Which EV cells are made in India, and which still come from China

Almost none of the lithium-ion cells inside an Indian EV are made in India. The pack may be assembled in Pune, Prantij or Hosur, the battery management software may be written in Bengaluru, but the cell itself, the jelly roll of cathode, anode, separator and electrolyte, is very likely Chinese. In FY26 India imported ₹41,667 crore worth of lithium-ion cells, up 64% on the year before, with China supplying roughly 85% of the total, Business Today reported on 22 October. Imports then rose faster, not slower: ₹15,721 crore in the first quarter of FY27, and ₹7,209 crore in July 2026 alone against ₹2,772 crore in July 2025.

So when a brochure says "indigenous battery pack", read it as pack, not cell. Pack assembly means buying cells, welding them into modules, adding a BMS, cooling plates and a casing. That is real manufacturing and it is where most Indian value addition sits today. Cell making is a different business, closer to semiconductors than to sheet metal, and India has very little of it running.

What the ACC PLI scheme has actually built

The Advanced Chemistry Cell PLI scheme was cleared in May 2021 with an outlay of ₹18,100 crore for 50 GWh. Awards eventually covered 40 GWh: 20 GWh to Ola, 15 GWh to Reliance New Energy and 5 GWh to Rajesh Exports, pv magazine India reported in March 2026, when land acquisition was done for all 40 GWh but only 1 GWh had been commissioned. By October, Business Today put Ola at 2.5 GWh operational and said no other beneficiary had capacity on the ground, and that no cell maker had yet drawn incentive money.

The government has given ground rather than cancelled. On 12 August 2026 Ola said its PLI window was extended, giving it a five-year run to 2031 and up to ₹7,240 crore in incentives against its 20 GWh, with 2.5 GWh then running. A separate ₹12,000 crore scheme for battery components, cathode and anode material, electrolyte and separators, has been proposed. That matters because even a cell plant in India today imports most of its chemicals.

The Bengaluru plant to watch

The one development an owner can point to is 40 km from Bengaluru. Exide Energy Solutions has commissioned Phase 1 of its cell plant at Devanahalli, 6 GWh, scalable to 12 GWh, making LFP and NMC cells in multiple form factors, Energetica India reported on 28 September. Exide's own results statement of 4 November leads with the line "6 GWh of Lithium-ion Cell Gigafactory Commissioned". The first use is telling: LFP cells will replace imported cells at Exide's Gujarat pack plant for electric three-wheelers, with two-wheeler packs and NMC cells for carmakers to follow.

Tata's Agratas is further out. Its first Indian plant at Sanand is a 20 GWh build with production expected in 2027, pv magazine reported in April 2026, the steel shell alone 700 m long and 105,000 sq m of built-up area.

What this means if you are buying

Three practical points. First, chemistry tells you more than origin. LFP is the safer, longer-cycling, cheaper option and is what most mass-market Indian EVs and e-three-wheelers use, NMC buys energy density for range. Second, replacement cell supply for an out-of-warranty pack still depends on imports, so do not assume local manufacturing will cut pack replacement costs in the next two to three years. Third, treat "made in India battery" claims as a question to ask the dealer, not a fact: ask whether the cell, the module or only the pack was built here, and who warrants it.

Sources

• BT Big Story: India has failed to build an ecosystem of battery cells. Can a new PLI change this?
• Land acquisition completed for 40 GWh capacity awarded under PLI ACC scheme, pv magazine India
• Exide Commissions 6 GWh Phase-I Lithium-ion Cell Manufacturing Facility, Energetica India
• Exide Industries press releases
• Agratas advances 20 GWh battery plant in western India, pv magazine
• Ola Electric Secures 2-Year PLI Extension for Battery Cells, StartupTalky