsilon has invested primarily in R&D since its inception in 2018. This includes investments in both equipment, lab facilities and, more importantly, in attracting and training skilled manpower which is a challenge in this industry. The facilities can make cells in various formats, including coin cells, single-layer pouch cells and multi-layer pouch cells and has the capability to perform 40+ physical and electrochemical tests. This data is critical for EAM to constantly evolve its product portfolio and customize materials for specific customer requirements.
To realize the vision of having 30% EV penetration on Indian roads by 2030, it is imperative to build the local supply chain and R&D facilities for battery materials processing and manufacturing.